…To rehabilitate major artery roads

Kwara State Executive Council has approved the setting up of a teaching hospital to support the training of medical students and related professionals by the Kwara State University. This is a major step that involves huge facility upgrades at the General Hospital Ilorin (GHI) which has been adopted for the purpose as well as legislations to guide its operations.

Amina Ahmed El-Imam, state Commissioner for Health disclosed this recently at a press conference jointly addressed by Bolanle Olukoju, commissioner for communication and AbdulQuawiy Olododo, commissioner for Works and Transport.

The Health commissioner said the council observed the recent facility upgrades under the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq administration had earlier qualified GHI as a postgraduate training health institution and went ahead to approve additional N906.7m seed fund to push through the historic transition.

She said: “The proposed seed fund will meet cost of infrastructural facelift and construction of new ones, equipment upgrades, administrative changes, and address manpower needs to support training of medical students, which is complementary to the ongoing postgraduate training. This will be of immense benefits to the people of Kwara State and the nation at large.”

She added that the council approved for the government to present a bill on 'establishment of the Kwara State Teaching Hospital and related matters' to the House of Assembly.

Also briefing journalists, AbdulQuawiy Olododo, coordinating Commissioner for Works and Transport, announced immediate reconstruction works on the Wahab Folawiyo (Unity Road) Road in Ilorin, the state capital, following the state executive council's approval of the overhauling of the major artery roads that empty into Ilorin, the state capital.

He explained that phased works on the road, such as asphalt milling, will begin from next week with minimal drags on vehicular traffic at every stage of the work, adding that the contractor will complete work on one lane before working on the other to reduce traffic gridlock.

Olododo informed that dozens of traffic management officers will be deployed while government — to lessen the impacts and will also divert traffic through Obbo Road, Coca Cola Road, and Police Road. Some bad spots on the three are to undergo immediate fix.

He noted that further information on traffic management will be communicated to the public as preparation gets underway, assuring the people of adequate care while the work lasts.

“We are not demolishing any private properties and business premises not sited on government's setbacks will not be eaten into in any way,” he declared.

The council approval of the work fell under the urban renewal and developmental road projects of the administration, conceived to lessen travel time, boost economic growth, give a new look to the capital city, and improve the living conditions of the people.

It was also disclosed that the council approved the total reconstruction of the busy Wahab Folawiyo four-lane dual carriageway (Unity Road) in Ilorin — a major step that aligns with the concerns of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq that many of the roads in the capital city have long outlived their engineering lifespan.

He disclosed that the contract was awarded to the A-list Craneburg Construction firm at the cost of N1,513,528,195.18.

The council, meanwhile, has approved the revocation and re-award or review of some ongoing road contracts, including Ilesha Gwanara and Owode-Ofaro-Alabe road, for poor performance or delay in their delivery, while it called for speedy completion of others, including the Orisa bridge in Oro Ago in Ifelodun local government area of the state.

According to the commissioner, the Governor has also directed that the approaching sections of the road to the Orisa bridge be fixed as soon as possible, while the Iyana Shonga Road in Edu local government are to be evaluated for rehabilitation works.

“The government has secured multibillion naira road projects that connect different parts of the state, especially Kwara North and South, the Commissioner.

“His Excellency informed the cabinet that work is to begin shortly on some major roads in Kwara North and Kwara South as contractors have been mobilised to site with at least N40bn. This is what His Excellency has attracted as our major gain from some recent policy initiatives of the Federal Government.”

He listed the major roads as Kosubosu-Kaiama-Bode Sa'adu (130km); Lafiagi-Shonga-Bacita (83km); Okuta-Gwanara-Bukoro (32km); and Offa-Ojoku-Afin-Eiyenkorin (49km) which will burst out at Odo-Otin local government in Osun State.

The commissioner equally disclosed that some of the roads and river crossings captured under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project will soon begin, including Afon -Sapati Oko-Igbotele; Mondala-Yowere-Agbonna; Kpandarako-Ginda-Kusomunu-Kachitako-Tsakpata Lealea-Gulufu-Bacita; Lafiagi-Effagi-Pututa; Ajase Ipo-Igbonla-Agbamu-Osun boundary; Ojoku-Illa market; Ijagbo-Aperun-Adeleke-Igbawere; Igbaja-Ofarese-Wale-Agbeku; Gerewu-Eiyenkorin-Okolowo-Express-Peeke-Dongari-Ogundele; Kaiama-Kemanji; and Oro-Sanmora, among others.

Similarly, he gave updates to the council on some ongoing construction works, saying the General Tunde Idiagbon Flyover is going on steady and will be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

The government has also continued massive rehabilitation works on at least 70 roads within and outside the capital city in the first phase. The roads include Sawmill Garage; Olorunshogo; Adabata; Emir's Road; Taiwo-Surulere; Sefura Junction; Airport Sawmil-Taiwo; Ita Merin-Offa Grammar School road; Offa General Hospital; and Irra Road, among several others.

The commissioner also told reporters that the ministry has established a desk office contact for residents of the state to seek clarifications or report any issue to the government on ongoing projects.