Some roads in Lagos have been under construction for
close to three years, and the residents are grumbling about the pains that this is causing them, SAMUEL AWOYINFA reports

“The construction of this road has been on for over three
years now, and no one knows when it will be completed.
Anytime it rains, many people abandon their cars at home for fear of getting stuck in the muddy road.” Mr. Alex Obute, who resides on Ayobo Road, Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development Area of Lagos, conveyed this
expression of disillusionment on Monday.

The road leading to his Ayobo residence has been under
construction in the last three years and this has caused
him frustration. Obute is not the only one facing this ordeal in the Centre of Excellence.

Many Lagosians, who ply many of the uncompleted roads
that dot the metropolitan city, have one form of ugly story or another to tell. From Ayobo in Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA,
Wempco Road in Ikeja Local Government Area, Jakande-
Ijegun Road in Alimosho Local Government Area to Ago
Palace Way, Okota in Isolo Local Council Development Area, the sorry situation is the same.

Beyond the fact that some of these roads have remained
uncompleted for some years now, issues bordering on slow pace of work, inconsistent work schedule and near total abandonment have become the lot of some of the projects.And indeed, this is causing a great deal of concern to the residents.

While many of them grumble about the inconveniences
arising from this, others complain about the health
hazards, given the cloud of dust that follows such
construction work.

According to Obute, who has been resident in Ayobo for
over 10 years now, the road project has become a white
elephant. Painting a picture of abandonment, he notes that his son, who was born when the road construction started, has already clocked three.

The rainy season, he also says comes with its own
associated fears and problems. He explains that when it
rains, motorists avoid passing through the route and some of those who summon the courage to risk it usually have sad stories to tell.

He says, “Anytime it rains, I dare not take my car to the
office. Some of those, who risk taking their cars, have nasty experiences to tell. It is either those cars are stuck in the muddy road or the shafts of their cars develop problems. In fact, the bad state of the road has made them regular visitors to mechanics.”

At the beginning of the rainy season this year, when the
contractor handling the project decided to shut some
sections of the road, the alternative route used by
motorists became even worse. Following pressure on the
alternative route, especially around the Oluwaga area, the
regular sight to behold in the community is that of
innumerable commercial buses and private cars trapped in the muddy road.

Saheed Alagbe, a commercial bus driver, who had his LT
Volkswagen trapped in the mud, said it was a nightmarish experience. He says in Yoruba, “It was a terrible experience. The mechanic and I had to practically stay in the mud while repairing the vehicle.”

”Alagbe, while appealing to the Lagos State Government to prevail on the contractor to hasten up work on the Ayobo Road, says “The road dey important for we people wey dey live and do business here.”Stressing the importance of the road, the bus driver, says it serves as a connecting artery to Ogun State, particularly for
residents of Ayetoro, Lafenwa, and Itele among other
communities.

He adds that the hardship faced on the route has
practically forced the residents to seek alternative routes.
According to him, they now link Lagos through Lafenwa/
Itele/Ota Road, journeying for two hours for a trip of 45
minutes.

Shortly after leaving the connecting bridge linking Lagos
and Ogun states, onward from Ayetoro in Ado Odo/Ota
Local Government Area, an undulating, erosion-ridden road is another reality that faces the residents.Before getting to Isefun Junction, heaps of earth excavated
from the drains, stare one in the face by the left side. It
occupies a stretch on that portion, thus reducing the size of the road.

Each time it rains, that portion of the road becomes
nothing but impassable, muddy and slippery.A commercial bus driver, Chito Ehis, who plies Ayetoro-Ayobo-Iyana Ipaja route says, “My brother, anytime wey rain fall, na trouble for this road. The thing go dey drag motor for our hand.”

Though the project contractor dug massive drainage
channels on both sides of the road, when it rains, the
accompanying flood pours on the road and other adjoining streets, houses, schools and business concerns.
There are also no hiding places for some filling stations and churches on the route.Despite having consolidated some portions of the road from Ayobo Bus Stop with gravels,motorists, leaving Ayobo or coming into it, must
compulsorily make a detour to seek an emergency
alternative route.Of late, they have found comfort in a makeshift road adjacent to a Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s sub-station. The emergency route came into being about three weeks ago.

