Residents of Alaja/Olayemi Road in Ayobo-Ipaja in Lagos State have deplored abandonment of their road, which has been under construction for more than two decades, lamenting its impact on their health, livelihoods and daily activities.
They protested to the LCDA Chair, Lukman Agbaje, urging him to complete the project.
According to the protesters, the deplorable state of the road has made homes inaccessible, damaged vehicles, disrupted businesses and posed challenges for the elderly, pupils and the physically challenged.
Speaking for the community, a former Chairperson of a CDA, said residents had exhausted all options.
She said: “I have been here for over 20 years. This road has been like this
“Because of the condition of the road, we had to form a forum of about seven CDAs. We have been fighting for completion of this road since work stopped at Alaja.”
She explained that the road was part of the 114 roads initiated during the administration of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in 2016, but construction stopped midway about 10 years ago.
“When we didn’t see any intervention, we maintained the road ourselves, spending millions every year,” she added. “But now we are fed up and frustrated. People pay taxes, students cannot move when it rains, cars get damaged, the elderly cannot walk and the physically challenged struggle to get into their houses.”
She noted that residents had written petitions to state agencies, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and their representatives at the House of Assembly, without success.
“We contacted the new chairman and he promised to fix the road. He said he would do a palliative within two to three weeks, but it has been almost four months. All that was done was the dumping of hardcore and sand, which made the road worse,” she said.
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Also speaking, 70-year-old Reverend Nat Atanda Olajide described the situation as inhumane.
“I came here about 19 years ago. It was bad then, but far better than what we are experiencing now,” he said. “Many of us have cars but cannot use them. I am not supposed to be standing here under this sun.”
Another resident, Babatunde Abraham, said the protest was not aimed at embarrassing the government but to seek urgent intervention.
“We were happy when the local government started the road, but they stopped after the first phase and never returned,” he said.
“The former governor even came to inaugurate the uncompleted road. We are calling on the state government to take over this project because it may be beyond the capacity of the LCDA.”
He noted that the road serves as a major link to Igando and could help ease traffic on adjoining routes.
“We are Lagosians. We pay our taxes and we vote. All we ask is for this road to be fixed,” he said.
The residents appealed to the state and local governments to urgently intervene and bring an end to what they described as over 20 years of neglect.
