James Ojo Adakole
Each time Mr. Tunde Adebayo, a commercial driver, gets on the Ikeja-Along section of the Lagos-Abeokuat Expressway, he drives with extreme caution. He is similarly cautious on the Oshodi axis of the road, because of the dreadful open manholes that dot the long stretch of the very busy road.
Having witnessed several accidents first hand, fear of the manholes has become the beginning of wisdom for drivers like Adebayo and other commuters who ply the route, in the daily quest to eke out a living in Nigeria’s growing megacity.
“I am usually extra-careful each time I am driving on this road. This is the route I ply almost on daily basis so, already, I know every detail about it: where there’ a bend, slope or where there are manholes. It’s only when I’m possibly fighting for lane space with another driver that could make me run into such manholes,” he told Sunday Sun.
Like adebayo, many drivers and commuters that ply Ikeja-Along to Oshodi and Ojuelegba as well as other major roads in Lagos State are worried about the growing number of deadly open manholes in the city that projects itself as the Centre of Excellence. While the likes of Adebayo know the route like the back of their palms, and therefore cautious, the same cannot be said for first timers on these manhole-dotted roads.
Philosophically, he adds: “It is quite easy for me to ply this road but what of those that don’t know anything about the dangers on the road, especially those coming from Ogun State? We have had countless cases of mishaps on this road as a result of these open manholes, when unsuspecting drivers mistakenly swerved into them. There is hardly anytime such incident happens that it won’t cause a huge damage to the vehicle and possibly injury to the driver or passengers in it. I think that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should do something about it. The onlt thing that the government needs to do is to cover them properly in a way that cannot be easily removed by people who scavenge for recycle iron and steel items. This road itself is even too small already because of the BRT lane which requires expansion. All the manholes should be levelled, these are the things that cause gridlock on this road and other parts of Lagos. There is nothing that should cause traffic jam ordinarily, so there is need to look into that urgently.”
When Sunday Sun visited the Ikeja-Along axis, drivers were seen trying to avoid ramming into some of the manholes on the road. A close look into the manholes shows that they have become dumpsites for refuse of all kinds, ranging from discarded plastic bottles, water sachets, abandoned tyres, among others. Residents who spoke with Sunday sun reporter condemned the government’s insensitivity to such a deadly issue along major roads in the state and urged the right agency to expeditiously do the needful to prevent a major vehicular crash that could result in the death of innocent citizens.
A resident around the area who does not what his name in print said: “This is the height of insensitivity on the part of the Lagos State government and the contractor that handled this project. On the part of the government, this is an evidence of improper monitoring of facilities in the state because if the monitoring team is doing its work as it should, we shouldn’t be having cases such as this. For God’s sake, do we have to wait till a fatal accident occurs before we do the right thing? There are cases of people who mistakenly bumped into these manholes and the experiences are not always funny. We are talking about people’s lives here. If people’s lives no longer matter to us that much, then we are doomed as a nation. Government should as a matter of urgency come to the aid of the common man and ensure that these manholes are properly covered. Why else do we pay tax to the government? Is it to aid the government in rendering services to the society?”
Also speaking, Mr. Lawal, a Go-Kada commercial motorcyclist, appealed to the government and the concerned authorities to urgently cover the manholes on major roads, and observed that most accidents that occur on the roads often happen in the night when it is difficult to easily anticipate that such danger lurks ahead.
His words: “I am always very careful on this road because of the open manholes. The situation is partially okay during the day because you can easily see them, if you are a careful driver. In the night however, it is deadly, especially for those who don’t know the situation of the road. I am appealing to the government to swiftly address the situation on all major roads in Lagos State. This ordinarily should not be happening in a country where things are working well, but it is unfortunate ours is like this.”
In the same vein, Mr. Mukaila Oladipupo, another driver who plies the road enjoined the government to urgently address the situation, noting that such is unbecoming of a city that prides itself as a mega city.
He, however, suggested a palliative measure such as demarcating areas that have manholes with road symbols pending when they would be properly covered.
Oladipupo told Sunday Sun: “These things are really dangerous. And the worst thing is that there are no symbols to alert oncoming drivers of the need to be careful around those spots. At its rudimentary stage, a stone or tyre would do, but that is never the case. The government already knows the right thing to do, only that they are not doing it. They shouldn’t wait till there is a major mishap before they start sending condolences to the bereaved.”
Recounting his ordeal using the road, Mr. Taiwo Abayomi, stated that aside from the fear of accidents, the manholes often cause heavy traffic jam.
He said: “These manholes are basically eyesores to the road. Most times, they worsen the traffic situation, which ordinarily shouldn’t take time to fix. As a driver, you essentially need to be careful because if you are in haste during such moment, you are likely to find your car badly damaged or even risk your own life. Government should ensure that the situation is promptly addressed. Potholes on roads should also be looked into as a holistic approach to preventing accidents and ridding the state of the nagging traffic situation.”