This has to be the most indepth scrutinisation conducted on this administration's regime. it could not be any more spot on,

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Navigating Fashola’s Craters in Two Weeks
By SHAKA MOMODU, 11.19.2010
A Nigerian, who happens to work for an oil company, was said to have gone to a car shop in the United States of America. It was noticed by the car vendor that all the vehicles he was pricing were sports utility vehicles, particularly those with strong and reinforced suspensions. Curiosity got the better of the vendor and he asked the Nigerian if he was starting a farm and needed a strong car. The Nigerian answered in the negative, stating he was taking the car home and the American laughed, adding he understood the reason behind the Nigerian’s preferences.

The Nigerian in question was lucky. Apart from the fact that he could afford the big cars, he was also privileged to be buying it from a country with arguably the best roads in the world and, ironically, the best vehicles in terms of power and performance. But many Nigerian car owners can never dream of buying such cars and even the ones they could afford (mostly mid-sedans) the state of roads in the country, especially in Lagos, ensure that they visit the mechanics every week and at least twice in a month because they have one suspension part or the other to replace in the car.

The roads simply won’t allow those parts to last longer in the vehicles, even if they are the best and original parts they could get anywhere. Our roads will make a mess of the cars. A diagnostic assessment of the roads in Lagos will give a glaring picture of why cars don’t last and the nightmare commuters contend with in Nigeria’s so-called largest urban agglomeration.

Egbeda/Ikotun: Biggest Vote
Haul, Deepest Craters…
It is 7.30 am on Sunday morning, most of the residents of Egdeda/Idimu/Ikotun and environs are rushing to attend the early morning service in different churches, dressed in their Sunday best. But there is grinding traffic on the Iyana-Ipaja/Ikotun expressway and which has eaten up whatever advantage they had by setting out early. A man driving a rickety Volkswagen Passat hatch-back can be seen wiping his forehead of sweat even though it is still early in the morning, other occupants obviously his family (wife and children) sit in the discomfort of the old Passat without an air conditioning and bear the floating red dust that movement of other cars stir up and reduce visibility.

For over one hour, the movement was slow and grueling. Amid the fury of horns blaring from all corners and commercial motorbikes squeezing through tight spaces, it is utter chaos. Imagine the situation on work days? “It is terrible and unbearable,” declared a motorist. The traffic was caused by the terrible state of the road. For those who don’t know, driving through the Iyana-Ipaja/Ikotun expressway is now a nightmare for motorists. It is specially so for residents of the area who have to commute daily to and from the area. The pain and anguish is such that when the contract for the repairs of the road was awarded last year, the residents were jubilant. But one year later, the residents are worse off than they were before the contract for the repairs was award to an unknown company called, PlyCon Nigeria Limited.

According to residents of the area, the company moved to the site and promptly excavated the road. But to the consternation of residents immediately went to sleep. For more than one year, not up to 30 percent of the road has been completed. Meanwhile, the quality of resurfacing is so poor that even the part that was tarred barely three months ago has started failing.

According to Kunle Adedayo, what was excavated from the road is far thicker than what they are now putting on the road, the quality of the material is so low that it is as if the plan was to repair the road very quickly so that another contract can be re-awarded for the construction of the same road. He lamented lack of government supervision of contractors to ensure they comply with standard construction guidelines and quality control. “I think people in the state government are colluding with these contractors to shortchange taxpayers in the state, how else can this be going on and government officials feign ignorance of the scam,” he enquired.

While the company goes about its job sluggishly, the residents are counting their losses in man hours, closed business and sundry other problems. The Ikotun/Ijegun road has deteriorated so badly that residents of the area are wondering how things got so bad so soon. This road was constructed through direct labour during the administration of Bola Tinubu. As at today the potholes on the road are so big that they can be mistaken for craters.

The Iyana/Ayobo road is now impossible and has practically been abandoned by even motorcyclists. The residents now make do with navigating through the estates in the area to get to their homes. If major roads are in such bad shape, one can imagine what the condition of the feeder roads and inner streets will be like.

