Lagos-Ibadan expressway: We stand by Fashola, says Yoruba group

As controversy lingers on between the National Assembly and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on the 2017 budget, the Yoruba Radical Assembly (YRA), has thrown its weight behind the minister.
Fashola had alleged that the N31billion allocated for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced to N10billion by the National Assembly.
Its president, Comrade Dare Aladekola, said in a statement: “After studying the arguments from both sides, we have arrived at a conclusion that the National Assembly’s conduct is aimed at putting a wedge between the Yoruba and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“If Buhari has decided to give the South-West the required sense of belonging by doing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway once and for all with a view to compensate our patience and patriotism, any attempt at sabotaging such a noble cause is nothing but an act of brigandage, capable of disrupting the nation’s fragile peace.”
The group lamented that from the period of President Shehu Shagari in I979 to the time of President Goodluck Jonathan, the route has been a death trap and shame of the nation, wondering why any person or group of persons would want to disturb effort at putting the road in order:
“Eight administrations, namely, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Shonekan, Abacha, Abdusalami, Obasanjo and Jonathan, failed to do it. Then, Buhari came and saw the need to address the unfair treatment and some people are scheming to frustrate that.
“We are stating it here unequivocally that, we will resist any attempt to sabotage a noble cause with the last drop of our blood and through all the constitutionally acceptable means.
“Members of the National Assembly should not take our patience and patriotism for granted as there is limit to human endurance. And we can assure those people we put in Abuja with our votes that we have the capacity and numerical strength to occupy their legislative territory till sanity will decide to prevail.”