Residents of Oreyo community in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, have called on Governor Akinwumi Ambode to come to their aid over bad roads in the community. They pleaded with the governor to repair the roads.
A resident, Aliu Muhammed, said the road in the community has been in a bad state since he started living in the area 14 years ago, noting that government has done nothing about it.
“Sometime in 2015, we learnt that the community was listed among those that government was going to repair, but till date, nothing has been done on the roads.”
Titi Fadeyemi, a trader in the community, said the state of the roads affects their businesses.
“The state of the roads prevents customers from patronising us as they should. Many times, we would sit in the shop for hours and no one would patronise us.”
She added that the rainy season has made the roads worse, saying the whole community is flooded and vehicles have to find alternative routes, which is longer and time wasting..
Another resident, David Badejo, said the roads, asides affecting businesses also affects the lives of residents in the community.
Residents of Oke Ogbe community in Olorunda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State have appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to alleviate their suffering by resuming work on the abandoned link road connecting the community and about 14 others to the Badagry Expressway from Atura Junction.
The only link through which the communities get to other communities outside Badagry is a long wooden bridge which it constructed and which serves as entry and exit points from the communities. Some of the communities are Oke Ogbe, Ipara, Agunmoh, Ijotun, Samo-Ile, Gomajayi, Paronsa, Seje, Eyekole and Zunve, among others.
Chief Posu
Speaking with Southwest Report, the Baale of Oke Ogbe, Chief Segara Posu said after series of correspondence to the administration of former Governor, Babatunde Fashola, a contract was awarded for the construction of the 2.9kilometre road to Multi-Benefit Limited in 2013. The project, which includes the construction of a bridge across the water/swamp separating the communities from the Badagry Expressway, was to be completed in six months.
“The contractor mobilised to the site and begun skeletal work. He even moulded some pillars for the bridge which is about 50 metres long. Surprisingly, after three months, the contractor abandoned the project. Although we tried to know why he abandoned the project, we were not given any answer,” he said.
According to him, the community, through the Community Development Association (CDA) wrote several letters to the then Commissioner for Rural Development, copying the governor and Ministry of the Environment to complain about the abandoned work and asking that we be furnished with reasons; “ but there was no response or action on our letters till the end of Fashola’s regime.”
The Baale said before the administration of Ambode came on board last year, the community went to the Ministry of Rural Development in Alausa to find out what the problem was “and they told us that the file had been transferred to the Ministry of Works which will continue the work. But till now, nothing has been done”.
Continuing, he said: “When the new government came on board, the community did a follow up by writing Governor Ambode in December last year. We copied the Ministry of Works, Special Assistant (SA) to the Governor on Environment, Lagos State House of Assembly and our representative at the Assembly, Hon. David Setonji.”
On the strength of the correspondence, Governor Ambode met with the representatives of the community on January 10, this year. He directed us to the Ministry of Works; we held meetings with some ministry’s engineers and they promised they would come and start work, but till now nothing has been done.
“It is the only link road we have. We have to cross the water before we get to wherever we want to go. During rainy season, children and expectant mothers usually fall into the water. And if there is nobody to rescue them, they die. We have no primary school and no health centre in the community. Apart from that, the absence of a link road is also affecting our businesses,” he said.
While commending the state government for providing the communities with some social amenities such as electricity and awarding the contract which was later abandoned, he praised Ambode for considering the community’s complaints and meeting with its representatives.
Baale Posu appealed to the state government to come to the community’s aid by completing the abandoned link road and bridge, because, he said, we are approaching the rainy season so that our children and expectant mothers would not lose their lives unnecessarily.
“We have no health centre, no government school and no hospital. So, it is only the road/bridge that everybody uses; children have to cross the wooden foot bridge to and from school, same for expectant mothers going to the nearest health centre or hospitals,” Posu said.
He appealed to indigenes of the communities both at home and abroad to come back home “so that we can develop our communities together”.
The Meiran Divisional Police Officer, Anthony Okonkwo, a Superintendent of Police (SP) has said bad road networks and unavailability of serviceable vehicles are inhibiting his men from effectively discharging their duties in the area.
Okonkwo spoke while receiving the Area M commander J.O Eribo, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
He said: ‘’We have been performing our duties diligently with courage in line with the lay down rules and regulation, but what has been our major problems in the course of discharging our duties are bad roads and vehicles to carryout patrol to combat crime and also to enhance our response to distress calls. We are having three patrol vehicles of which two are serviceable while one is grounded’’.
Okonkwo called for creationa of a police post in Olata Captain Community, Meiran, saying that the distance of the community to Meiran division office is worrisome.
He noted doing this will help reduce the incessant criminality in the community to the barest minimum.
Residents of Akesan community in Alimosho Local Government Area have cried out to Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on the deplorable condition of the Agric-Dosu-Ekunrin road which connects the community with the LASU–Iba highway.
When The Nation visited the community a few days ago, a cross section of distraught residents and community leaders lamented their plight while drawing the attention of our correspondent to the parlous state of the road.
