22 Things To Know About The Oshodi-Apapa Expressway

1. The Oshodi-Apapa Expressway was constructed between 1975 and 1978.

 

2. It was constructed as a major route to evacuate cargo out of Lagos seaports (Tin Can and Apapa ports) without running through the spine of the city.

 

3. The Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is also a major route into the country from Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the Trans-West Africa Highway from Badagry.

 

4. Due to aging, neglect, and the damaging effects of heavy-duty trucks carrying cargoes to and from the ports, the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway has virtually collapsed.

5. On August 2013, the Goodluck Jonathan administration approved contracts for the reconstruction of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

 

6. The contract was awarded to Julius Berger (Nigeria) Plc, for N15 billion, with a completion period of 15 months.

 

7. The construction of the expressway by Julius Berger was broken down into phases: Section 2 Phase II (Mile 2 –Barliet- Ilasa) was completed in 2015. Work on the expressway stopped after the 2015 elections.

 

8. In 2017, the Dangote Group made a proposal to the Buhari administration for them to repair the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and adjoining roads.

 

9. The proposal by Dangote include the reconstruction of the road network starting from Creek Road, Liverpool, Tin Can, all through to Marine beach to Mile 2 to Oshodi to Oworonshoki and to the Toll Gate. on the Lagos-Ibadan expreways.

 

10. According to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the proposal by Dangote Group came as a single solution to the port evacuation problem.

 

11. In July 2018, the Buhari administration approved the contract for the reconstruction of the road from Apapa to the toll gate on Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Lagos state.

 

12. The reconstruction contract was awarded to Dangote Group. In exchange, the Federal Government will grant Dangote Group a three-year tax exception.

 

13. The amount approved for the construction project was N72.9billion.

14. On September 12, 2017, the Federal Government and Dangote Group signed the contract for the construction of the roads.

 

15. The decision to award Dangote the tax-for-road contract was based on an existing ‘infrastructure-for- taxes’ provision of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA), known as the “Exemption of Profits Order 2012”. This law was signed into law by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president. This policy was further enforced by an executive order (Executive Order 007) by President Buhari in 2019.

 

16. The stretch of road to be reconstructed by Dangote would cover a distance of 35-kilometer (Starting from Creek Road, Liverpool, all through to Marine beach to Mile 2 to Oshodi to Oworonshoki and to the Toll Gate).

 

17. The road will be constructed using concrete and cement. Using concrete is considered cheaper, faster to complete, far more durable than asphalt and hardly develop potholes.

 

18. When completed, the road will be made up of 10 lanes – five lanes on both sides – three on the main carriageway, two on service lanes. It will also include drainage, rehabilitation of some of the bridges and interchanges.

 

19. Dangote Group contracted the reconstruction of the 35km road to an indigenous construction firm, Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

 

20. On 17, November 2018, the Federal Government flags-off reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonsoki-Ojota Expressway.

 

21. In April 2019, Hitech Construction Company Ltd commenced reconstruction work on the extensive  35-kilometer stretch of roads.

 

22. The construction work is expected to be delivered within two years.