Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured landlords and tenants affected by potential demolitions during the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge that they will be compensated.
Speaking at the Lagos West Senatorial District Town Hall Meeting at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed plans for the commencement of the bridge's construction in the first quarter of 2024, targeting March or April for the initial phases.
Sanwo-Olu emphasized that the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge will be executed in stages, ensuring minimal disruption to transportation and communities. He highlighted significant progress in the preparatory work leading up to the commencement of construction.
He said, “You cannot get a new road without needing to do a bit of discomfort. But we will ensure that we compensate everybody that their property or their businesses will be disturbed by this new construction. But it’s going to be along existing corridors.
“So, there will be a few buildings that will be touched. But I want to assure you that not only will the landlord be paid full compensation, but places we have tenants as well, we will ensure that we also compensate them. And we will ensure that nobody is unduly taken advantage of.”
On when the construction of the much-awaited bridge would start, the governor said, “We’ve done extensive work on the bridge. But we are at the crossroads of where to get the real financing for that kind of project. We’ll need to be very very creative, but we thank God because we have reached the last final dot of the construction. Our commitment is that within this first quarter, meaning that by the end of March or April, we should break the ground to start the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge.”