A resident says the contractor was forced to create the
route because one of the trucks belonging to the company got stuck on the major road and it took them some time before it could be recovered.

“The contractor had to open up another route because
their truck got stuck in the mud on the former route. It is
not for any other reason. Other people’s cars have been
stuck in that muddy road but they never did anything until they had a taste of it.

“This is a sign that the contractor must hasten up and
complete that road. Or are they waiting till election time, so as to use it as part of campaign strategies?” a resident, who pleads anonymity asks.

The Meiran-Mologede Road

Another road yearning for completion in the Centre of
Excellence is the Meiran-Mologede-Ile-Iwe Junction Link
Road.A resident, who lives on the route, Mr. Sampson Ike, notes that for over a year now, the better part of the air they breathe comes from dust occasioned by the uncompleted road. Besides the bad air that they inhale, he states that the thick dust emanating from the road project has provided emergency colours for their vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles. Buildings and wares, he adds, are not spared of the “dust dominance” in the community.

Though the contractor has also put some overlay of gravels on a stretch beginning from Mologede, the rehabilitation work has yet to be completed.When our correspondent visited the place, there was no sign of any work on the project.In fact, there was no worker on the site. But three caterpillars were seen at different points, and with a sign board indicating that the contracting firm was First August Nigeria Limited.A motorist travelling from Meiran Junction to Ile-Iwe will have to divert to Omoraga Street, which is also in bad shape. The idea is that the commuter later re-connects to Meiran Road before reaching Ile-Iwe and connecting Ekoro Road and Command-Ipaja Road.

A civil servant, who boarded an okada to Ile-Iwe Junction
just to meet with his office schedule, says, “This is what I
go through every morning. The road is dusty. That is why I do not wear any of my white shirts anymore. The pace of work is rather slow. You can see that a section of the road is now impassable.”

Another resident, Rashidat Asimowu, says the unending
rehabilitation on the road has been her major
concern.When it rains, instead of connecting her residence through Ekoro Road, she further travels down to Meiran bus stop along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, before alighting from the bus.Her shop along the Mologede axis always has her wares caked in dust. Expressing her anguish in Yoruba, she says, “We are tired of wiping dust from our wares on daily basis because of the rehabilitation of the road. The vehicles and okada that pass through here rake dust, and it settles on columns of houses and wares in the shops.”

Okota-Isolo

For residents of Okota and its environs, apart from battling with dust, they have contending issues with gridlock occasioned by the construction work on the Ago-Palace Way. Flooding is another issue that they regularly battle with, especially when it rains.

Curiously, while residents of other communities point to
government for failing to come to their aid, our
correspondent gathered that litigation from a landlord, who is protesting the planned demolition of his house has
stalled the ongoing repair of the road.

Okekoto, Agege

Again, the Okekoto, Agege drainage channel construction
seems to be uncertain for close to two years.The earth dug out from one of the lanes has become mound and it now occupies a section of the road, thus narrowing the road further at Okekoto/Egbeda inter-section. The unlined
drainage system has been overgrown with weeds and
festering with all manner of waste.

A resident, Isa Danladi explains that the contractor has
only succeeded in destroying the road and leaving the
residents and motorists to suffer its consequence.Danladi,
who speaks through an interpreter stresses, “We were
enjoying this road before the contractor came and started
digging the drainage channels. We had thought the
government was trying to reconstruct the road, but we
were wrong.

“The contractor has gone for some time now, later you will see his workers again. Please help tell him to complete what he has started. The heaps of sand dug out of the drainage channel are blocking a section of the road. It causes gridlock when workers are returning from work.”

A landlord, who does want his name mentioned, says he
has to pay a carpenter to construct a bridge with planks
over the drainage channel left open by the contractor to
enter his house. “I paid close to N5, 000 to construct this
plank bridge,” he says.

Wemco Road

Motorists and commuters also face this harrowing
experience on Wempco Road and Acme Link Road, Ogba,
Ikeja, Lagos.

