By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Troubled by the bad state of roads within the Trade Fair Complex upon assuming office in October 2023, the Lagos Trade Fair Chief Executive Officer cum Director General, Barr. Vera Ndanusa, vowed to fix all roads and make them motorable.
She assured that she would tackle potholes and road defects that have posed challenges to the free movement of goods and services including customers and other road users who plied the Complex on daily basis.
Ndanusa who spoke through her Special Adviser, Barr. Fatima Sonia on Friday in Lagos said so far the Management Board is committed to ensuring that the Complex regains its status quo of serene environment when it was established in the 70s.
According to her: “In order to minimize the challenges posed by bad roads to free movement of persons and goods, the Board ensures that palliative interventions are carried out with the use of boulders on portions that are almost degenerating into craters while the use of cold mixed asphalt and interlocking paving stones are also employed either as palliative or outright fixing of some roads, depending on the terrain.
“If roads are fixed within the Complex, goods and services will thrive and more revenue will be generated for the government.
“Road infrastructure is critical to the economic development of any business area because it enables the free movement of people, goods, and services”, Ndanusa reiterates.
She continued: “Road infrastructure can also play a crucial role in promoting the annual International Trade Fair exhibition.
“Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are at the core of Africa’s trade and economy. These small enterprises provide an estimated 80 percent of jobs across Africa and are essential to economic growth.
“For MSMEs, quality road infrastructure can reduce transport costs and make it easier for small businesses to reach internal and external markets”, she said.
Our correspondent reports that occupants of the Trade Fair Complex are all in high spirits as they observed the ongoing road rehabilitation.
