THERE is no indication that the suffering of commuters plying Owode axis in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State would end soon. Three weeks after the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) deposited stones on the road, its so-called palliative has failed, causing a harrowing experience for commuters.

For two weeks, now, motorists plying the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway have continued to face serious challenge, especially at the Sango-Owode-Ifo axis, which has failed completely. The Iyana/Ilogbo end is also affected; the section has worsened because no serious attention has been paid to the road. This has led to intense gridlock from Owode to Ijako-Tipper. Unfortunately, there is no alternative route for motorists. Even operators of commercial motorcycles find it difficult to maneuvre through the road.

Owode community to Iyana-Ilogbo, which is about 200 metres, is riddled with potholes and craters filled with muddy water. Only a few vehicles, like tippers and heavy-duty trucks, dare these bad portions. Cars and commercial vehicles make do with the right side of the road, which is in a fairly good shape.

The major problem of the axis is lack of a functional drainage system on both sides of the road. The makeshift gutters, dug by labourers employed by FERMA, have filled up with sand, making it difficult for water to be channeled away from the road.

FERMA boss in charge of the state, Alexander Mazoya, however, has told The Guardian that a permanent solution is on the way.