The deplorable condition of the Old Ojo Road in Amuwo Odofn Local Government Area of Lagos State has created agony in the neighbourhoods as residents, motorists and business operators bemoan their plight, reports DANIEL KELECHI.
Walking through a cratered road and getting splashed with mud while waiting for a bus, among other unpleasant encounters, has become sub-routine for most residents around Old Ojo Road, Lagos. The worsening condition of the road whose reconstruction began several months ago has taken a toll on residents including road users and business operators in the neighbourhoods.
The decaying road is not just tearing up asphalt it is tearing livelihoods apart, especially around the Maza Maza/Oluti axis of the road. Gabriel Ibeabuchi, who deals in motor tyres, lamented the impact of the poor state of Old Ojo Road on his business. “People no longer follow this road because of how bad it has been for years now, so it is affecting our businesses seriously.
“This is an alternative road where if the highway is not free, you can as well use and manoeuvre the usual heavy traffic. Before the road became this bad, customers driving by might see where they were selling tyres and stop to buy them. However, since the road became deplorable, vehicles no longer access the road, hence, our businesses here are suffering,” Ibeabuchi said.
Ibeabuchi noted that the government is fully aware of the dilapidated condition of the road, noting that the reconstruction has been politicised.
“They (politicians) came to a meeting held by our association during the electioneering campaign and asked that we vote for them with a promise that they would fix the road. But after getting our votes, they did nothing.
“Even when some people want to repair the road, the government would not allow them. If you try to fill the potholes on the road, you will be arrested,” he added.
Motorists, residents lament
A commercial bus driver, Godwin Onuoha, shared his experience plying the road in recent times.
He said: “This road is not only affecting me, it is affecting everybody. But we transporters here are being affected mostly. When it rains, you won’t be able to work. So the road automatically reduces our income.
“The impact of the bad road on my vehicle is so enormous that I have been taking my bus to the auto-mechanic workshop for repairs every week due to the damage caused by the bad road on his vehicle every day.”
Onuoha recalled that a recent protest by his association at the headquarters of Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA) did not yield fruits.
“We drivers here have carried out a protest to Oriade Local Council but the council chairperson said that there was nothing she could do about the road as it is a state road,” he said.
He recounted how during the rainy season school children have had to come down from his vehicle and walk to their school because some portions of the road cannot be accessed once it rains.
“Where we are standing now, during the rainy season, I cannot reach this point. I will have to stop at Fashiru end of the road when passengers complain. I tell them the road is impassable and they do see reason with me and disembark,” Onuoha said.
He, however, said he was aware that the first phase of the entire Old Ojo Road is currently under construction. But the second phase, which will pass through Oluti/Maza Maza to Kirikiri, has not got the attention of the government.
He said he is hoping that the government will award the road and kick-start work so that their pains can be assuaged.
A supervisor at Young Shall Grow Motors at First Gate, George Amukwu, recalled how on many occasions his drivers had to drive through the streets with their luxury buses to beat the portions of the road that were inaccessible. He however said he was happy that work was ongoing at the Oluti-Abule Ado section of the road and that he only hoped that it would get to Agboju/ Maza Maza axis where his company is located.
“Thank God that the government has started work on it for now. I’ve seen their work towards Alakija side, so I’m appealing to them to complete the work and repair the road so that the road can be in a good condition to enable our passengers follow in easily whenever they want to come here,” he stated.
Prolonged reconstruction of the road
It will be recalled that the reconstruction of the road was initiated in 2022 and designed as an upgrade to a dual carriageway to serve as a strategic by-pass for motorists from Kirikiri/Ajeromi Ifelodun to Ojo Local Government. The work commenced in August 2022.
For the convenience of delivery, the road, which is also parallel to the Lagos-Badagry Expressway from Mazamaza to the Trade Fair complex, was divided into two phases. The construction of the first phase, with a length of 4,000 metres and an average width of 15.2m from Irede Road to Oluti Bus Stop, was to last 18 months.
It is more than 18 months since construction began on the first phase of the project but a visit to the construction site by our reporter showed that the work was far from nearing completion, and with the pace at which the work was going, the first phase might not be completed even this year, and this would dash the hope of any kind of intervention on the second phase of the road.
In July 2023, the Lagos State Government reaffirmed its commitment to the completion of the road by the end of the year.
Community leader reacts
A representative of the Royal Palace of Amu-Kuje in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Chief Sehu Ariyo, who is also the General Secretary of Kuje Amuwo Royal Family, said for close to 10 years, the road had been in a terrible condition. He noted that during the tenure of the former council chairman, Sanusi, there used to be some kind of palliative work on the road until recently when nothing has been done about the road.
“Since the Old Ojo Road is bad, all the inner roads are bad too. I think if you have somebody in government that has a listening ear, you can talk to that person and he or she will make some adjustments and ensure the road is fixed in a record time,” he said.
At press time, the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Lagos State Public Works Agency, Mr. Samuel Ayetutu, had not reverted to our correspondent who contacted him for his response despite his assurances.
•This report is facilitated by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Collaborative Media Engagement for Development. Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) Project.
