Is this not an eyesore?
To say that the over 40 years old Lagos – Abeokuta Expressway is in a deplorable state is an understatement.
Indeed in the past three years a journey which normally takes maximum of one hour,has now increased to three hours of agony and grief.
Grief,pains and bitter now fill the heart of thousands of residents and commuters who ply the stretch of that road on a daily basis either for their source of livelihood been a connection between Lagos and the Ogun state capital and indeed neighbouring countries.
Besides the Lagos -Ibadan expressway which is by far the busiest in the country in terms of vehicle movements to both the North and Southern parts,the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, comes second linking the nations capital with Ogun state with it’s vast industrial hub in Sango,Ota and it’s economic importance to the nation.
When the road was expanded to three lanes on either side and commissioned almost four decades ago,it was a relief to commuters and businesses along the ever growing axis.
But today,the economic loss is better quantified with man hours in delivery of goods from the two states and agony in traffic by the upwardly mobile people along the 126 kilometres road.
From Abule-Egba U-turn to the Sango-Ota Tollgate, the road has become practically unpassable as trucks fall down at will, blocking the road for days. Malam Haruna, a driver with BHN has spent three days at Mosalasi bus stop near Oba of Alagbado’s house. He said although government has a lot of commitment but they should at least do this road so that we the road users too will be free from very bad roads like we are experiencing now.
Another bad portion of the road
For over a year now, motorists have been avoiding the road, preferring to make a u-turn at Abule-Egba, pass through Ekoro Road to Command and negotiate their way through new roads constructed by former governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode, to Oju-ore, Ota.
Sango-Ota is the major industrial hub of Ogun State. It is home to several industries and also the international gateway to other West African countries starting with the Republic of Benin. Therefore, goods and services entering Nigeria from her West African neighbours, coupled with goods leaving Sango-Ota to Lagos, the West African biggest commercial city islands greatly affected.
Yet, the Trunk A road, which is the responsibility of the Federal Government to maintained has been abandoned. The only sign of government presence in the stretch is the checkpoints of the Nigerian Customs, Police, Road Safety, and State officials from LASTMA. Their activities complicate the hardship of motorists on the road.
Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at Mosalasi Bus Stop, Alagbado
Due to the bad state of the road, economic activities for residents have become paralyzed. Street urchins cash in to torment drivers and commuters whose vehicles get stalled, or break down on the road. Transport fare has been hiked up to 300 per cent of the original cost.
Mr Anslem Umuna, a truck driver had the misfortune of having his truck involved in an accident at Mosalasi. The truck with goods fell down and it had been on the road for three days. A heavy tractor brought to lift the truck equally got stalled on the road. Owners of the goods inside the truck had no option other than to transload into another vehicle at a very exorbitant cost.
He told Gavel International about his frustrations. “Mr journalist for God sake we pay our taxes! They should use the money to fix our roads. Look at it ! See my truck upside down! The money I pay as tax is a waste, because if my tax money was used appropriately, I would’nt have spent such huge amount of money in towing and transferring of goods from my truck to the other. Pls tell President Buhari to authorize Lagos state government to do it(roads). Saying it is Federal government road is all rubbish”.
The residents of Alagbado / Abeokuta Express way, and Sango-Seme road also call on President Muhammad Buhari to as matter of urgency, direct the Ministry of Works to fix these roads that have become an everyday nightmare to motorists. Articulated vehicles fall and block the way everyday.
This has led road users to take one way from Alakuko U-turn down to Mosalasi bus stop, and then enter Oniyaomebi through Shofela /Yusuf Street. All these streets are no more motorable.
Speaking to Gavel International, Mr Clement Arenri said government shouldn’t have allowed the roads to get this bad before repairs.
A portion of the road at Ajala area, Ijaiye, Lagos
He pleaded with employers to show empathy to workers living at the Meiran-Alagbado axis as they are bound to always get to the office late. “It is not easy. Even to cross to the other side by pedestrians is not funny. The road has become a refuse dump where urchins search for scrap metals to sell.
A commercial bus driver, Mr Femi Ajana, whose bus broke down right in the presence of a roving reporter told Mr Arenri to save his breath. He said in pidgin: “Dem no go hear. All dey sabi na to collect money from people. Agbero go collect, police go collect, custom sef go collect, even LASTMA sef. Only God fit save us from this gofment”, he concluded.
Adewale Ojo,a truck operator who ply the road from Ilaro and Abeokuta to deliver sharp sands,granite construction sites has a take of woe as a journey which normally takes maximum of 90 minutes now takes five hours after which the whole day is wasted.
He told Newdawnngr that hitherto he normally makes two trips per day but today,at times his vehicle sleeps on the road between Ijako and Sango due to bad roads.
“This has affected my earnings coupled with damage done to trucks which repair at times cost huge sums of money”, he laments.
Dele Adesina,who operates a 15 ton truck to deliver building materials from Abeokuta to builders in Agege,Abule Egba,a Lagos surburb went through hell in the past two weeks just to deliver three truck load for his clients.with the rains now in full force a delivery that should take maximum of three days, now takes five days…” How do I make up for delivery to truck owners if their is no increase in price.”
For builders, a truck of 15 ton sharp sand which normally sells for fifty thousand naira now goes for between N72-75 thousand naira.This has pushed up costs of construction to dizzying heights.
The incessant rains has added more sorrows to workers who daily commute between Sango to work places in nearby Lagos state and even force some to relocate while home owners are left with no choice than to endure the daily agony.
It will be recalled that various attempts have been made to repair the road but such statements of intent merely end up on pieces of paper on which they were made.
In October 2018,the Federal executive council announced with glee it has awarded a N22 billion naira for the complete rehabilitation of the road. But today,except for some symbolic presence on the stretch of road from Sona breweries point to Owode for some palliative works by construction giant,Julius Berger which handled the road, for some weeks,nothing has been done to alleviate suffering of commuters who spend an average of two hours from that point to Ifo,a fast developing cosmopolitan suburb on the Lagos- Abeokuta expressway.
The agony didn’t stop there. As soon as commuters manage to wriggle out,another hour is lost at Papalanto,a sugarcane settlement near the over 50 years old Larfarge Cement factory.
Buhari
Though,the company tried to repair the stretch of the road up to Itori,a small rural town on the busy expressway that has soon become as narrow as an adjoining street road,yet the travel hour has not reduced.At times,commuters spend hours at that point as a result of heavy duty articulated vehicles which comes out from Ibeshe road,the road which links nearby Dangote cement factory.
Hence, activities of cement bearing trucks from Larfarge and Dangote couple with private and commercial vehicles plying the ever busy road makes life unbearable for indigenes and commuters who have no alternative route to join Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital itself bursting at it seems.
Fashola, works&housing minister
Unless something like serious intervention is done life and business will grind to a health with untold hardship to residents,commuters and business ventures.
Last year,efforts made by both Lagos governor,Babajide Sanwoolu and Dapo Abiodun,his Ogun state counterpart to enable federal government hand over the reconstruction of the road to them came to nought as the later aborted the plan midway.
Today,the road is a dent on the federal government infrastructural programme as commuters engage in agony with doses of curses as they journey on the road with unbearable stress,health challenges and economic loss through man hours.
With Agency reports
