Residents, motorists lament poor state of Itire/Idi-Araba road
Failed portion of LUTH Idi-Araba road, Lagos…yesterday PHOTO: SUNDAY AKINLOLU
Motorists and residents of Idi-Araba area of Lagos and its environs have lamented the poor state of Itire road, which connects them to Iyana-Itire Bus Stop along Apapa/Oshodi Expressway.
According to them, potholes are worst at Masalashi Bus Stop, close to University of Lagos College of Medicine junction, as they cause gridlock on the road, especially during rush hours.
One of the residents, Mike Bakare, lamented the man-hour commuters spend on the road due to its poor state. He said residents of the area have written several letters to the Local Council, informing them about the poor state of the road, but there was no response. He said: “We need government to repair the road and also put an end to the traffic people face when going to work or returning home.
“We are all taxpayers, government should address this issue so that the road will be better again.” A businessman in the area, Dele Fadipe, lamented that poor state of the road has affected his business negatively, as transporting goods through the road has become a nightmare.
“In several occasions, vehicles carrying goods got stuck in traffic gridlock, and spent hours in the process.”
Fadipe added: “Those unfortunate incidents caused by the poor state of the road have set me back financially, because time is money. Most of us use to run our businesses on loans from microfinance banks, and you must pay the loans without excuses. It is actually a sad development because our sources of livelihood are being frustrated by the poor state of the road.”
A bus driver plying Idi-Araba to Iyana Itire, Lawal Bello, said potholes on the road have caused damages on his vehicle as he is always visiting mechanics to repair his bus.
He said: “The potholes are much, as they damage our vehicles, because when one buys brand new bus, which ought to last for five years, if the roads are good, but now it only lasts three years. We need government to come for our aid.
He said: “I experience a lot of hardship during the rainy season. Sometimes, when I transport passengers, we get stuck because the road is bad. Government acts as if we do not exist here.
“Sometimes, bus drivers, Keke operators, and some residents, gather stones and sand, and pour them on the road to make it passable. But there is nothing self-help can do because the road needs total reconstruction.
Another resident, Mary Olamide, said: “Government does not care about us; they always come to get votes during elections. It is people who live here that do everything for themselves, without help from the government.”
A worker at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, who pleaded anonymity, lamented the poor state of the road and lack of drainage in the area. She said workers at the institution find it difficult to access their offices whenever it rains, because the entire road is always flooded.
When contacted, General Manager, Public Works Lagos State, Lateef Ayodele Somide, said he will send his men to visit the road to ascertain the level of work, and what should be done. He promised to work in collaboration with officials of Lagos State Ministry of Works to ensure that the road is rehabilitated.
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