…Trinity Estate residents cry to Fashola
By Bose Adebayo
Most residents of Trinity Housing Estate off Ago-Palace Way, Okota initially thought they had found their promise land, their haven of peace. For them it was supposed to be a place refuge after years of sustained ordeal in the hands of Shylock landlords.

But it would appear that their ordeal is far from being over. This is because it has been tales of woe since they moved into the area five years ago.

Amuwo Road...marred by flood

Although they have been able to build their own houses or are in the process of doing so, the joy of this achievement has been marred by the deplorable condidtion of roads in area, a situation which has left them worse than those still experiencing accommodation challenges and wondering when they will ever have houses they can call their own.

In fact, if residents of Trinity Housing Estate are opportuned to see the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola face to face, their prime  request  will probably be that he should use his good offices to rescue them from the humiliation they have been exposed to for the past five years the community has been in existence.

Until last year, the community was almost inaccessible because of the thick forest-like vegetation that made movement near impossible.

This was until the residents and land owners in the area spent millions of naira to create an entrance into the community. Presently, many car owners have parked them, preferring instead to patronise commercial motorcycle operators popularly known as  Okada due to the bad roads there.

The various streets in this estate can also be likened to a seashore because one can easily sink while taking a walk. Most of the streets do not have link roads, while the drainage is poorly constructed.

Vanguard Metro gathered that residents have spent a huge amount of money to rehabilitate the estate but even their efforts in this regard have proved too little to make the desired impact due to the enormity of the  problem.

For now, the residents are calling on the Lagos State government to come to their aid as life has almost come to a standstill there.

Wheel barrows are now in a high demand as they are used by artisans and others to carry goods such as bricks, sand and cement to the gate before truck pushers are engaged to carry them into the community.

As a result, prices of house hold items are on the increase as most traders  complained of high cost of transportation. For instance, a bottle of table water and other types of 35cl drinks are being sold for between  N70 and N100 as against  N50 in other communities.

Some car owners said they are often faced with the option of parking their cars in far away places and trekking home, while others said they have sold theirs to purchase motorcycles and even injuring themselves in the process of riding same. Some commuters who spoke with this reporter said they spend as much as N150 for  a motorcycle ride from the entrance of the community to their various streets in the estate.

This is besides the residents’ claim that they each paid as much as N500,000 to the coffers of the Lagos  State Development and Property Corporation before they could embark on any construction, saying they expected that this should have been used to develop the community.

Vanguard Metro was told that the estate was intended for a government housing scheme before it was converted to private use by individuals. ‘’It was formerly LSDPC’s property before it was given out to individuals. As a result, we were asked to pay the sum of N300,000 and above before construction could take place,’‘ a landlord who pleaded anonymity told this reporter.

Also, as part of efforts to make the place motorable, residents have tasked themselves to the tune of N200,000 per individual in order to carry out necessary construction work in the estate.

However, this was reportedly jeopardised as the Community Development Association failed to give the job to a qualified personnel. ‘’Nobody is allowed to lay a foundation until he or she pays N200,000  to the community’s purse but it is a pity they did not allow qualified engineers to handle the job.

Some of the executive members gave the job to their friends and relations. That is why it looks as if nothing is done here,’‘ lamented Chijioke Ejiro.

‘’The road is terrible. We are always in trouble anytime it rains and many of us park our cars in other communities and swim to this place. Imagine, the drainage is not well constructed and it is too low. The landlords used ordinary sand for the sand-filling instead of stones, that is why the roads sinks,’‘ said a resident, Jide Afolabi.

Some motorcyclists gave reasons why they charge as much as N150 for a trip. ‘’You can see things for yourself. It takes a good rider to work here, else your okada will sink. People dey fall here well well because you have to walk on water. Even people wey get Jeep no dey pass here. Some people sef don die on this road; na water dey sweep them away,’‘ chorused shehu, Ayuba and Julius, all Okada riders.