The feeder roads are indeed a sight for sore eyes. For instance, Princess Abiola Adeniyi Street which connects Iyana Ipaja/Ikotun expressway at Council Bus-stop has “remained un-tarred for the past 15 years that I have lived here,” declared Adedaye. He lamented further: “Just drive through all the feeder roads in this area and see for yourself if there is any evidence of government here. We pay all the taxes they ask us to pay but we don’t know what they do with it. Sometimes their task force will come and destroy shops in the name of keeping the environment clean and then go. That is only when we feel government presence in this area!”

Another resident of the area, Tony Nwawodoh, who heads a department in one of the communications outfits in Ikeja, Lagos, was even more emotional. Ordinarily, the journey from his home in Idimu to his office should not have exceeded 30 to 40 minutes but everyday including Saturdays and at times Sundays, he ends up spending between three to four hours just to get to work owing to the constant traffic jams on the roads. “This is because the roads are in deplorable state with no serious work going on. The feeder roads that should have served as alternatives to the main roads are terribly bad as the local government in that area has gone to sleep.

“No caterpillar grading was carried out during the dry season to make the feeder roads motorable in preparation for times like this. Vehicles are taking a hit, as they come out looking like race cars on cross country competitions. I wash my car every night in preparation for work the next day but when you see the car after undergoing this exercise, it is an eyesore. The car undergoes another washing exercise before I embark on my journey home. Some cars or buses break down on the streets while trying to maneuver the inner streets to link the major roads thereby causing further blockades and stress.”

Yet, most of those who the state government is asking to pay taxes are the people who are suffering from the terrible state of roads in the state. In fact, the Egbeda/Ikotun axis in question is an area where political parties in the state do not joke with because of the area’s population. A resident of the area who did not want his name in print said he was not even interested in that, but getting the roads fixed is what matters. His appeal goes beyond the state government alone.

“We are appealing to the federal, state and local government to wake up to their responsibility and do something to put these roads back. The Abeokuta/Agege expressway is pothole-infested and this is supposed to be the federal Trunk A Road. While the state road which is the Ikotun–Idimu–Egbeda needs urgent attention. The local government roads here comprise Ibidunni Towolawi, Arobaba, Pipeline in Idimu Area, Isiba Oluwo, Karimu Laka, Bassey, Ogunlana, etc, all needing urgent attention.”
Beyond their numbers, he said the people in these areas contribute to the economic development of the state. He added that the influx of people that troop in and out of these areas speaks volumes as they contribute to a major size of the workforce of the state and nation’s economy.

Another resident of the area who works in Ikeja and stays at Unity Estate said it is always a daily nightmare getting to the office and coming back home. To those who might not know, Unity Estate used to be the nest of the nouveau riche. But that was then. Today, rot has set in and made worse by the Egbeda-Idimu road. Tolu Adebayo, a resident of the estate who works in Ikeja, says daily commuting is a nightmare.

“Ordinarily, the journey from my house in Egbeda to Maryland where I work should not take more than forty minutes, but I practically spend an average of three hours on the road to work everyday, no thanks to the numerous ‘wells’ in the name of potholes that line up the roads. These in effect generate terrible hold-ups that leave one exhausted and frustrated even before the start of the day work; not to mention the man-hours being wasted on the road day in day out.”

She said coming out of her house in Unity Estate located along the Idimu road, is a nightmare. Right from her street to the gate of the estate, there’s a horrific story to tell. She explained that the residents have not been parking their cars in the compound for the past four months due to the deplorable condition of the road. “We virtually have to wade through mud and walk on the edges of gutters to get to where our cars are parked in a filling station; left at the mercy of thieves and vandals. To make matters worse, the main road (Egbeda-Idimu) is in a more apologetic state. Before rehabilitation work started on the road last year, we were still able to maneuver our way out, but since work started on the road, life has been a living hell for road users. To make matters worse, work has been abandoned since the beginning of the year. The road is now a complete eyesore, with big, wide and deep gullies in the middle of the road.”

But it was not always like this. In fact, time was (and this was as recently as 1999) when there was not a single pothole on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, when commuters could drive from Oshodi to Iyana-Ipaja without running into any gully. Time was also when along Oba Akran or the Agege Link Road from Ogba was as smooth as any normal road could possibly be. These were times commuters could sit behind the wheels and take in the sights and sounds of Lagos or just use the opportunity for some much needed personal time with your thoughts. Alas, times have changed, those days are long gone. These days, the thought of driving even just down the road gives everyone the chills.

