*Govt pleads for patience

By Olasunkanmi Akoni  & Joe Akintola

Lagos— Lagos residents have decried the poor state of both Federal and state roads in the metropolis, which they said contribute to the high rate of motor accidents and armed robbery attacks. They appealed to the authorities to fix the roads.

However, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has apologised and asked for patience with his administration. He assured that the bad roads would soon be fixed.
Bad spots

Some of the bad roads include: Isheri-Egbeda Road, in Egbe Idimu Local Council Development Area, LCDA; Ipaja-Ayobo Road, in Mosan Okunola LCDA; Agege Motor Road, Apapa, Ikeja, Cement Bus Stop via Ikeja-Along Road, Oshodi Road, among others.

There is also the first major road linking Lagos to Abeokuta, the Old Abeokuta Road, which is now a death trap for motorists. Sometimes, motorists get stranded on this road for several hours.
Other bad portions are Ile Zik, Mangoro, National, Isale Oja, Abattoir, Dele Farm and New Garage bus stops. These spots are on roads under the control of Federal Government which have been neglected for years.
Residents speak

A resident of Idimu area, Mr. Bimbo Ogunnaike, narrated his daily ordeal following the abandoned portion of Isheri-Egbeda road.

He said, “it is unfortunate that we have to go through this mess everyday. Our school children get to school late everyday and workers get to work late too. It is a harrowing experience.

“The most painful aspect is when you as a tax payer is going through all these. It discourages tax payers because they are not getting their money’s worth. We are, therefore, appealing to the state government, contractors and relevant authorities to please quickly come to our rescue by fixing the road.”

Mr. Chinedu Chukwu, a businessman and a resident of Apapa, called for a state of emergency on roads because roads are very strategic to the economy of Nigeria.

“I wonder why they will allow roads get to this stage. It shows someone somewhere is not doing his job and must be called to order. Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of the country, yet we are witnessing flagrant neglect of the roads,” he said.

Gov Fashola pleads
Meanwhile, Governor Fashola, while taking a retrospective look at the performance of the 2010 State Budget in the second
quarter of the year which he said had recorded a performance of 80 percent, promised that more roads would be built and existing roads would be maintained.

He said some roads were meant to last between 15 and 25 years, while some feeder roads built on lower specifications need regular rehabilitation and maintenance.

His words: “In this period of increased rainfall, we want to say it once again that we are a coastal state. There is not much the state government can do until the rains are over.

“We have to stabilise and be prepared so that immediately after the rains we will intervene. That is why Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, men are there to make the roads motorable.

“Even the process of producing bitumen is not sustainable in this wet weather.”