Jarus:

Agba o nitan l'orile

johnie: In the seventies, only the Carter(First) and Eko (Second) Bridges linked the Island with the mainland.

Carter bridge was constructed by the colonial government while the military ( I believe Gowon) built the Eko Bridge.

The odd and even number concept was adopted to reduce vehicular movement in the seventies. Odd-number vehicles could ply the major roads on particular days and even-number cars on other days. Ojuelegba and Yaba were two major bottlenecks I remember in those days. Fela's song Ojuelegba , was about the regular confusion at the place. Whenever we we were going to school and climb the overhead bridge at Jibowu (from where we could clearly see the traffic situation at Yaba at a vantage position), my dad would remark Yaba O wo loni o! - meaning Yaba is messed up today.

In those days, people such as my parents had two have two cars -one even and the other odd numbered. My dad still advises me today to ensure that my cars are evenly spread between odd and even - just in case the number regime returns!


The Third Mainland Bridge was constructed by the Babangida government and was actually named after him (Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard) on completion. That name did not stick particularly because of the June 12 Saga which shortly followed the opening of the bridge. In the first phase of the project, Adeniji to Adekunle was done and open to traffic. When completed, the Adekunle-Oworo section of the bridge was not open to traffic for about six months.

Before the Adekunle-Oworo section was opened I was worked variously at Lagos Island and VI and would have to go through Adekunle to join Ikorodu road. That stretch from the Third Mainland Bride through Herbert Macaulay was hell. The traffic used to be very bad. Thank God that in those days, the incidence of robbery in the traffic hadn't started (at least I neither experienced nor heard of it).

That's how we used to "cope" then.

GenBuhari: [size=18pt]3rd October 1980  - ITN News
President Shagari opens the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos[/size]
The third major road bridge from the Nigerian mainland to the Island of Lagos was opened by President Alhaji Shehu Shagari (on Tuesday 30 September), as part of the country's independence celebrations. It's designed to relieve the growing pressure on the two existing bridges which span the Lagos Lagoon.

SYNOPSIS: Since 1975 the growing number of vehicles driving in and out of Lagos have put the existing road system under considerable strain. So the completion of the Third Mainland Bridge is a welcome addition to tackle the problem. The first vehicles to travel along the bridge formed the official opening motorcade. It's the third in successive Government's efforts to link Lagos with the mainland.

Present Shehu Shagari was introduced to the officials who've co-ordinated construction since the bridge was merely a drawing on an architect's board. Then he was called on to officially declare the bridge open. He'd earlier paid glowing tributes to the contractors.

In contrast to the few vehicles in the official motorcade, the two original bridges were full, as usual, with heavy traffic. The problem's been evident since the early 1970s, and the first plans for the Third Mainland Bridge were discussed in 1975. Its design in comparable with the best in the world, according to Nigeria's Director of Federal Highways. It consists of two separate carriageways, each providing three traffic lanes and an emergency shoulder.

It's cost nearly one hundred and twenty two million pounds (Sterling).

Kobojunkie: Lagos was also not as populated as you have it today. Pre-third mainland bridge, the population was still in the 1-3 million range. And not a lot of motorists on the roads as we had LSTC, way for efficient than what you have today, back then. Molues gained popularity in the late 80's/early 90's when LSTC developed serious issues due mostly to the change in regimes and lack of effective funding and maintenance.

hercules07: In the 80s traffic on Ikorodu road used to be hell in the mornings, it was usually so bad on the Jibowu to Yaba bridge that my dad would be reading his papers while driving (never liked that as I dreaded him hitting vehicles), the trains moved like clock work too, infact, whenever we went for center around apapa road, I will walk down to Iddo to join the trains moving at 2pm or 4pm from Iddo to Agege dropping on the way. The odd and even numbers also helped to decongest the roads, though people got around it by having the PRESS sticker.

faithin9ja:

The odd and even number started in 1977 in time for the FESTAC 77, it was meant as temporary solution. Odd & even was the brain child of the first OBJ regime.Then all Federal ministries where on the Island, whilst in 1976, the state capital was moved from Lagos Island to Ikeja when the 19 states were created.

