CSOs demand urgent repair of Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway

 

 

Worried with the current state of the Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway and the attendant effect on commuters of the ever busy road, a group of Human Rights Activists under the auspices of Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria are calling on the Federal Government, Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government to urgently fix the ever busy road so as to ameliorate the hardship being faced while plying the road on daily basis.

Comrade Alex Omosehinde, President, Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR) made the call while addressing journalists during a mini protest at Meiran area of Lagos on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Omotehinse disclosed that “this road has been a death trap for so long and almost every week this road claims lives. The essence of government is to give the people dividends of democracy and one of which is for the people to have motorable roads. As you can see, from this point (Meiran Bus Stop) of the Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway up to Ifo axis enroute Abeokuta in Ogun State the road is not motorable again.
“Even if it will take you time to fix the road, what we are saying is there should be a measure that should be adopted in ensuring that commuters and motorists on this axis enjoy using the road instead of the total neglect of this road that we are currently witnessing today.
“So we are asking the government to bring in grader here for the road to be motorable and while doing that, Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu of Lagos State should call the Chairman of Taskforce Team to order and desist from arresting and exploiting motorists plying one-way from this point to Sango Toll-Gate.
“We are asking the Lagos State Government to give consideration to road users pending the time the road will be motorable again. We expect them to heed this call, if not we will take the necessary step by approaching the court of competent jurisdiction to demand for order of mandamus to compel the Governor of Lagos State to grade this road.

“They may come with the excuse that this road is a federal road but they have all their agencies here including the ‘Agberos’ and LASTMA collecting tolls here and remitting to the coffers of the State, they can as well grade this road to make it motorable. The more the road remain like this, the more they generate more money through crook means by exploiting road users.
Governor Sanwo-Olu should not expect us to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because we are in Lagos. Few months before election, Ogun State Government graded Toll Gate to Sango along the same axis, he can do the same here, so we want them to do the same here. And during the grading of the road order should be given to LASTMA officials and Anti-One Way Police Officers of all police stations along this axis who hide under the disguise of one-way to exploit Lagosians to stop this condemnabel act at least till the road is properly fixed” Comrade Omotehinse maintained.

In his reaction, Honourable Benjamin Olabinjo, member House of Representatives representing Ifako/Ijaiye Federal Constituency pleaded for understanding on the part of the motorists plying the road saying that he had already passed a motion on the floor of the National Assembly to ensure that the road is motorable as it is expected.

In his word: “In November 7, 2023, I moved a motion on the need for the provision of adequate funding of the project in the 2024 Appropriation Bill. In the motion I stated that the current condition of the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway poses severe safety hazards for road users, due to potholes, uneven surfaces, and inadequate road markings have contributed to accidents and loss of lives, that motion was seconded by Honourable Jimmy Benson.

“As we speak there is Budget Defense currently ongoing and we all know that nothing can happen until after the budget has been passed. So the motion has been moved, it has been approved, it has been passed going into the budget, so after the approval of the budget every other thing fall into places. We as honorable members of the National Assembly has a deadline for budget defense. We are trying everything possible to ensure that the budget defense is completed.

“I want to appeal to Lagosians and of course motorists plying Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway to be patient with us as Honourable Members of the 10th Assembly are not lackadaisical on the budget defense and once that is done, the necessary actions will be taken to fix the road” he concluded.

By Ajibola Adedoye