Ogba: Meandering Through the Craters…
Blessing Osuagwu lives at Ogba and works in Ikeja. She said getting to work should take her between 20 to 30 minutes. But that is a pipe dream. It takes her at least forty-five minutes to one hour. But if it rains, she is in trouble. It could take two hours. She said it is nightmare and if there is traffic hold-up, nothing is seen at the end of it all. Vehicles just slow down because of bad portions of the road.

“Driving in Lagos has gradually become a nightmare. For example, I live in the Ogba area of Lagos and my office is in the Maryland axis, in an ideal situation, this journey should not ordinarily take more than 35 minutes and I mean to and fro, even with traffic. Like I said this would be in an ideal situation. In the real world, that is nothing more than wishful thinking, I’m lucky if I make the commute to and fro in less than three hours. This is not because of the traffic situation or increased population of people migrating to Lagos but rather the dangerous pot-holes or should I say death traps that our Lagos roads have become. The irony is that these pot-holes are part of, if not major contributors to the traffic jams.”

A quick assessment of the roads leading into the Ogba axis confirm this: The Acme Road leading to Wamco (Elizade workshop to Peak Milk Office) taken to avoid the bottleneck on these roads, most people would rather make a detour and go through the Latter Rain Assembly road going through Mobil Filling Station to Ogba bus stop. This particular stretch of road has defied all attempts at construction and repairs. Its either good road constructors are not used or that the gods of that road have not been properly appeased and the road has simply been left in disrepair.

Driving to Ogba through the Agege Pen-Cinema, passing through LSDPC to Mobil is another nightmarish experience. To avoid all the above mentioned routes, one would think going through the Adeniyi Jones route would be better, but this is nothing but an illusion because even though the beginning of the road is good, but getting towards the bend leading to Sanusi Brothers Industry via First Bank to Ogba is nothing short of jumping from the frying pan straight into fire.

Everybody knows that the governor’s office and in fact the seat of power in Lagos is located in Alausa, so one would expect that roads in this part of town would at least be fairly well maintained, right? Contrary to expectations, driving down from the Island via Alausa to Jobi Fele way linking Femi Kuti’s New African Shrine to Agidingbi Road to the back of Mechanic’s village is not much of a different story. These are roads that the people in government pass through on a daily basis yet no attempt has been made to rehabilitate these. The worst is the one that passes the front of Ivory Music House, overlooking the Central Mosque when going to Marwa gardens.

Apapa: A Port City’s Nightmare…
In Apapa, the story is better imagined than experienced. Most of the adjoining streets, especially the famed GRA, are death traps and maneuvering through them in times of emergency is a waste of time. All the feeder roads linking Marine and Liverpool roads remind drivers of a war-torn region. The main road to Apapa, the Apapa-Oshodi expressway is a complete disaster and all attempts to fix the road have been mired in politics. Yet, all the seaports in Apapa are where the federal government gets considerable revenue from VAT and import and excise duties.

A middle-aged man who works in the area said the only thing he could see is brazen wickedness on the part of the authorities. He alleged that there are budgetary allocations for these roads every year but the monies are always embezzled by those saddled with carrying out the maintenance, which, ordinarily, should have been routine.

Surulere: Classy But Messy…
Not even the fact that Governor Babatunde Fashola lived in Surulere could change the fortune of this glitzy neighbourhood. The many feeder roads here are just not motorable. Time was when Surulere was the place to live because of the ennobling image it conferred on residents. The roads were neat and well paved and buildings were classy and modern. Strict building regulation was enforced. It was a beautiful suburb that instantly lifted your status if you lived there.

