By Fola James
The Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu has disclosed that he will not abandon the Lagos/ Badagry expressway, assuring Lagosians that the ongoing construction of the road will be completed soon.
Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed this at the unveiling of Hyundai Kona, Nigeria’s first locally assembled electric car in Nigeria, adding that the delay of work on the road was based on the government’s plan to build a first-class infrastructure that people would be proud of when completed.
He said when completed completed the expressway will last for about 30 to 40 years.
The governor said “I want to assure you that the Lagos-Badagry Expressway would be completed. The road was just a two-lane way, but the government has turned it into 10 lanes, five on both sides.
“We are doing a complete rebuild of the road, with bridges and interchanges. We are building a road that will last for 30 to 40years for you. And because we know that this is an international gateway, it does not deserve anything less. We are building a first-class road infrastructure that all of you would be proud of.”
Speaking on the Hyundai Kona car, assembled by Stallion Group Automobile at Ojo in Lagos, Nigeria, Governor Sanwo-Olu said with the unveiling of the car, Nigerians can now drive electric cars, noting that Lagos remains the hub for the nation’s economy and a pacesetter in industrialisation.
The Hyundai Kona car is 100 per cent electric and comes with zero emission, 482km driving range and can be charged both at home and workplace.
He said: “We are not just launching Hyundai Kona, Nigeria’s first electric car assembled in Lagos, we are indeed empowering and creating youth employment. We are also creating opportunity for teeming youths of this nation.
“The future that we see is the future of technology and this is the technology that we are talking about. This is 21st Century technology that has been brought into our country. With hardcore manufacturing companies like Stallion Group Automobile, we can begin to see the need to disemphasise mono product, which is oil.
“With the innovation of Hyundai Kona, we do not need to put the pressure on what the pump price of oil is again, what the pump price of petroleum is. All the issues and fights that we are having about prices of petroleum going up and the rest of it will be a thing of the past. This is a way to go and it is the future that we are seeing now.”
