The Lagos State Government has blamed the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran for slowing work on the 150-bed Massey Children's Hospital on Lagos Island, a major infrastructure project meant to become Nigeria's largest specialist children's facility.
Dr. Adekunle Olayinka, the governor's Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, said the contractor has struggled to import essential construction materials because of the war. He made the comments on Monday at the administration's seventh anniversary ministerial press briefing in Alausa.
"The contractor, according to documents made available to us, has experienced delays in importing necessary construction materials due to the ongoing war between the United States and Iran," Olayinka said. The hospital, being rebuilt as a modern 7-storey paediatric facility, has already created about 750 jobs while under construction. A 280-bed General Hospital in Ojo has generated another 600 jobs.
Olayinka said the Sanwo-Olu administration remains committed to finishing the health infrastructure projects before leaving office. "The Sanwo-Olu administration has demonstrated that the restoration of public health facilities remains a priority," he said. The hospital is designed to handle primary through advanced paediatric care across the state.
Separately, Mr. Olufemi Daramola, Special Adviser on Infrastructure, explained why the already-commissioned Opebi-Mende Link Bridge has not yet opened to the public. Work continues on connecting roads including Salvation, Adeola, and Toyin Streets, as well as an adjoining iconic monument project. Once those roads are finished, the bridge will open to motorists.
Daramola reported that Lagos has completed 362 roads covering about 347 kilometres since 2019. In the past year alone, the state finished 130 more roads spanning 113 kilometres. Several major projects are nearing completion, he said, including the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway corridor, Gberigbe Road in Ikorodu, Aka-Kemberi Road in Ojo, Ijegun-Ijagemo Road, and Akesan-Igando Road.
Key roads like Igbogbo-Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Igbe, Agric-Isawo-Konu-Arepo, and the Lagos-Badagry carriageway are also nearing completion. The government has invested heavily in healthcare, education, justice administration, public safety, and digital infrastructure alongside these road projects.
Daramola also disclosed a public safety challenge: Lagos currently has about 6,000 exposed manholes across the state. The government has already replaced 4,000 with fibre materials, but 2,000 remain. "We are working to replace all exposed manholes and improve safety across the state. It requires joint effort, including stakeholder engagement to prevent vandalism and theft of government property," he said. The government is collaborating with relevant ministries to complete the remaining replacements and prevent theft of infrastructure.
