Now that the elections are over and Governor Dapo Abiodun has assumed office for his second term, residents of Ogun State and motorists plying the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway are waiting patiently for the Governor to fix the remaining sections of the road, which he started during his pre-election campaigns.

Prior to commencement of the general elections, the terrible old tollgate stretch that was abandoned for close to a year was fixed in a matter of weeks. The rehabilitation work extended through the Sango Motor Park, Joju bus stop, Con Oil junction, to Ijako market, where the work stopped abruptly.

With the speed at which the fixed sections were rehabilitated within the shortest possible time, the governor had raised the hope of many on the possibility of making the ever-busy road motorable, pending the time the Federal Government will be ready for the total overhaul of the entire stretch.

But to the chagrin of residents, it is now over four months since he won his re-election bid and there has been no news to that effect, as the road keep degenerating on daily basis.

Indeed, it is extremely sad times for motorists and other road users on the Sango end and Abeokuta stretch as the federal road has degenerated beyond comprehension, especially with the rainy season now in full swing.

Passing through the deplorable road has become a source of great distress, as motorists now resort to driving against traffic once they are at the most deplorable axis.

The contractor, Julius Berger has abandoned the road, just as the government organ responsible for its maintenance, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), has also completely neglected it.

Driving from the old tollgate through Joju to Iyana-Ilogbo is currently smooth. But from Onihale through Ilepa, Bosun Sawyer, Pakoto, Vulcaniser, Bungalow, Ewekoro to Abeokuta, the road is in a sorry state.

The stretch between Ilepa to Ifo, which shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes, now takes over one hour, 30 minutes. While the portion between the Apostolic Church convention ground, Ilepa junction to Ilepa second bus stop has deteriorated alarmingly in the last six months, the 45-metre stretch at the Bosun bus stop, inward Ifo, has worsened in the last one month. The crater at the centre of the road is about 20 feet deep, covering the entire lanes.

The Pakoto axis is the worst hit. The stretch immediately after Ayede bus stop, to Folam bus stop, spanning about 1km, has been dotted with craters and potholes. The entire stretch is in a serious state of disrepair, precipitating gridlocks. The area is ridden with potholes and ditches that have taken over significant chunk of the road.

At the moment, only commercial buses, trucks, tippers and other bigger vehicles dare brave the road, which has being made more impassable by rainfall. Daily, precious man-hours are wasted on the axis.

Beyond the stretch, from Arigbajo rail line through Apomu, Papalanto, Ewekoro, Itori, Wasinmi, Abule Mecho, Olomore to Brewery junction, ditches of various sizes and depth are common sight.

As a result, hapless motorists heading to either Ifo or Abeokuta often crawl for more than four hours or more, depending on the time of the day, for a journey that shouldn’t take more than one hour, 20 minutes.

For instance, the experience of motorists during the eve of the salah festival was hellish due to a truck, which broke down at the middle of the road. Vehicular movement came to a standstill, as the gridlock from Iya Abiodun bus stop extended to Iyana Ilogbo, some two kilometers away.

Many, who were travelling for the festival, after spending four hours stuck to the same spot, gave up hope on the trip and had to return home, while others disembarked and trekked to Ifo.

To make the matter worse, almost on daily basis, trucks and heavy-duty vehicles crash at the bad spots. Many innocent lives have been taken in the last few months, while some who survive the accidents are living with scars.

Sadly too, between the Sango garage and Folam bus stop, countless number of pedestrians have been knocked down and killed by erring motorists who have resorted to driving against traffic to avoid the bad portions.

To say a lot of motorists have deserted the axis for the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, is to say the least as the road has not only become a death trap, but a shame to the Federal Government, that has left the road to degenerate to that level.

A motorist, Mr. John Ogungbade, describes the current state of the road as a shame, adding that many car owners on the axis have lost their cars to failed and impassable roads in the past one decade.

He said: “A government that cannot maintain sanity on the roads is a weak government. Today, all the adjoining roads around the Sango Ota flyover bridge have been taken over by traders because those who are to maintain law and order are compromised.

“It is a shame. A government that turns car owners to pedestrians is an unprogressive government. The value of the life that citizens live is determined to a large extent by the quality of infrastructure in the environment.

“Today, dwellers in Sango, Ifo and other communities along the road, live in pitiable agony. While Local Councils in Lagos State compete in construction of roads, councils in the state and even the state government, appear non-existent.”

A trader at the Ifo market, Madam Lolade Idowu disclosed that the state of the road has badly affected businesses as potential buyers from Lagos have stayed away due to the agony on the road.

She noted that the neglect of the road is a shame to both the state and Federal Government, despite citizens’ obligations of paying their taxes and other charges.

“We are appealing to Governor Dapo Abiodun to put machinery in motion to fix this road, pending when the Federal Government will be ready to do the complete overhaul. He started from the tollgate but stopped since after the election, is this how government is run?”

However, the Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Information, Waheed Adesina, assured that very soon work would resume on the road like the other roads government is working on.

“Some days ago, there was a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, that the government will be repairing roads immediately after the rain.

“It is a federal road; the fact that the governor started some repair on the road is a demonstration of his love for the people of the state because he usually says that his government will not treat any road like a federal road as long as it is for the people of the state. I want to believe that very soon work will resume on the road like the other roads government is working on,” he said.