LAGOS state government has terminated the contract awarded to Plycon Nigeria Limited, to construct the 7.5 kilometer Ipaja-Ayobo road in Alimosho Local Government.

Vanguard gathered that the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode terminated the contract awarded to Plycon Nigeria Limited, following series of complaints from residents over the slow pace of work done by the contractor.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr Bade Ajibade, an engineer, said that the state government terminated the construction work and re-awarded it to Laralek Ultimate Limited.

His words “The previous contractor was too slow and that was why we have decided that the work be re-awarded to another contractor that can speed up the completion of the project.

The state government under ex-governor, Babatunde Fashola’s administration had on March 18th, 2011 awarded the contract to rehabilitate and upgrade Ipaja-Ayobo road; with work commencing in October, same year.

The construction work, according to the State Tender’s Board, STB was expected to elapse 18 months after commencement date.

The previous administration awarded the construction work in fulfillment of promise made to the residents prior to the 2011 Governorship election in the state, that if re-elected, the road will be upgraded.

But four years after, the contractor was still battling with the construction work; forcing many residents to abandon their vehicles whenever it rains in the community.

The slow pace of work compelled the state government to regularly shift dates of handling over the project. In 2013, the state government announced that the project will be completed in November 2013, appealing to residents to excise patience.

Barely few days to the end of the year, the government announced that it could no longer deliver the project as earlier promised, noting that it was concentrating on Inner roads to complement the construction work.

In February last year, the state government announced that the road will be delivered in May, 2014, stating that it would be introducing new strategy to ensure prompt completion of the project.

Completion of the project

Prior to the date, the previous administration again attributed the delay in completion of the road that serves as access route for over 10 communities on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC pipelines laid across the road specifically at Gate bus stop.
Vanguard learned that the continuous shift in date angered the residents who wrote several petitions against the contractor, demanding that it be replaced. But the previous administration did not yield to their demands.

Realizing the intention of the previous administration, sources said that the residents waited for the conclusion of the 2015 governorship election, to demand for the replacement of the contractor.

Mr. Bisi Yusuf, the lawmaker representing Alimosho, during an inspection tour of construction work last week by the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, disclosed steps taken by the residents.

He said “I remember that I wrote a letter on May 29th, 2015 on the state of this road. The letter was delivered on June 1st, 2015 to your office. The second day, we saw the manifestation of the letter in the community. Before, we cannot stand here (Gate Bus Stop). The residents of Ayobo have suffered a lot.”

The governor affirmed that the job will be completed in three months ( by November), saying; “The road is key to the economy of the state. So, we have to expedite action on it.” According to him

Fire station and mini water works

“We will speed up the commencement of construction work on the fire station and mini-water works and completion of the mini-stadium. I want to assured you that this road will be done immediately. The contractor handling the Ipaja-Ayobo road has commenced work on the road.

“We will send our engineer to look at the road. We will work on the abandoned jetty at the end of the road to provide another means of transportation to the residents of Ipaja-Ayobo,” Ambode added. The governor however appealed to residents to bear with the government while the work lasted. ‘’ The residents of Alimosho deserve more than the road,” he said.

Speaking on the completion date, the Managing Director of Laratek, Mr. Lekan Adebiyi assured that the work will be done day and night in order to complete the project before the end of the year.

Plycon Limited established in 2003, is an indigenous company offering construction and civil engineering services.

Laralek on the other hand is unique in offering fully integrated service for all project needs from inception to completion. Their profile includes providing high quality, cost effective and sustainable solutions, tailored to the needs of their customers.