Hitec Construction Company has begun the construction of Isawo – Arepo road located in Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area (LCDA) with the contractor and other workers already on site with their equipment doing some minor grading and digging on the road. However, some traders have condemned the government for not giving them adequate notice.
When Oriwu Sun visited the area recently, it was discovered that many of the marked buildings and shops along the road have been deserted and partially demolished, with their roofs, windows and doors removed. On inquiry by Oriwu Sun, it was discovered that it was the owners that came to demolish the structure. A male boutique owner, who did not want his name in print, explained that they decided to vacate the shops since they had already been marked for demolition to give way for the construction of the road.
According to him, since the construction work had started, they deemed it fit to remove the roofs, doors, windows and other valuables in the buildings before government demolishes them. He also berated the government for not properly informing the residents, especially the owners of the affected buildings, about the time work would commence on the road to enable them pack out their property before the contractor moved to site.
He said that since the government appropriately briefed the community about its plan to reconstruct the road and seek their cooperation, it was expected that it should have properly informed them about the commencement time for the reconstruction by making announcements in radio, television station or in the newspaper. The trader also said the unannounced appearance of construction workers on the road had thrown occupants of marked shops and buildings into a state of confusion as most of them were not yet prepared to make concrete plans for relocation.
Several other people, who spoke with our reporter, corroborated the boutique owner’s statement, which condemned the state government for not giving adequate information. They appealed to the government to look into their plight and address them accordingly. Other landlords and residents of the affected buildings were very angry and did not want to speak with our reporter; however, one of the Supervisors of HITEC Construction Company, who pleaded anonymity, told Oriwu Sun that both the State Government and the construction company did not ask the occupants of the marked buildings to demolish or vacate them. He said those who had done so only over-reacted.
According to him, the width of the road has not been determined or established that it would affect the marked buildings; only the electric poles on the road side. The Supervisor said that though, they had moved to site, the actual work would commence in January 2018. The construction duration would be twenty months. At the time of this report, the construction work had progressed from Odo-Afa area up to Igbo-Olomu.