Residents of the area say that the contractor handling the
Wempco Road drainage has made life more difficult for
them. Following the earth moved out from the exercise; a
section of the road has now become difficult to pass,
especially during rush hours.

The situation worsens when it rains, forcing motorists to
avoid the route.

Delivery dates on the roads

Official sources say these roads have their delivery date,
but it is also on record that some of the contractors have
failed to deliver on the due date.

For example, the Acme link Road, being handled by
Palmygra, had failed the six-month delivery date. The
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Femi
Hamzat was not available last Wednesday when our
correspondent visited his Ikeja office.

Official reactions

The Director of Public Relations of the ministry, Mr. Biola
Fagunwa, directed our correspondent to send in a
questionnaire via email, which he would forward to the
commissioner.

Responding to some of the inquiries, the commissioner
notes that every road construction or rehabilitation has a
delivery date. He, however, admits that there are factors
which may affect the delivery date, some of which he says are unforeseen and beyond the control of the contractors.

According to him, funding is another crucial factor. He says,“Our projects are not projects in perpetuity, However, it bears stating that delivery date on projects is a function of many factors. There is a demonstrated commitment on the part of this administration to conclude all our projects within the ambit of the tenure we have.”

When projects are awarded, Hamzat, who notes that all
engineering propositions should last a specific period, adds that “this is always challenged by the circumstances
encountered by contractors when they are on site. There is also the question of funding.”On the Moshalasi-Ikotun,
Ipaja and Ayobo axis, he says, the state government had
proposed a three- phase project.

“Phase I is the rehabilitation/upgrading of Mosalashi-
Ikotun Road which has been completed. Phase II is the
rehabilitation/upgrading of Mosalashi-Ipaja-Ayobo Road
project which is still ongoing while phase III is the
rehabilitation/upgrading of part of Ishefun Road and
Ayetoro Road, which is still under processing,” he explains.

According to Hamzat, the project is still within the
projected period but he fails to state the delivery date of
the project. He adds, “The project was awarded in April,
2011 while the contractor mobilised to site in July, 2011.
“It has overcome the initial challenges of relocation of gas
pipeline, oil pipelines, PHCN installations and
telecommunications facilities along the axis.

“Equally, there is the challenge of getting the buy-in of
many stakeholders. There was a need to move walls, some buildings were also affected. To sort the challenges usually takes time.”

Hamzat says alignment usually poses a challenge, because according to him, there is an existing federal road in that axis and permission of federal authorities has to be sought so that the state government can utilise the road.

On drainage channels construction, Hamzat explains that
their construction is not within the purview of his ministry.

But he notes that there are specifications to be met for a
particular drainage channel. He says, “More often than not,there are challenges of existing facilities. Lagos is not a virgin land. The challenges we face are challenges of built-up areas.”

Underscoring the monitoring of its projects, Hamzat says
the budget ministry, officials from the Governor’s Office
and project engineers, who have responsibilities for quality assurance, are involved.

Ouch_Daddy: It's indeed sad....Eko obaje'ti!! Ago palace way Okota is worst sef!.... Meanwhile, FTC..cus iknow this will get to FP.....!

Gen. Orumov:
^^^ true talk! While that is an obvious reason, the Govt is the main culprit.
(1) Proper tendering process isn't followed. Jobs are awarded to friends/croonies and politicians. Eventually, contractors awarded these contracts are not well scrutinized before giving contracts to them.
(2) And in a case where the contractor is genuine, monies budgeted for these projects are not released as at when due thereby causing abandonment of the projects.

etenyong: Glover road, ikoyi is one of d abandoned road project.

awodman: Pls Fashola transfer the money meant for Elitist projects like your cable car project to these roads that are begging for attention

REMMEI: It's sure gonna be our gain in the nearest future..

theoctopus:

@op, that acme road has been going on for over 8 years. Please just go there and ask. The repairs started during Tinubu's tenure and has been on ever since. It is a complete disgrace. I believe that road construction is a conduit pipe for embezzlement

HOTWATER: GEJ ! GEJ!! GEJ!! . we do not care where this roads are . kindly go and fix them like you fixed ORE roads . The lagos state government is innocent of this crime and any othe one in the future