The Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, has assured the people of Ondo and Ekiti States that the federal government has not abandoned the reconstruction of the Akure-Ado Ekiti road.
The Minister, who said the contract awarded to Dantata and Sawoe for the dualisation of the road is being looked into, said once the process is completed, work will resume on the project and it will be fast tracked.
Adegoroye stated this on Tuesday when a delegation of the Ondo State House of Assembly, led by its Speaker, Rt. Hon. Bamidele Oleyelogun, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the Federal Ministry of Transportation in Abuja.
According to him, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, who has taken the road as a priority for the government, took the step to look into the contract awarded in 2020 due to the challenges being faced by the contractor in executing the project.
He said: “I know what our people are facing on that road but I want to again plead for more patience. The Minister of Works is meticulously doing a lot to ensure that we don’t run into any impediment when the project resumes. So, I want to assure our people that the project will not be abandoned.”
The Minister also gave the assurance that the proposed Deep Sea Port in Ondo State will soon become a reality, while stressing that the federal government recognizes the importance of the proposed port to the blue economy policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adegoroye described the visit of the state legislators as historic, describing them as true representatives of their people. He then promised that all the issues of development raised by them will be looked into by his office.
Speaking earlier, the Speaker, Oleyelogun, said this visit was to forge a working relationship between the Ondo State House of Assembly and the Minister, who is a former member of the House.
Oleyelogun, who said the State is blessed to have someone of Adegoroye’s caliber as Minister and commended his achievements so far, urged him to be the rallying point for the people of the State and also guide the All Progressives Congress (APC) to victory in the State in the 2023 general elections.
Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Samuel Aderoboye and Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Sunday Olajide, who both described the Minister as very accommodating, said there is the need for increased presence of the federal government in Ondo State.
Other members of the House on the visit were the Minority Leader, Hon. Rasheed Elegbeleye, Parliamentary Secretary, Hon. Abayomi Akinruntan, Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Festus Akinfiranye and Hon. Olushola Oluyede, as well as the Clerk of the House, Barrister Benjamin Jaiyeola.
*Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan*
Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister of State for Transportation
November 8, 2022