Residents as well as business owners that ply the Lagos-Badagry Expressway have expressed their frustration at the poor state of the road.
Chidumaga Chukwuka, a businesswoman who runs two shops at “Trade Fair” lamented bitterly saying she spends close to three hours every morning before she gets to her shops.
“I wake up at 4:30am every morning just to get to the shop before 8:00am for a journey which shouldn’t be more than one hour if the road was good, I leave the market at 6:00pm only to get home when my kids must have gone to bed, I hardly talk with my family except on weekends when I don’t go to market,” she said.
She told Newsbreak.ng that the bad road had been the major cause of road accidents which has claimed lives. She added that commercial motorcyclists are often reckless and end up crashing with their passengers.
She pleaded with the Federal and State governments to do something about the road, stating that the daily frustration is making her want to relocate her business to the east and abandon Lagos state: “I will abandon Lagos the same way Lagos abandon this road and relocate my businesses to the Onitsha main market if nothing is done, this road has taken too long” she said.
Ben, a trader, said people’s shops were demolished last year including his just for the sake of reconstructing the road “they came with their big vehicle and destroyed our shops just to repair road, now the road no still gree them repair” he said.
A resident of the area, Chioma Udemba, could not hold back her tears as she revealed that her sister had died in an accident as a result of the bad road some months ago.
Kazeem Ogunniran, another resident of the area said the gridlock resulting form the bad road is condemnable. He revealed that his phone had been snatched in traffic on his way from work some months ago. He called on the government to fix the road to ease the gridlock.
”The traffic here is something else. Sometimes, you can spend over three hours in it. To even worsen it, trailers drag for lanes with cars while okada (commercial motorcyclists) also put head in it.
”My phone was snatched on this same road about three months ago. We plead with the government to wake up and help us with this road. It’s very bad,” he said.
However, Adebayo, who hawks plantain chips on the road, told Newsbreak.ng that the gridlock is helping his business as commuters order for his snacks. He added that he would love to see the road repaired.
Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, had said the construction was being hindered by oil and gas pipelines laid between the Mile 2 and Volkswagen areas of the road. He said the construction can not go on until the pipelines are removed.
“The maintenance of the roads is a lot of work, and it requires money. Unfortunately, no money is budgeted for such now. In 2018, we hope to do something about the issue, if the budget is approved,” he said.
Dumebi Onuorah
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