Governor Seyi Makinde-led Administration in Oyo State, on Wednesday, approved the construction of Akobo-Odogbo Road Fly-Over Bridge.
The State Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Professor Daud Sangodoyin, accompanied by Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye and the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa disclosed this today during a press briefing at the Oyo State Governor’s Office after arising from its 7th edition of Oyo State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Seyi Makinde.
Sangodoyin, who addressed journalists in company of his counterpart from Information, Culture and Tourism, Wasiu Olatunbosun; his Health counterpart, Dr. Bashir Bello, and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Taiwo Adisa, said the project would enhance socioeconomic lives of the people of the city.
Sangodoyin said: “The Executive Council deliberated on the construction of the flyover bridge across Akobo-Ojurin up to Odogbo barracks, which is the end of General Gas and it was approved that the bridge should be constructed.”
“The bridge covers a length of 65 meters excluding the abridged lenght of the road. It will serve the Akobo-Ojurin and Odogbo axis. It is part of the developmental agenda of His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde to improve on the socio-economic of the state. So, we believe that this bridge, when completed, will give us the values for the money that will be spent on it and the completion time is six months.”
He added that the past administration had awarded the contract but the contractor handling could not deliver it which made Makinde-led administration to re-award it. The Commissioner disclosed that re-awarding the contract would save the state millions of naira.
The Commissioner said: “Let me add that our administration has been able to save a lot of money on this bridge simply because the bridge was awarded by the last administration around 19th of May, 2017 and when we found out that the contractor was unable to perform, the contract was terminated in year 2020.
“We have re-awarded the entire asphatic layer and left out the bridge part of it. So, yesterday, we looked at the amount that it was awarded at the cost of N1.464 billion and the contractor that had worked on it and with the slow performance before it was terminated, cost the state about N368 million.”
“Now, this new contract, which we are re-awarding, will cost about N1.058b and the difference is close to about N40m, which our government has actually saved.”
“So, it is our believe that the bridge will be constructed on time, within six months and it is on the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA), that we have actually awarded the contract.”
Meanwhile, Oyo State Executive Council has approved the upgrading of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, into a full-fledged University of Education.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing the State House Correspondents on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.
According to him, the school has all the needed facilities to take off as a degree-awarding higher institution of learning.
He, however, said all necessary procedures and protocols would be duly followed and relevant agencies and stakeholders would also be consulted throughout the upgrading processes.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. BASHIR BELLO said the covid-19 vaccines received from the federal government will undergo lab tests before administering it on the people.