By Adekola Afolabi
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Ondo State Government said it has paid over N300m as compensation for about 57 claimants who have property along Onyearugbulem/Shagari axis of the ongoing construction of flyover project.
The state Commissioner for Infrastructure, Land and Housing, Mr. Raimi Aminu, who disclosed this on Tuesday during the inspection of the ongoing construction of Onyearugbulem/Shagari flyover and junction improvement project, also assured that the project would be completed in less than 18 months.
When completed, this will be the first flyover in the state capital, and will address incessant carnages along the axis, just as it will add to aesthetic nature of the area.
He commended the contractors handling the construction work for the impressive job done so far.
While noting that state government has paid the highest compensation to individual property owners so far, Aminu argued that those who claimed government did not adequately compensate them are just economical with the truth.
He explained that during the valuation exercise, government did not value lands but the property on the land.
Aminu explained that the flyover became imperative due to frequent loss of lives occasioned by incessant accidents and traffic gridlock along the road corridor.
The Commissioner who particularly commended the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, for his unwavering commitment to infrastructural development across the state, equally assured that
Akeredolu’s administration would continue to execute projects and programmes that would make lives more meaningful to the people and residents of the state till his last day of his administration.
“This is the first flyover in the capital of Ondo State which is Akure metropolis. We cannot just be constructing flyover for construction sake, or for aesthetic sake.
“When we carry out our investigation, we discover we need to construct flyover bridge here and moreso we have been recording some challenges here in the past, and that is what informed us to move ahead to do the travelling census and the outcome is that we need a flyover as a major intervention.
Earlier, the Project Engineer for the Onyearugbulem/ Shagari bridge flyover and Junction improvement project, Tosin Adebayo, said they have been on site for about three months ago, but were fully mobilized four weeks ago.