Oshodi-Isolo community urge repair of dilapidating roads

For a while now, Abolaji Street in the Ewutu area of Mafoluku, Lagos State, has progressively degenerated to a very pathetic state.As one of the sore thumbs in the neighbourhood, it has continued to cause pains and sufferings to residents, motorists and sundry road users, all of whom go through hell trying to navigate their way, especially whenever it rains.

Consequently, they are calling on the state government to immediately embark on the rehabilitation of the road, and other dilapidated ones in area, in order to ease their pains and facilitate easy movement.

They are also quick to point out that the Abolaji Street serves as an alternative route for those, who want to bypass the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road Toll Gate. But the network of streets in this area is really in a bad shape, starting from Airport/Mafoluku Bridge Link at Ajibulu Street, down to Beesam Hotel Junction.

A motorist, Lawrence Jide, who works around Ikeja said: “Many people use roads in this neighbourhood, especially those who live in the mainland and work in the Island, and Ikeja. Since a good number of them pass these roads daily, there is therefore the need for government to rehabilitate the roads to make life easy for people. In doing so, residents of the area would also benefit from the repairs.”

A commercial tricyclist, David Olalekan, said the bad state of roads in the neighbourhood affects his business negatively, as well as facilitate the wear out of his tricycle.

Olalekan said: “This is where we find our daily bread, with which we take care of our families. So, government should help us to rehabilitate the roads here as doing so would go a long way in improving our businesses and the lives of residents of this area. Right now, whenever it rains, the roads would be flooded.”

A landlord in the areas, Michael Ogundele, disclosed the residents have, on several occasions written letters to the local council and the state governments, all in an attempt to draw their attention to the pathetic state of the road. Ogundele said: “When Governor Akinwumi Ambode promised to reconstruct dilapidated roads in the state, we took it for granted that roads in our neighbourhood were among those that would benefit from the exercise because they are very busy roads and people who go to Victoria Island also pass through this area.”

He added that members of the community have had to contribute money to buy gravel and sand to fill potholes and desilt blocked drainage all in a bid to make the roads better. “What we need now is for the state government to tar the roads for us, and reconstruct some of the drainages that are broken down. We want these roads to be tarred, especially from Stella Sholanke Street to Ajao Estate Police Station, down to Ajao Estate Bridge Link because they are all weak.

“We have reported the bad state of the roads to member representing us at the state House of Assembly, and the one representing us at the House of Representatives, as well as the senator representing us. They are all aware of these roads, but nobody is saying anything.

“I want to say that we here have not benefited from the dividend of democracy; we have been denied our dividends, but people who live here pay their taxes, which go into the coffers of the Lagos State government.”