Under the leadership of commissioner Toke Benson-Awoyinka, representatives from the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture have asked the people living in the Iru region of the state for their patience and understanding, especially those who will be impacted by the ongoing Federal Government project to build the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road.
According to a statement released on Thursday, Benson-Awoyinka made the request at a stakeholders’ engagement event that was hosted at the palace of Oba Abdulwasiu Abisogun II, the Oniru of Iru Land, who is the paramount traditional monarch.
The purpose of the meeting, according to the commissioner, who was joined by the Permanent Secretary, Oloruntoyin Atekoja, and other senior ministry officials, was to talk about how the road project may affect the neighborhood and nearby businesses.
Benson-Awoyinka promised that both the federal and state governments will take proactive steps to lessen the difficulties.
She said, “Everything that we have discussed here today will be taken back to the Governor of Lagos State, and whatever needs to be done will be done. We will look into how to get timely compensation for affected persons because the Lagos State Government will not leave the community members to bear any burden that comes with this project alone.”
Oba Abisogun, for his part, conveyed his appreciation for the interaction and emphasized the significance of keeping lines of communication open between the community and the government.
The Federal Government announced in March that work on a 700-kilometer coastal roadway between Lagos and Calabar had begun.
This was revealed by Works Minister David Umahi in a statement released in Abuja by his Special Advisor on Media, Orji Uchenna.
It happened one week after the Federal Executive Council authorized a N1.067 trillion contract for the highway’s initial construction phase.
The 47.47 km dual highway features a train track in the center and five lanes on each side, according to the minister of works. Umahi indicated that the facility would be built of concrete and that it was a section of the 700-kilometer route that connected nine states. Two spurs of the road extend up north.