Wharf Road, Apapa: The shame of a nation

After the early morning downpour on Sunday, the popular Wharf Road, Apapa, Lagos, which is broken on many spots in front of a major flourmill, from Leventis to Airways bus stops, has turned a nightmare for motorists, motorcycle operators and pedestrians alike. Yesterday, motorists and other road users struggled to wade through the more than knee-deep gullies in the middle of the road with its brackish waters.

Cars and heavy-duty trucks also struggled to pass the long stretch of the road. Small cars avoided that stretch; the few that attempted to wade through were submerged and stuck and passengers had to push them off the road to safety.

A public relations consultant, who has an office on Randle Road, about 150 metres away, Mr. Mike Okereke, said he insisted our correspondent visited him in his office so he could experience firsthand the horrors road users undergo daily. The visit, he said, would enable him experience it and report better.

Okereke lamented the poor state of the two roads leading into and out of Apapa, from Ijora Causeway and Mile 2, saying the port is Nigeria’s only major gateway for commercial business with the outside world. He canvassed that government has consistently failed to grasp the import of public relations, as it is not only about mounting campaigns, but also about the infrastructure at a country’s disposal that endears visitors for leisure and business.

With Nigeria’s inability to develop other seaports so as to take away the heavy traffic on Apapa ports, Okereke said government should have prioritised maintaining the infrastructure in Apapa, especially the roads leading into and out the area, which serves as a seaport as well as an industrial hub.