Well, those days appear a distant memory now. Surulere has shed its beauty and allure. And now increasingly looks like a failed residential experiment in modern town planning design. Although some efforts are being made to give the roads some facelift, the progress of work is grindingly slow. For instance, Babs Animasaun road was revamped less than four years ago, but it is now as bad as it was before rehabilation. Contractors saddled with other roads such as Ogunlana, Adeniran Ogusanya, Adelabu and others, don’t seem to know what they are doing. “They are taking too long to finish construction on these roads even the ones handled by Julius Berger, like the stadium area, has not been completed,” lamented a resident.
Other roads in Surulere that are also in terrible shape are Ibezim Obiajulu Sreet, a thoroughfare that links Adelabu and Alhaji Masha roads which connects to the stadium. Michael Ogun Street connecting to Ogunlana Drive and LUTH, Ilorin Street Alhaji Danmole and Fred Anyiam Streets all off Adelabu are a driver’s worst nightmare.

Anjorin Street between the Total filling station in Lawanson and Cole Street needs urgent attention. Particularly galling is Cole Street itself, which is off Lawanson Road. It’s simply an eyesore. People try every means to avoid it and for residents on the road, there is no escaping the tragedy that the road has become. There is another Cole Street linking Ojuelegba Road to Mabo Street, and its fate is not any better. Move on to Benson Street off Akerele road leading to Gbaja Street, Falolu Street, Ekolulu Street and Akanji Street, which is between Cole Street and Anjorin Street to Omololu Street off Akerele road leading to Shitta Roundabout, you are confronted by utter desolation and disrepair.

The Itire part of Surulere is hardly worthy of habitation also. All the feeder roads that connect to Ijesha road which in turn leads to Apapa-Oshodi expressway are in a deplorable state of disrepair. There appears to be a complete absence of government in this part of Lagos. The neglect here is startling and alarming in the mega city.

Anthony Village/Mende:
A Vanquished Center…
As rough as Lagos streets can be, some areas still are considered choice areas to live and have offices. Even the names conjure up images of exotic neighbourhoods. Names like Anthony Village, Mende, Maryland, Ikeja GRA, Opebi, Allen Avenue, give the impression of classy uptown neighborhoods and indeed these areas live up to expectations in all but one area - the roads.

Anthony Village used to be a quiet and peaceful neighborhood until people discovered its proximity to almost all parts of Lagos and started moving in. The influx of people also saw banks and other corporate organizations setting up branches or offices in the area and one would think with this kind of investment in the area, the government would try to make the area more conducive to businesses, not so.

In Anthony, Oluwalogbon Street the artery, in fact, the very street that houses one of the campaign headquarters of the ruling party in the state – Action Congress of Nigeria – hosts a very big crater that can no longer be called a pothole. This crater is also close to the central mosque in Anthony, so on Friday Jumat service or any other special prayers, one can only imagine the torture motorists go through to navigate through the area into Anthony proper.

From Anthony into Maryland is a street called Bush Street that joins the two areas. The whole length of this street is considered a hazardous journey to undertake especially for pregnant women because if you are not careful traversing this street, you could have a miscarriage. On quite a number of occasions, cars have ended up in the open drainage in the process of trying to maneuver to avoid the bumps and potholes on the street. A feeble attempt was made recently to patch up the roads, the verdict is still out on whether they did a good job or not.

Going into the Mende area, Sunmola Street to be precise, is not as bad but for a street that houses one of the chieftains of the ruling party in Lagos, it is not very impressive. It is gradually failing. A drive around the whole of Mende area reveals that everything is the same. From Oki lane to Ajose Street up to the street with PHCN’s transformers and down to Bode Oliwo Street, reflects the general state of disrepair and devastation to the roads. Some areas have been dug up in the name of rehabilitation but abandoned almost immediately and most have grown worse with the rains washing away what little tar that was left. Mende is such bad shape that many are left to wonder what local government chairmen do with their allocations and the money they generate internally.

Ggbagada, Ojota, Ketu, Alapere, Olowora, Okota Oke Ira Ajao Estate are some of the areas where roads are better described as bush paths, yet, nothing is being done to bring relief to the residents. “Whenever it rains, it is hell,” cried a resident in anguish. “Those who have cars dare not drive them out once it rains because the whole place is flooded and you can’t locate the craters and gullies,” declared, Emeka Chinaze, a Ketu resident.