I was already in secondary school then, so make una greet me properly

Ilaje44:

During the time of LSTC or before during LMTS, there was BOLEKAJA for the poor folks. MOLUE ushered in the demise of the BOLEKAJA. We also had AKOYOYO (Ware transporters).

As had been said, there were fewer people, less vehicles, and most especially, there was some ORDERliness. Babangida changed all that!

Kobojunkie:

Yep!!! Bolekaja, in my opinion, was so much better than the Molue days. People still queued at Yaba to enter those. But Molue came right when Lagoscians lost their sence of discipline.

faithin9ja:

Bo le ka ja - means 'come down and fight' our impatience as a people did not start with Molue, we have been fighting and pushing since the 50's.

faithin9ja:

The odd and even number started in 1977 in time for the FESTAC 77, it was meant as temporary solution. Odd & even was the brain child of the first OBJ regime.Then all Federal ministries where on the Island, whilst in 1976, the state capital was moved from Lagos Island to Ikeja when the 19 states were created.

I was already in secondary school then, so make una greet me properly

folu500:

*prostrate* good evening sir

emekson: wetin consign me? Na hellupkpter i de use go work

denzel2009: I remember I used to swim from Obalende to Ebute Metta before the bridge was constructed.

denzel2009: I remember I used to swim from Obalende to Ebute Metta before the bridge was constructed.

johnie: In the seventies, only the Carter(First) and Eko (Second) Bridges linked the Island with the mainland.

Carter bridge was constructed by the colonial government while the military ( I believe Gowon) built the Eko Bridge.

The odd and even number concept was adopted to reduce vehicular movement in the seventies. Odd-number vehicles could ply the major roads on particular days and even-number cars on other days. Ojuelegba and Yaba were two major bottlenecks I remember in those days. Fela's song Ojuelegba , was about the regular confusion at the place. Whenever we we were going to school and climb the overhead bridge at Jibowu (from where we could clearly see the traffic situation at Yaba at a vantage position), my dad would remark Yaba O wo loni o! - meaning Yaba is messed up today.

In those days, people such as my parents had two have two cars -one even and the other odd numbered. My dad still advises me today to ensure that my cars are evenly spread between odd and even - just in case the number regime returns!


The Third Mainland Bridge was constructed by the Babangida government and was actually named after him (Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard) on completion. That name did not stick particularly because of the June 12 Saga which shortly followed the opening of the bridge. In the first phase of the project, Adeniji to Adekunle was done and open to traffic. When completed, the Adekunle-Oworo section of the bridge was not open to traffic for about six months.

Before the Adekunle-Oworo section was opened I was worked variously at Lagos Island and VI and would have to go through Adekunle to join Ikorodu road. That stretch from the Third Mainland Bride through Herbert Macaulay was hell. The traffic used to be very bad. Thank God that in those days, the incidence of robbery in the traffic hadn't started (at least I neither experienced nor heard of it).

That's how we used to "cope" then.

gbadexy: I just drove through lagos/ ikorodu road now and the whole road was congested.
I started wondering how people cope before the construction of the third mainland bridge.
Has the population of lagos multiplied more than four times since 1990?
Given the fact that the closure of the bridge is partial and we still have this traffic, I wonder if the true population of lagos state is what was given during the last census.
Does kano state have as many cars, bridge and road network as lagos? Just asking, I haven't been there and how did commuters cope before the construction of third mainland bridge.

afam4eva: Some people don old oo.

boladez: Fewer population at the time and because Lagos is a land of prosperity where ANYONE and EVERYONE has equal opportunity to excel, hence the mass influx of people. I had a contract employment in 1990 I used to leave alimosho for VI by 7am dna by 8.30 in the office. If I try that today I will get to the office about 10am.