FOR the better part of Tuesday, Wednesday and also Thursday, motorists on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway faced the hellish challenge of navigating through the road, thanks to gridlock. Some motorists spent upwards of seven to eight hours on the road. It was lamentation by those, who after a hard day’s work, could not get home after several hours.  A friend who was in the traffic for several hours and had wanted to check into a nearby hotel could not as he was stuck with his driver whose family would expect him to come home later that night.
The woe of commuters was further compounded by area boys who had a field day raiding vehicles and robbing motorists. Law enforcement agents could not help because of the extent of traffic and it would have been difficult to determine where the “boys” would strike at any point in time. Motorists had to resort to self help.
My concern is the unending stress that commuters face ever since construction started on that road. Although it was said this week’s problem was caused by a fuel tanker that had been involved in an accident, but before then, it had been one tale of woe or the other by motorists on that road. Several hours have been wasted from the long bridge to the Sagamu interchange.
I recall that the triple-ministry Minister, Raji Fashola visited the construction site a few weeks back and called on the contractor, Julius Berger to ensure all within its power to ensure a stress-free experience for motorists. He had given the end of November for completion of job on the long bridge. Though, the end of November is still weeks away, it is not sure whether the target would be met.
The implication is that what commuters experienced in the past two days would be child’s play compared to what would happen as the Yuletide draws closer and people move out of Lagos. Indeed, Julius Berger’s Division West Commercial Manager, Mr Tobias Meletschns said as much that the section undertaken by the construction company would not end until 2019. The minister was said to have contested it and promised to take up the matter with the company’s management.
Indeed, what motorists are experiencing today is not new and it should  not take rocket science to know the implication of narrowing the bridge in the course of construction. I do not want to believe that the Works ministry and the construction company do not have statistics on vehicles plying that road on a daily and in some cases, on hourly basis.
If they do not have this, then the job being done can only be haphazard because the volume of traffic is supposed to be a major guide and consideration to ensure that a proper job is done. If the statistics is available, then the implication of narrowing the bridge to one lane should have occurred to all the parties involved.
According to researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Sciences, breathing in fumes from car exhaust could trigger heart attack especially for people battling heart diseases. Apart from cardio vascular problems, other associated diseases include cancer, asthma, diabetes, to mention a few. Diesel exhaust fume is said to contain about 40 hazardous pollutants.
The mixture is said to contain carbon particles that are miniscule and are easily inhaled in traffic. Diesel emission when inhaled also increases the severity and duration of asthma attacks and contributes to risks associated with cancer. It is the same thing with vehicles using petrol though it has a higher percentage of sulphur.
In most countries of the world, major constructions such as what is going on presently along the Lagos-Ibadan corridor are painstakingly planned especially considering the importance of such roads. There is always a traffic management plan which is specific to the work to be done and where the work would be done, until the job is completed. It details how motorists would move around the construction site, accident scenes, in such a way that would minimize inconvenience.
In saner climes, a traffic management plan has to be submitted before the construction job is done. It is obvious, like other things that have gone to the dogs in the country that there was no such plan.  I remember that in the 70s, most road constructions were done in the night in order to minimize the inconvenience to the users of the road, today’s government does not care about such niceties. They expect us to be grateful for everything they are doing for us as if that was not the reason for their being voted into office. You now wonder why such critical considerations and thinking are no longer part of public service.
For how long will this continue? Would Nigerians continue to accept the little and less than half, from people they gave their mandate to administer the state on their behalf? It is important that we start interrogating our leaders about what they are doing or not doing for us.


Governor-Ayo-Fayose

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Fayose at 56
Ekiti governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose was 56 years old on Tuesday. Characteristically, he decided to celebrate the day with the physically challenged. You may not like the Ekiti governor, but his message resonates with his people. His people love him and that is why they again gave him their mandate to preside over the affairs of the state about eight years after he was railroaded out of government house. It is an unprecedented achievement.
The people recalled his achievements then, realized the injustice done to him and brought him back. He has not disappointed. He is still as loved now as he was then and two years ago when he came back into office. He is the only governor that I know  in the country today who has no fear of walking along the streets  without fear. His first time in power brought many landmark achievement in the state. I would not want to start on that here.
Today, he is seen as the face of opposition. With the disarray in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he took on the lone task of opposition, he has not bowed to many attempts to cow him. Indeed, those close to Osokomole will tell you that he has courage in abundance, a trait he is said to have inherited from his late father who took on his entire local community to ensure that the rightful person was installed as the town’s monarch.
I have watched the Ekiti governor at close quarters and I can only say that there are certain characteristics of his that may not be known to many people. He is a man who, when he tells you he has your back, you can go to sleep with all your eyes firmly closed. He is loyal to a fault and very straight. That is why you still see him surrounded by those who had worked with him in the past, including security personnel. He equally realizes his limitations as a human being and he’s always quick to forgive.
Another characteristics is his irrepressible spirit. Once he takes on a crusade and he is convinced of the “rightness” of his action, he pursues such to the detriment of his comfort.
In all these and his role as the face of opposition, he has not forgotten his primary responsibility to his people- to provide good governance, to ensure development. That is why when his tenure ends, he would have again scored many firsts, in achievement. A flyover to ease congestion in the heart of the state capital, a first in Ekiti, is ongoing, Major road construction in each of the local government with street lights started few months into his tenure, dualist ion of Ikere-Ado road, amphitheater in the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, construction of Oja-oba market, among others.