Ikeja: Dilapidated and Rotten Capital…
If you think because Ikeja is the capital of Lagos State, one of Africa’s largest commercial cities, then you are indeed mistaken. From your first contact with Ikeja, you are bound to feel a sense of disappointment. The reality on the ground does not befit its status as the nexus of the mega-city, Lagos. Even though some of the major roads are in fairly good shape, a vast majority of the feeder roads are a crying shame on governance and those who run the affairs of the state.

In the Ikeja GRA, for those who don’t know, GRA is short for Government Reserved Area, and in fact the official residence of the governor is on Isaac John in the neighbourhood. Just by Isaac John Street is Oduduwa Way, a road which cannot really does not qualify to be called a road. This road is so uneven and bad that one thinks it would have been better if no attempt had been made to tar it. This road houses one or two relaxation spots and on Friday nights and weekends, days which the roads are supposed to be free, the traffic on that road is reminiscent of what obtains on Third Mainland at the end of a work-day. Going back to Isaac John Street, there is a stretch further down which also has a big pothole just before the traffic lights.

Opebi road, a major high street in Ikeja, is almost always in a bad shape. God have mercy on you when it rains. The popular Allen Avenue, another major high street in Ikeja, is only marginally better than Opebi. Almost all the feeder roads to Allen and Opebi are in shambles. Toyin street hardly fares better, especially the section leading to Ipodo market. Amore Street, Ladipo Kuku and almost all the adjoining streets are a write off. It is hard to believe that this area is part of Ikeja forms the nucleus of capital of Lagos State.

Ikorodu the debacle…
Saturday, November 6. Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu. The traffic jam from the Ikorodu roundabout has stretched back all the way to the gate of the polytechnic leaving hundreds of motorists stranded. In a desperate attempt to beat the traffic jam, several motorists heading to Ketu and beyond divert to a bypass called Ojokoro road. But it is as traumatic as staying in the traffic. Huge pot holes litter the untarred Ojokoro road which could have served as a good bypass. Several vehicles were bruised.

This strategic road leads to Eyita estate, from where motorists could burst out to the popular Lagos road. The entire Eyita estate is like a war zone with all the roads in the area in tatters. None of the roads has standard drainage, not to talk of being tarred. Further down Ojokoro road is Agric/Ori Okuta/Isawo/Agbede. Aside from the Isawo road, no single road is tarred in these four massive settlements. When it rains, residents park their vehicles miles away. Even the Isawo road started by the Tinubu administration almost eight years ago remains uncompleted. A big river has sprung up on a portion of the road, just opposite Oando filling station.

The load on the road into Ikorodu from the popular Mile 12 is a death trap and requires relaying. Just before Agric bus stop, lie two bypasses initiated by the Fashola administration about four years ago to decongest the place. They remain uncompleted, thus compounding the woes of the residents of Agric/Ori Okuta/Isawo/Agbede.

Ikoyi/Victoria Island: Opulent and Neglected…
Its skyline boasts of a vast array of the most modern high rise buildings, offices and the very best of luxury homes in the country. Ikoyi and Victoria Island are the dream residential neighbouhoods of every aspiring man and woman in the country. But beneath all the opulence, staggering beauty and splendour lies a rotten open secret of broken infrastructure which strips it of its elegance and undresses it of its cosmetic makeup. Meandering through all the posh offices and exotic homes are badly broken roads.

The glittering cars that drive out of the homes and offices also take a good beating from the craters that now litter Ikoyi/VI roads. It is an amazing irony of glamour and filth, a cruel mix of wealth and agony of the rich. The poor state of the roads, no doubt, takes away something from its high profile status. As such, Ikoyi and VI’s fate are just marginally better that Ikorodu and Idimu/Ikotun. You have got to see Ikoyi/VI when it rains. It transforms easily into a massive river and drowns all those lush greenery, lawns and gardens that give it its beauty and allure.

Most of the inner streets that inter-connect and would have made driving such a pleasure are in bad shape and need urgent repairs or better still complete resurfacing. Old Ikoyi is crying from neglect. From Second Avenue to First Avenue, Lugard Avenue, Mulliner and Glover roads to Warring road, Temple road to Thompson Avenue and MacDonald road, they are all in a state of disrepair. Ademola Street off Awolowo road, a very important detour from the ever busy Awolowo road is in a sorry state. So is Raymond Njoku road, while Sumbo Jibowu Street stinks to high heaven.

