BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO
FOR a host of Lagosians and motorists, plying the numerous dilapidated highways across the state has become harrowing and nightmarish. They need some doses of patience, endurance and prayers to move from one point to the other.
For journeys that should last between 30 minutes and one hour, they often times spend between five to 10 hours inhaling toxic gases emitted by the crawling vehicles; getting fatigued for having to sit on a spot for several hours and most bitterly getting robbed by bandits on numerous bad spots on the roads.
The bad roads
Some of the worse hit roads include: the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Express way, Alimosho and a host of others. The situation has been made worse by the prevailing torrential rains pouring in the metropolis.
Despite the recent construction work on the Apapa-Oshodi Express way which serves as the major entry and exit route for Apapa and Tin-Can ports, the condition of the road has taken a turn for the worse, particularly between First Rainbow and Mile Two.
The Oshodi-Apapa stretch of the highway has not been fixed at all. And even the Apapa-Oshodi stretch that has been rehabilitated, some portions have failed especially between Tincan and Westminster, which has been taken over by gullies and deep craters.
For Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the nation's gateway to the West Africa corridor, many portions have failed. Commuters plying the ever-busy road complain especially of the stretch from Okokomaiko, Ojo Local government to Badagry border town.
It would be recalled that the state government awarded the contract for the lot 2A of the ongoing expansion of the road into 10-lane to the Chinese Civil Engineer Construction Company, CCECC.
(http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Badagry-bad-road.jpg?9d7bd4) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/bad-roads-citizenry-motorists-at-the-mercy-of-gridlock-bandits/badagry-bad-road/)One of the failed sections of the Lagos- Badagry Expressway between Trade Fare and Ojo military barracks Residents wail
Residents, who spoke to Vanguard, said bad roads were crippling business activities in the state especially on the Lagos-Badagry Express way.
The residents also lamented that the situation had since been compounded by the introduction of the new road traffic law in the state which banned the activities of commercial motorcycle operators popularly called "okada."
One of the residents living in Badagry, Mrs. Shalewa Abdul-Salam, said that the state of the road had become a source of misery, as they now spend several hours in traffic daily.
Residents of Tedi, a suburb situated between Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Ojo Local Government, said the challenges were multifaceted.
But more worrisome is the terrible state of the roads leading to this community of estimated 100,000 people, who for many years now, have been inundated with baggage of 'political promises' which political office holders at both state and local government levels seem to be failing to translate into realities.
Unsavoury situation
As the residents continue to bemoan their fate amid this unsavory situation, a new twist is being added to their predicaments by "unwanted guests," who take advantage of the inaccessibility of the roads to, at intervals, visit the community and unleash terror on hapless residents.
Recently, the bandits, armed with sophisticated weapons, disrupted the peace of the community in a commando-like style, terrorised their victims, and left a private security guard engaged by a Customs officer, dead at the end of their operation, which lasted hours in the night.
Several others were not spared, as the bandits moved from house to house demanding from their 'hosts' cash and other valuables. One other person was shot (but not dead), while a vehicle parked in the street was sprayed with bullets, as the robbers shot in different directions to establish the fact they were in control. While the operation lasted, no help came from security operatives.
Tedi can be accessed through Onireke, opposite the Nigerian Army Cantonment, or Abule-Oshun Bus Stop, opposite the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. The two roads are in terrible state of disrepair making it almost impossible for cars or tricycles to ply especially during the rainy season.
(http://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Alimosho-bad-road.jpg?9d7bd4) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/bad-roads-citizenry-motorists-at-the-mercy-of-gridlock-bandits/alimosho-bad-road/)One of the bad roads in Alimosho local govt, Lagos This has left the residents with one option- Land Rover jeeps, as means of transportation. But this is a Herculean task as the jeeps usually get stuck in the murky waters, forcing the passengers to alight and wade through the flood.
Tedi residents wait for Fashola road
Moved by the plight of the people, the state government in 2008 awarded a contract for the construction of the road connecting Tedi from Abule-Oshun, a development which elicited joy and out-pouring of praises for Governor Babatunde Fashola.
For many of the residents, the award of the contract stood Fashola out as the "long awaited messiah". And to show their joy, the residents in the early days of the contract when Fashola visited, trooped out to wave and catch a glimpse of their governor.
However, four years down the line, the excitement has waned, as construction work on the road is yet to commence. In the last four years, the contracting firm has only been battling with the bridge, a component part of the contract.
Sadly, findings showed that work on the bridge has been everything but steady, as workers, supervisors and site engineers sometimes abandon the site for months, and resurface to do very little before vanishing again, thereby elongating the work endlessly and further dashing the hope of the residents.
Femi Hamzat, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, in a response to question on the delay characterising the contract, said actual road construction work could only commence after work on the bridge was finished. According to the commissioner, this is the standard procedure in construction work.
While this is not in dispute, the questions on the lips of hundreds of residents are; when will work on the bridge be completed to enable the contractor begin work on the road? Who is responsible for this long delay, and, does the contract have endless life span?
Vanguard Nigeria
When is Nigeria gonna scale through all this?
bad road is a disease in Nigeria