“We are very happy at the moment. We can categorically state that we are in more than five states across the country already constructing roads. The reception has been wonderful. State governments are beginning to see the need to embrace concrete roads and we are very happy at the way things are currently going,” the company said.

The Chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote, recently reiterated his plea to the Federal Government to consider the use of concrete in road construction in the country.

The African richest man said it would be to the benefit of Nigerians if the Federal Government embraced the option of using concrete for roads in the country, adding that aside from being cheap, concrete roads were more durable, with near zero maintenance cost.

“We are pushing for Nigeria to do concrete roads. It is cheaper to do a concrete road that will last 50 years than to do a bitumen road. It will also help in eliminating corruption because if you go and build a bitumen road, it will have to be adequately maintained unlike a concrete road that is very durable,” Dangote added.

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Africa’s richest man said it would be to the benefit of Nigerians if the government embraced the option of using concrete for roads in the country. Aside from being very cheap, he said concrete roads were more durable with near zero maintenance cost.

Dangote said, “We are pushing for Nigeria to do concrete roads. It is cheaper to do a concrete road that will last 50 years than to do a bitumen road.

“It will also help in eliminating corruption, because if you go and build a bitumen road, it will have to be adequately maintained unlike a concrete road that is very durable.”

Dangote Cement, according to a statement, has just expanded its frontiers to Asia by constructing a three-million-metric-tonne per annum plant in Nepal as part of its investment of $4.34bn in 10 African countries.

The company is currently in 15 African countries, excluding Kenya, Niger and Mali, which are new projects, the statement added.

Its current total capacity stands at 48mmtpa, out of which Nigeria alone has the largest chunk of 29.3mmtpa.

Dangote had recently said, “We are not only building cement plants in Africa, we have gone far away to Nepal to build a three-million-metric-tonne cement plant capacity and by the time all these our new projects are completed in the next two years, Dangote Cement will have more than 70 million capacity, but we are not going to stop there; hopefully, by 2020, our targets is to get to somewhere around 100 million tonnes capacity.

“I can assure you that Africa will not lack cement now and even in the future. Africa will be self -sufficient rather than be a dumping ground for other manufacturers of cement.”

The new plants for which agreements were signed recently with Sinoma were the 3.0mmtpa in Nepal, 2.5mmtpa in Ethiopia, 3.0mmtpa in Kenya 1&2; 1.5mmtpa in Zambia; 1.5mmtpa in Senegal, 1.5mmtpa in Niger; and 1.5mmtpa each in Mali, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana.

PUNCH.

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The LSPWC, in a document made available to our correspondent, stated that the number of roads worked on had significantly improved due to the fundamental changes and innovations brought about by its executive chairman, Mr. Gbenga Akintola.

According to the document, in 2009 the roads maintained were 176, while in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, the numbers increased to 212, 568, 705, 988, and 1,135 respectively, with 320 already worked on so far this year.

The corporation said in the period, it also introduced interlocking paving stones for road maintenance as solution to making roads in water-logged areas with severe drainage challenges last longer.

The statement read in part, “In order to consolidate this method in a more efficient way, the corporation established paving stones and kerbs production factories in its yards in Ojodu-Berger and Badagry. The corporation also proposed and received the governor’s approval to set up two new asphalt plants in Imota, Ikorodu and Ajido, Badagry.

“These two plants have production capacity of 160 tonnes of asphalt per hour. While the one in Imota was inaugurated by the governor in February 2014; that of Badagry is presently awaiting inauguration even though it has started full operation since December 2014.”

According to the document, the Imota plant covers over 420 roads located in Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki and parts of Eti-Osa local government areas, while that of Badagry caters for over 400 roads in Ojo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and part of Alimosho local government areas.

It noted that the corporation had also commenced full-scale construction of selected roads in the state.

“From sometime in 2012, the Lagos State Government, having realised the beef-up in the capacity of LSPWC, began to assign certain roads to the corporation for full-scale construction, involving drainage work, road surfacing, culverts as well as installation of street lighting facilities and lane marking. This has been of huge benefit to tax payers as such works are done via direct labour approach, thereby helping the government to cut costs significantly,” the document stated.

Some of the roads done under the arrangement, it added, included Emmanuel Kolawole Street, Somolu; Soluyi Street, Kosofe; Ladipo Kuku and Allen Avenue, Ikeja; Oba Adeboyega, Epe; Oshundairo Street, Agege; Oluodo Road, Ikorodu; and Jamiu Alli Balogun, in Apapa, among others.

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Hamzat said this at the 2015 ministerial press briefing of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure in Lagos, which he said was the last for the second term of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.

According to the commissioner, the 281 roads account for about 297.517 kilometres; while the ongoing ones are about 237.771km in length and those that have been graded, surfaced and dressed are 71 in number and accounting for 76.740km.

Hamzat said, “During the period, we continued with our strategic inner roads development programme and the grading and surface dressing concept. At the heart of both programmes is the need to improve connectivity and ensure efficient traffic flow.

“Our plan to construct any road is informed by the possible users, flood control and management, and possible network connectivity.”

He noted that some of the roads that could not be completed during the period under review had constraints like the demolition of built up areas, which required community participation and support, as well as litigation.

The commissioner added that the status of the state as a coastal region two metres below sea level was also a major constraint.

“During the second term of this administration, there was an urgent need to design a programme that could quickly impact on the number of roads that were available to the public for use. This is a direct response to the demand for motorable roads within communities,” he added.

Hamzat said the ministry also engaged in the maintenance of several roads across the state as a critical component of the efforts at providing first class road network irrespective of the impact of the environment and topography on infrastructure.

The commissioner also said that a number of bridges were rehabilitated with the replacement of expansion joints at seven locations across the state.

They are Carter, Ikotun/Ejigbo, Oke Afa/Egbe, Dopemu, Iyana Ipaja, Alhaji Masha, Itowolo and Eko bridges.

“The replacement is to improve the driving comfort of the users; the bridges are not structurally defective,” he said.

Hamzat added that some jetties were also restructured to promote the use of water transportation.

“Being a state with immense waterways, it made perfect sense to leverage upon the water bodies to move the people. The administration then began the construction of model jetties to improve and promote water transportation. These include the Ipakodo, Badore, Osborne and Ibeshe floating jetties,” he said.

According to the commissioner, other construction works going on in the state are on course.

“We are still working on establishing the right of way for the Fourth Mainland Bridge. The pathway has a lot of people who have built there, there are about 69 houses to be demolished and that will run into billions in compensation. Some of the houses are massive but without plans; so, the work is ongoing but the alignment for the bridge will shift,” Hamzat added.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji, said in the coming months, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure would set the ball rolling on how the monthly Internally Generated Revenue of N23bn by the state government would be spent.

PUNCH.

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