Victoria Island, Walter Carrington Crescent (old Eleke Crescent), where most of the foreign embassies are located is a complete disgrace to Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole. Apart from the fact the road is very narrow, it is now littered with potholes and touts. Why such an important road should be allowed to degenerate tells a lot about how we project ourselves and how foreigners should perceive us. If one decries the state of Walter Carrington, then you may need to cry for Bishop Aboyade Cole, which can be described simply as an abandoned road. It is an eyesore, “driving through this road is just horrible to say the least,” declared a motorist who is forced to ply the route daily because his office is located on it.

Aside from the two mentioned above, almost every link road to a major road in Victoria Island has its own story to tell, it is simply a nightmare scenario. Samuel Manuwa Street which leads to the 1004 estate is also in bad shape begging for repairs. Work has however peaked at Ligali Ayorinde road which in the past was in a horrible state.

Pervasive Incompetence…
The most disturbing aspect of the assessment of Lagos roads is knowledge that almost all the contracts for repairs are usually given to incompetent contractors who end up carrying out very low quality repair works that don’t last more than two rain falls. After which it is back to square one. Most of the roads actually need complete redesign and reconstruction, with side drains to channel flood waters into dedicated reservoirs by very competent and reputable construction companies, not quacks masquerading as construction companies who collude with state officials to shortchange the state.



Is Fashola a Flash in the Pan?

The celebrated spectacular performance of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola in the last three years appears to have come to a grinding halt just when the ovation was supposed to be loudest. Someone in the back seat must have cut the engine for the car to crawl to a stop in the middle of full throttle on an expressway of hope and renewal. With more than N14 billion from internally generated revenue alone monthly (data obtained from the First Qtr Budget Performance from the state’s website showed the state made N12 billion a month between January and March this year), Lagos State, which prides itself, as the center of excellence even though many would not admit it is in state of denial for a state with such a massive infrastructural deficit.

The state government is sadly unable to meet its basic obligations to its electorate. The politics of succession in 2011 appears to have put the government at a crossroad and is unable to define its place. Despite its huge internally generated revenue, coupled with monthly allocations that make Lagos by far the richest state in the country, the mega city can readily vie as the one with the most broken down infrastructure among other major cities of the world.

A raft of broken infrastructure, as symbolized by bad roads, poor quality of construction, dilapidated schools, a comatose health system, an unaccountable government and legislature in the strangulating grip of one man and his political structures, a ham-strung judicial system, over-taxed citizenry and corporate bodies, and other poor developmental indicators, have left the people asking questions. These questions, so far, have remained unanswered.

Thousands of potholes form a death-ring on Lagos roads and make driving in the state a living hell on earth. Add to that a helpless population held hostage, beaten and traumatized by hostile government policies now appears resigned to fate and defeated in the hope that a new dawn has come. Meanwhile, those elected to carter for the peoples’ needs play unconscionable hide and seek politics with the destiny of the state and its people.

The governor in the first two years of his four year mandate stunned Lagosians with his incredible pace in all facets of life in the state, especially in the area of roads, security, markets, street lighting and sinage and landscaping of the environment that won for him popular acclamation. Lagosians were very excited at the new look Lagos - further reinforced by his pay-off line: Eko’ o ni Baje!, symbolizing a new can do spirit and a new dawn. It was a fitting clarion call to energise Lagosians to new aspirations of rebirth, restoration and regeneration.

The script that drove his ascendancy to Alausa Government House was written by the master of political intrigues and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That Lagos State survived the political invasion ordered and supervised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo which saw the almost total conquest of the South-west zone by the Peoples Democratic Party remains sufficient testimony to the gumption of Tinubu.

Incidentally, this Machiavellian attribute was to become a key albatross on the neck of his protégée Babatude Fashola as his agenda for the state began to unravel under the weight of internal political contradictions. He was the most unlikely of candidates craving for the position. But in the wisdom of the man who saw tomorrow, (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) Fashola was the best to fly the flag. He pulled all the stops to ensure his anointed godson got the keys to Alausa. And he got it.

