…RCCG’s 67th annual convention starts August 5
…Eid el-Kabir holds between August 11 – 13
The repair work is expected to last for four months. Inward Lagos, where the work will start from, will last for two months, while outward Lagos will also last for another two months.” That is official and a direct quote from the government.
On the 3rd of August (next Saturday), the Federal Government is triggering another shutdown of a section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for another round of rehabilitation works on the road, considered the busiest in the country and arguably the most notorious when it comes to traffic challenges. It is not as if the central government is laying an ensnarement through a sudden closure of the axis marked for the construction, it has, through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, for a while, put out a notice in a conspicuous part of the road, announcing the coming partial shutdown.
A relatively huge signpost with bold writings has this message for the users of the road: “Attention Please! Road Works start at Berger to Ogun River Bridge (Kara). Date 03-08-2019. Use alternative routes”.
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Despite this announcement cum warning, it is likely that many road users have either not noticed it, digested the content and prepared themselves for another round of gridlock, considering the portion being marked for reconstruction as the most notorious traffic spot on the road, or they simply don’t care again, after going through harrowing experiences of such shutdowns in the past, especially since the road was commissioned out by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan for total facelift, a programme taken over by the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
A journalist who uses the road on a daily basis was also totally unaware of the signpost and its message when Saturday Tribune broached the matter with him. He whistled in astonishment when told the closure was around the corner and the duration for which it would last.
He wasn’t alone. With the fresh notification being misconstrued as an old order, even members of the elite that should be aware, if the unlettered can be excused for inability to read and understand English Language used in conveying the message, were oblivious of the imminent closure and its attendant unavoidable traffic crisis.
A road like no other
The volume of vehicles that ply the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on a daily basis cannot be quantified, especially due to the presence of internationally-acclaimed centres of worship like The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) camp, Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM) camp and other religious centres along the highway, making the expressway the busiest in the West African sub-region.
With the announcement of the repair work by the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing, the Lagos State government is already bracing itself for the attendant gridlock that the partial shutdown needed for the work will usher in, given the fact that the RCCG’s 67th annual convention is billed to start on the 5th of August and run till the 11th, while Muslims’ Eid al-Adha, popularly referred to as Ileya Festival, starts on the 11th of August through 13th of the month.
Speaking exclusively to Saturday Tribune on the expected traffic gridlock, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Taiwo Salaam Olufemi, explained that the state was ready for the attendant traffic gridlock.
