Guardian

IN 2011, Governor Fashola of Lagos State visited Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road and pledged to expand it. Ever since then, however, nothing concrete has been done to actualise this promise or even rehabilitate the road generally. The many potholes and the bad shape the road is in is not only an eyesore but constitutes a nightmare to the motorists and commuters regularly plying that route, as these often cause traffic gridlock.

Well-meaning Nigerians have pointed again and again to the deplorable state of the road and the need to urgently do something about it. They have also drawn attention to the fact that the electric poles and streetlights installed along the road and its surroundings no longer function. But all this has not elicited any response from relevant authorities.

Not only this, the partial blockage of the road occasioned by the heavy presence of car dealers, furniture makers, commercial bus drivers including Keke Marwa operators, who have converted one side of the road for their use, is not helping matters.

Commuters and motorists going to Apapa and Lagos Island through Oshodi experience daily a permanent traffic snarl occasioned by gaping potholes. The narrowness of the road and the total darkness engulfing entire stretches of the road at night is compounding the problem enabling hoodlums, who lurk in nearby bushes to harass those whose vehicles develop fault. Robbery is also rampant, as armed bandits waylay and attack unsuspecting commuters and motorists at night.

The residents are equally feeling concerned about the condition of this road and the attendant problems. Kenneth Godwin, a resident said: “It is a shame that both the state and federal governments have failed to rehabilitate this road. When Governor Fashola visited and promised to expand the road, I was very happy, not knowing that it will take this long to do it. It is affecting our business because most times the road is blocked because it is very narrow. Initially, I thought government cannot afford to neglect such an important gateway to the country but I’ve been proved wrong,” he said.

Another resident, Francis Mathew, a banker said: “The nonchalant attitude of the government is illustrated in the absence of streetlights on the road, which has led to armed robbers having a field day along the International Airport road”.

“Indeed, hope was raised when the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) decided to rehabilitate the road and what looked like serious rehabilitation work started.

“They started planting flowers on the median, closed down illegal car and furniture sales points and everybody thought the much-awaited expansion had started in earnest.

“The caterpillars and other equipments were, however, soon withdrawn, operators of furniture and vehicles sale points soon re-opened for business, the pot-holes reappeared and it was back to square one”.

A civil servant, Michael Abani noted that FAAN makes millions of naira from the collection at the Airport tollgate. “They should at least use the money realised at the toll to fix the streetlights on the route, all of which are not working and nobody is doing anything about it. I pass through the tollgate everyday on my way to work and I know how much I spend monthly. It is really telling on my purse,” he said.

An official of FAAN who pleaded anonymity said: “The airport road is not under our control; it is a federal road but Lagos State government took it up to expand, but couldn’t finish the job. The question should be asked Lagos State government through its Ministry of works why it failed to keep its promise.”

Mr. Fadoju Oluwatoyin, DG/CEO Africa Centre for Economics and strategic studies, who coordinates all commercial vehicles plying International Airport Road to Mile 2 and Oshodi said the road is very narrow, which often cause accident. “The narrowness is affecting our job because sometimes when accidents occur, the road gets blocked. If federal government can expand it to six lanes, it will be a good thing.”