…. Declares Works Minister,Fashola Persona non grata.
The Ogun State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday Morning, mobilised to the Sango- Ota section of the Lagos- Abeokuta Expressway to demand immediate fixing of the road.
Supported by residents of the area, the NLC said the deplorable state of the road is worrisome and had given the government 21 day ultimatum within which to repair it or face another round of industrial action on the road.
The protesters obstructed vehicular movements along the highway causing traffic gridlock to commuters.
Chairman of the NLC in the state, Emmanuel Bankole regretted that nothing had been done since the NLC converged on the road 21 days ago. Bankole expressed dismay that the palliative works the Minister of Works and Housing , Babatunde Raji Fashola promised had yet to commence several weeks on.
Bankole noted that although there were traces of materials at the site deployed by the state government,it was not what the union asked for saying that for lying to the people of the state, the former governor of Lagos State and Minister was unwelcomed to the state.
” 21 days ago,we were here. We gave an ultimatum to the government that we are not pleased with the state of the roads, particularly the Minister of Works coming here to promise that palliative works will commence immediately and several weeks after nothing was done.That was why the 21.days ultimatum was given.
” Interestingly,a few days ago, they started some works. We can see some loads of granites by the State Government,But this is not yet what we asked for. The Minister was here and he promised to commence immediate palliative, which is yet to happen.
” As such,Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, for coming to lie to the citizens of Ogun State,he is being declared’ persona non grata” in Ogun.
One of protesters who spoke to our correspondent lamented the dilapidated state of the road saying” no serious government could play with the development of such important infrastructure adding that the neglect of the road even after protest by the workers and others who daily ply that route leaves feeling of government insensitivity to the plight of the people.