At Alausa Government House, Ikeja, positioned in the lobby of the governor’s office is a picture of Fashola with a text proclaiming: “Thank you Lagosians. Together, we can achieve more. Eko’ o ni baje”, translated from Yoruba, it means “Lagos will not go bad”. As political strap lines go, this was a particularly enduring one against the background of Fashola’s astonishing accomplishments in office at the outset. But willy-nilly, this scenario began to unravel on the sheer weight of public expectations, a godfather’s unrelenting demands, and the conceptual flaws of Fashola’s development plans.

Death of a Dream
When Governor Fashola assumed office on May 29, 2007, he took the bull by the horn and embarked on various constructions, rehabilitation, landscaping and slum clearance projects to give the state a new look befitting of a mega city. He became the most popular governor in the country, one that all his colleagues envied and tried to emulate. Within the space of two years in office, various roads were rehabilitated while new ones were also being constructed in various parts of the state. For a while, Lagos was one huge construction site as various contractors raced against time to complete projects. In the process, the usual Nigerian malaise to cut corners and make outrageous profits set in.

The quality of road work quickly began to manifest when the first rains came. The surface tar was simply washed off and the gullies and craters simply grew wider and wilder. Many of the roads that were constructed at such a frenetic pace have either failed or are in the process of failing, denigrating much of the famed achievements of the Fashola government.
Against the weight of positive performance reports of Fashola’s administration, perhaps, an inkling into the scope of the developmental dilemma of the state is a recent survey on global cities which revealed that Lagos is the fifth worst city to live in the world. In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Lagos was only surpassed by Harare (Zimbabwe), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Algiers (Algeria) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) as greater hell holes on earth.

In the 2010 ranking, there was little change in the top positions with Vienna, Melbourne and Toronto still taking the second, third and fourth positions and the top ten dominated by Canadian and Australian cities which took seven of the ten slots. The EIU survey ranked 140 cities on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety, using research involving resident experts and its own analysts.

But the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Bamidele Opayemi emphatically disagreed with this assessment by the EIU and made a spirited defence of his principal. But then if Opeyemi hoped this would be the end of the debate from diverse stakeholder, he was pretty much mistaken.

Entering the fray, former deputy governor of Lagos State under the Tinubu administration, Femi Pedro gave his assessment of the Fashola administration by stating: “I realized that, through clever and constant application of propaganda, our people have been made to see hell as paradise. Today, Lagos has become a sad and sorry tale of two stories. On the one hand, I see people driving on pothole-infested roads and sleeping in flooded homes. I see children starved of adequate educational facilities, and sick people denied basic healthcare facilities. I see neighbors continuously subjected to exorbitant rent and jobless street miscreants. I see poorly paid teachers, doctors going on indefinite strike and market women forced to pay excessive stall rates.

“Astonishingly, on the other hand, I see a government that claims it generates about N18 billion a month from taxes, levies and surcharges, yet it is so disconnected from the plight of Lagosians, that it is more concerned about lavishing praises on itself than it is on improving the welfare of its citizens. Are we actually better off than we were four years ago? It is a tragedy and a big slight on my generation that this level of mediocrity is currently being celebrated meritoriously, but it is a bigger slight on us the people, when our expectations are driven by such minimum standards.”

If Pedro’s x-ray represents the voice of the angry opposition, Ayo Okulaja, a resident of Ikorodu has his own axe to grind with the current Lagos State administration over what he alleges is total marginalization of his area.
According to a distraught Okulaja, “I reside in Ikorodu, one of the key towns in Lagos. This town, home to over a million people, cannot boast of any of the much vaunted improvements, which this administration has been hailed for. Where do I start? Is it about the fact not one single road, either major or minor road has ever been repaired or constructed by either the state or the local government over the past three years?

“A visit to any part of this suburb and you can’t just help but wonder if this town is part of Lagos State. The main road that connects this community to Lagos State, the eponymously named Ikorodu road, is a Trunk-A double-lane and it has always been a tough task to commute to and from this town. That was before the sudden overflow of Ogun river made Ikorodu road virtually impossible to drive through.