The anguished residents pleaded with the Lagos State authorities to fix the deplorable road in order to make life meaningful for them.
Speaking with The Nation, a community leader, Elder Samuel Ijezie said life has become nightmarish for the residents as a result of the bad road.
He said: “It is almost a hopeless situation because travelling on this road has been hellish for residents, especially those who work in the city. Whenever it rains, motorists would park their cars and trek home or to Igando bus stop along LASU-Iba highway. And because of the terrible condition of the road, people would have to trek for about 45 minutes on the 2.6 kilometre road. Also, our vehicles are usually damaged while it has practically become impossible to access neighbouring communities like Ipaja, Ayobo, Ajasa, Command and Itele near Ota in Ogun State.”
Expatiating further, Elder Ijezie, who is also the chairman of Toluwani Community Development Association (CDA), said that the situation has taken its toll on business activities in the community. “Commercial activities in this community have dwindled because of the deplorable road as people now detest coming here to buy things from traders or patronise artisans. Even landlords are no longer finding things easy because people are not coming to rent house here anymore.”
It was gathered that the dilapidated condition of the road has also affected security of lives and property in the community. Said Ijezie: “In most cases when there is emergency security situation, police cannot access the scene because of the pathetic road. Also, fire service response to fire outbreaks has been zero because their vehicles are usually either trapped or damaged by craters and pot holes that litter the road.
“Recently, a house was being robbed and when I called a senior police officer at the Igando Police Station, he quickly dispatched his men to foil the robbery operation but they couldn’t get to the scene on time, hence, the occupants of the affected house were successfully robbed.”
Ijezie added that the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Babatunde Fashola visited the community for on-the-spot assessment and promised to fix the road to no avail. “Former governor, Babatunde Fashola came here to inspect this road and his car was trapped on the road and (he) had to be ferried out on the back of some of his aides. He then made a promise to fix the road but nothing was done till he left office about five months ago.
“We have also complained through several letters to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and he sent some officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to assess the situation of the road. The officials came here in August. Their counterparts from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development have also inspected the road without any fruitful intervention yet.”
Another community leader, Mr Bashiru Ayinde said: “We are really facing serious problems as a result of the dilapidated condition of Agric-Dosu-Ekunrin road. Most transporters, especially commercial tricycle operators and commercial motorcycle riders popularly called Okada have been discouraged from plying the road and (have) relocated to adjoining communities.
“Those who work in the city find it difficult to return home in the evening because they would have to trek to their residence. We have tried our best to give the road a face-lift through communal effort; we contributed N500,000 which we spent to grade the road not too long ago but our communal effort is not enough to rebuild the road. We are therefore appealing to Lagos State government to help us repair the road, so that it can be accessible for residents; we are really begging government for urgent assistance in fixing it.”
A trader, who simply identified himself as Nnamdi, bemoaned the lull in his business, which he said was occasioned by the bad road. He said: “The condition of the road is really unpleasant and it is seriously affecting traders here. Before, I used to get a lot of patronage for my electrical accessories business, but customers are no longer coming to my shop to buy my wares. Many of them told me that they cannot stand the sight of being trapped in the muddy water and craters on the road.”
One of the community’s commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as Okada rider, Alamu Oyebade, said he was contemplating leaving Akesan for a neighbouring community. “It has not been easy working in this community. The road is in terrible shape and motorcycles usually have accidents on the tempestuous terrain of the road. I have spent close to N15,000 to fix my motorcycle in the last three weeks, yet, I am still repaying a loan I took to purchase the motorcycle. I am already thinking of relocating to Igando, which is no far from here.”
Public Education Officer at the Kwara State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. N.N. Ndem, has attributed most road accidents in the country to bad road designs.
Mr. Ndem, who made the observation while delivering a lecture at the annual get-together of the Unilorin Drivers’ Welfare Association (UDWA), said road safety guidelines encompass all road users including pedestrians and vehicle drivers.
He said: “Always keep in mind that the person you kill in an accident might be one out of one billion, but for his family he might be the only bread winner and the dearest.”
The event also featured a send forth of retiring staff of the institution, where the Registrar, Mr. Emanuel Obafemi, charged them to be focused, reliable and leave a good legacy for upcoming members to emulate.
The Federal Road Safety Corps, Ota, Itori and Ifo Unit Commands have protested the poor attitude of some drivers on the Ogun State axis.
The exercise, tagged: “Demonstration of public enlightenment,” was part of the special intervention programme for December.
The Regular Marshals attached to the concerned commands displayed various placards some of which read: “Say no to overloading”; “no to excessive speeding”; “drive to save lives”; “road safety is a shared responsibility”; “one way constitutes dangerous driving and dangers to pedestrians”.
Other placards had messages such as: “obey traffic rules”; “no to reckless driving”; “no to worn-out tyres”; “no to underaged drivers” and “driving without drivers’ licence is prohibited.
The Ota Unit Commander, Mr. Sunday Omafu, said the exercise was organised following the inhuman attitude of some motorists who kill people like the Boko Haram insurgents on the roads.
