History: Watch The Moment Shehu Musa Yar’adua Opened The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway In 1978 (video)

Footage of Brigadier Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, the Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, opening the expressway that linked Lagos, then the federal capital city of Nigeria with Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.

Yar’dua was the deputy to the then military head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo

Reuters Text:

Work on the highway began four years ago. It was hoped to be finished a year ago, but because of the scale of the undertaking, the contracts were extended. It replaces roads which carried the heaviest traffic in the country. Brigadier Shehu Musa Yar’Adua praised the project.

The Brigadier then formally opened the new highway, the first rural expressway in the country.

The road cost a total of 170 million naira (nearly 266 million dollars). And to recover at least part of that cost, and to pay for its upkeep, road users will have to pay a toll. Even at the opening ceremony, Brigadier Shehu Yar’Adua led the way in paying for the service the new expressway offers.”

Transcript of Brigadier Yar’Adua’s remarks:

“The expressway which we are about to open is one of the finest of its type by any standard. Your convenience, comfort and safety have all been incorporated in the highest standard of its design and construction. It does seem however that the better the road, the greater the death toll. The reported deaths on highways rose from 4,537 in 1973 to 8,000 in 1977, giving us a daily average of about 22 deaths.

We all know that these are caused by excessive speeding, lack of proper maintenance of vehicles, drunkenness and a complete disregard for highway rules and regulations. I hereby appeal to all road users, and in particular, motorists, to obey highway rules and regulations, to have more respect for their lives and show care and consideration for others. This country has paid very substantially for your comfort and safety on this expressway so please do not make it a one-way ticket to death.”

Postscript

Unfortunately the road has been in bad shape and it is taking donkey years to rehabilitate