“Right now, commuting on this road is an awful nightmare for everyone. The last administration had talked of a Fourth Mainland Bridge to the Lagos Island, which appears too costly for the state government to undertake. But residents could not understand what could be so difficult about expanding Ikorodu Road or, better still, opening up another alternative route to link the highly populated agricultural environs to Berger in central Ikeja.”

Misapplication of Funds
Officially, Lagos generates N14 billion monthly, besides federal allocation. But many observers locate the monthly take home of Lagos State Government from internally generated revenue in the realm of N18 billion – there are concerns, however, that the state understates its IGR.

In addition to the N14 billion, its first quarter budget performance showed that it collected an additional N9 billion a month from statutory allocations, VAT, capital receipts, dedicated revenue and extraordinary revenue. This brought total revenue receipts that accrued to the Lagos State Government to over N23 billion a month between January and March this year, making it the wealthiest state in Nigeria and richer that some African countries.

With respect to the state’s budget, the state government proposed a budget of N429.5 billion of which N389.5 billion which was approved by the House of Assembly and another N74 billion supplementary budget of which N22 billion was approved for the state. If one compares the approved budget to its actual implementation, then something is clearly wrong. With 2010 with just a few weeks to run out, there can hardly be any justification for the sums proposed by the Lagos State Government.

Undeniably, Lagos, in terms of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is richer than most African countries. The density of industries in Lagos is hardly matched by most cities in Africa with the exception of South Africa. These business establishments are heavily taxed. This scenario raises several posers. On top of this, Lagosians are clearly the most taxed folks in Nigeria. But the subsisting impression is that much of this ends up in private pockets.

So what are the large sums being generated from Lagos residents and business establishments being used for? Other than the bad road, doctors in the state are on strike, its schools are nothing to write home about, and owing to the political machinations in the state, governance has literarily gone to sleep. Where is the vision Fashola set sail with from the outset? How can a state in this situation dream of meeting the MDGs? How can a politician who is only a few months to a re-election bid be disenfranchising the electorate?

Today, Fashola’s critics have changed from accusations of non-performance to wasteful performance. His administration has faced stern allegations of financial misappropriation and many are no longer satisfied with his administration. They now want transparent and accountable leadership, one that is free of the shackles of the mini-gods that treat Lagos like their personal fiefdom.

Besides the allegations, Fashola has also been criticized for his soft stance towards his non-performing aides. Similarly, the issue of striking medical doctors has remained a fly in the ointment. The current industrial action by the resident doctors, in spite of the state government’s recent capitulation on the issue, is the third in the state under his tenure, with the issue of wages a recurring theme. But the state has always blamed the federal government for fixing wages without consulting with the state governments that will pay the wages.

Still Mr. Popular
In spite of the dissatisfaction with infrastructure in Lagos, Fashola’s performance is viewed differently by various stakeholders. To Johnson Adekunle, who has lived in Agidingbi area of Lagos for more than eight years, the governor’s leadership style is “most impressive.” “How many governors can boldly stand in front of the people talking about governance?” he asked. “At least, every 100 days, Lagosians have the opportunity to ask their governor questions without any restrictions. Though, this is the first I am attending but the critical questions being asked by residents shows this is no gathering for praise singing.” Mr Adekunle also asked how many governors will give out his mobile phone number and mandate all his aides and other political office holders to do the same.

According to Janet Akudo, focus is Fashola’s best quality. “He is focused on delivering his promise and you can see that right from the budget,” she said, referring to the governor’s manner of tagging each year’s budget. Akudo no longer has to go to the Lagos Island by road. “My blood pressure is stable now, since I started using the ferry,” she enthused.

Undoubtedly, Lagos State is second largest city on the African continent with an estimated population of about 10 million people (not 15 to 18 million that the state would want the world to believe) living in different parts of the city-state. It enjoys both economic and social cultural advantages and thus is a centre of attraction to Africans and nationals from other parts of the world.
Accordingly, the influx of people to the Lagos urban agglomeration daily generates governance challenges and also provides unique growth opportunities. Currently, the question on the minds of Lagosians is that against the backdrop of multifarious developmental challenges facing the state, how will the government key into genuine rebirth? Physical infrastructure should form the core of any visionary developmental agenda in any society. This is where Lagos under Fashola appears to be missing the point.