He recalled that a Mazda bus with registration number AGL139XF, is still on the Corps’ wanted list for hitting a Special Marshal on patrol at Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway, Ogun State, while trying to escape arrest; while another policeman was knocked down while crossing the expressway, at Dalemo Bus Stop in Ota Local Government Area of the state by a driver of a yellow mini bus who drove against traffic.
Omafu, appealed to drivers, okada operators and tricyclists to always see FRSC and other traffic management agencies as partners.
He urged them to be disciplined and eschew attitudes that could warrant their arrest.
He said preventing an accident is better than being sorry and sober after the act.
He spoke against over speeding, saying, it thrills, but kills. “Keep a rein on your speed, so that you’ll be in control of the vehicle,” he said.
He urged motorists to always obey traffic rules , which he said were designed with safety in mind.
He advised motorists to always maintain good lane, obey recommended distance between vehicles and consider the pedestrians’ safety while driving.
“It is important to display appropriate indicators or signals especially, while changing lanes or before a turn. Having respect for other drivers on the road is sacrosanct to road safety,” he said.
He enjoined motorists to always wear seat belts, saying it is life saving. Due preference, he pleaded, should be given to pedestrians and children crossing the road, urging road users to be cognisant of caution signs to enable them reduce their speed. Vehicles, he advised, must be in good working condition before embarking on a journey to avoid any compromise on quality.
According to him, it is imperative to inflate tyres with the right air pressure to avoid tyre bursts on the road.
He warned against other habits such asdrugs and alcohol injection driving and falling asleep behind the wheel, which he said had led too many to the grave.
“Lack of adequate rest leaves adverse effect on mental alertness, slow down reflexes, and even causes momentary sleepiness behind the wheel,” he added.
Residents and business owners in Owode Street in Abule Egba/New Oko Oba, in Lagos are not looking forward to the economic boom that accompanies the Yuletide. Reason: bad roads have rendered the community inaccessible and shut down commercial activities.
When The Nation visited the community most of the stores were locked, the only viable commercial activity in the area is Marwa and Okada transportation. It was gathered that the area has been suffering from bad road for over two years while the Ojokoro Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), which oversees the area, has done little to alleviate the problem.
“ As you can see my store is empty, who will come here to buy. The only stores that are open are the ones close to the main road and even those ones are suffering,” one of the store owners identified as Emmanuel said.
Two hotels on the street also lamented the frustration caused by the bad roads. According to a management staff in one of the hotels, most patrons are complaining about the bad access roads to the facility. “We hardly have any new customer, we spend a lot of money in running this business but those who patronise us are our long term friends. The situation of the road has rendered our business almost comatose.”
It was learnt that the community had raised funds to construct drainage in conjunction with the council but the road remains a sore point. A resident, who does not want to be named, said the matter had been reported to the state government, adding that the residents were shocked to fundthat the road was listed as “completed”.
“We have begged the Chairman of Ojokoro council and all we have received are promises, maybe when you help us talk to him through your paper he will help us, because this street is in the middle of the city and it is in such a deplorable condition. It does not speak well of the council area,” she said.
The Federal Government’s poor budget implementation record has forced about 15 firms in one community alone in the Southeast to close.
The Nation investigation has revealed that the Oba-Nnewi-Arondizuogu-Okigwe road in Imo State, first constructed in 1982, has been abandoned despite budgetary allocations for its rehabilitation.
Last year, though the Federal Government budgeted N490 million for the rehabilitation of the road and some contractors were said to have mobilised to the site, the road has remained unattended to and till this year, a section of the Arondizuogu-Umunza road was penciled down to get N20 billion from the year’s budget.
However, members of the community have lamented that nothing has been done on the road so far with two months to the end of the year. They claim that they are aware that President Goodluck Jonathan has authorised the rehabilitation of the road but wonder what is responsible for the abandonment.
The First Vice President, Arondizuogu Patriotic Union (APU), Chief Onwumere Gabriel Uche said: “This road is our life-blood, the deplorable condition of this road has caused nothing but backwardness to this community. Arondizuogu has about 15 private limited liability companies and this companies are now moribund because of the bad condition of the road”.
The community, which has produced notable politicians, is made more popular by the old TV drama series The Masquerade Character Chief Chika Okpala (Zebrudia), the residents lamented, is “notable for the production of agricultural products like rice, palm kernel, cassava and cocoa but this goods cannot be conveyed to the market because of the deplorable situation of the road.”
A list of firms that have closed as a result of the poor state of the road include: Jolly Jones Vegetable Oil Arondizuogu, Safari Vegetable Oil, Arondizuogu, Safari Hotel, Arondizuogu Rice Mill, LNO Obioha Motel Plaza and Chimon Hotel Limited.
Uche added: “This road was last constructed in 1983, however, we thank Jonathan for awarding the contract and we do not know who to blame because, initially, Doliz Construction Company Limited handled it. They lived up to below expectation and they were chased out. It was changed to Bulletin and it became nothing to write home about. It was now handed over to Zerock. We don’t like the snail pace the road is moving.”
