Ogun, Lagos highways of pain

Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

THE Ogun State stretch of the federal expressway – especially the  Sagamu – Ore expressway and the Lagos – Ibadan arm of it,  have become the nightmare for thousands of motorists and travelers who ply the road daily.

From the Sagamu inter – change to Ajebandele(Ogun State) – the boundary between Ogun State and her neighbouring Ondo State, the dual carriage way of 100km each is replete with failed sections, rough surfaces, potholes, craters, broken down concrete medians and other physical obstructions from over grown weeds, shrubs, trees,  abandoned broken down vehicles, slabs of stones and iron rods that stick out dangerously on both sides of the highway.

The Nation toured the expressway twice in a week and counted over 250 potholes from the Interchange end of it to Ijebu – Ode extending to Ajebandele which motorists contend with regularly at great risk to lives and vehicles’ shock absorbers, sump, fenders, among others.

But it is worse from the Odogbolu junction up to the Babcock University stretch of the expressway, in Ilisan, a distance of about three kilometre.

The road is strewn with potholes, rough surface save the Nairaland Oil and Gas Ltd stretch of it, which has a little respite, and there are no road signs or kilometre poles that indicate to travelers distance ahead or the ones already covered.

From the same Nairaland Oil and Gas to Odogbolu, parts of the road have given way to erosion with the asphalt washed off completely. The Ososa dual carriage bridge along the road also does not have parapet walls (railings), and have regrettably taken the sobriquet of a “Golgotha” for unlucky motorists and travellers.

On July 4th this year, a vehicle skidded off the Ososa Bridge and plunged into the river beneath, killing three passengers and injuring 11 others in the process.

Earlier this year, a woman conveying her undergraduate daughter to Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, lost control of the wheel and plunged into the Ososa River and died.

This October, many travelers drowned when vehicle conveying them also plunged into the same river, prompting the Ogun State Government to direct the Reynods Construction Company (RCC) to provide palliative measure for the bridges to avoid re-occurrence of vehicles plunging into the river.

It is understandable why unfortunate travelers do end their journey inside Ososa River. With its bushy surrounding, absence of road signs to warn motorists of dangers ahead, littered potholes, lack of railings and constant flooding on it during heavy downpour, motorists unable to discern where the road should be, discover too late that they are irredeemably headed to the river below the bridge.

The last time major palliative work was done on the Ogun stretch of the federal road was during the administration of the then President Goodluck Jonathan when the contract for the reconstruction of the road designated as Ajebandele – Sagamu phase 111 was awarded to RCC Nig. Ltd.

The construction firm at the time repaired the Ajebandele point up to the J4 – Ogbere junction in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, with stone base and laying of bitumen while potholes and craters were also sealed up from same Ajebandele up to Mabolufon junction in Ijebu – Ode and later extended to the Sagamu interchange.

Today, the potholes and craters have not only returned, but have also come to stay unless the government cares enough to fix them.

The hardship being experienced by motorists due to the deplorable state of the road is often compounded when any of the major religious centres that dot both sides of the expressway hold its weekly or monthly programme, making travelling along that corridor nightmarish and chaotic as worshippers surging to access or exit their worship centres and travelers battle for access way along the same expressway.

While it is generally agreed that the condition of Lagos – Ibadan expressway and Sagamu – Ijebu – Ode expressway remained a constant source of agonies, traffic, accidents and damage to vehicles, all of these paled into insignificance when placed side by side with the Abeokuta – Ota – Lagos expressway; another federal road in Ogun State.

Since the return of democracy in 1999, this road corridor had remained death traps for motorists and travelers. The Nation gathered that the last contract for the Lagos – Sango Ota – Abeokuta expressway was awarded and signed in 2001 with about N26bn debt still hanging on it.

On May 11, 2019, motorists and travelers spent over six hours at Ota – Abeokuta road groaning, because of its deplorable state. It is worse at the Itori – Ewekoro – Ifo – Ota corridors of it where large portions of the road have washed away. Also, the slow pace of repairs in parts of this busy road does not help matters.

According to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, N1b is budgeted for the servicing of the road every year.