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By Charles Segun Adegbite
A long-standing nightmare for residents of Sagamu and its surrounding communities may soon come to an end, as the House of Representatives has stepped in to address the growing wave of fatal accidents along the Sagamu–Benin Expressway.
Leading the charge is Hon Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji, who moved a motion on the floor of the House calling for the urgent construction of pedestrian bridges along the Sagamu and Ikenne/Ilishan axis of the busy highway.
Representing the Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency, Princess Ayoola-Elegbeji drew national attention to what many residents have long described as a “death trap”—a major expressway that thousands must cross daily without any safe passage.
While the ongoing reconstruction of the road has been widely welcomed, the lawmaker warned that it has also intensified dangers for pedestrians due to the absence of designated crossings, pedestrian bridges, and flyovers.
According to her, the highway has effectively split Sagamu into two, forcing residents, traders, students, and workers to risk their lives daily as they navigate fast-moving traffic to get to their destinations.
“The constant interaction between pedestrians and speeding vehicles has resulted in tragic and avoidable loss of lives,” she told lawmakers, highlighting the plight of schoolchildren, market women, and commuters who face daily danger.
She identified key accident-prone locations, including the Sagamu Express Junction linking the Total area with Ewu-Oliwo, the RSS Junction connecting the Area Command to the Express Junction, and the Ikenne Express Junction linking the Delabo area.
Ayoola-Elegbeji stressed that installing pedestrian bridges and flyovers at these strategic points would not only save lives but also improve traffic flow, support local businesses, and enhance urban development across the region.
Her motion received strong backing from fellow lawmakers, prompting the House to urge the Federal Ministry of Works to immediately review the design of the ongoing Sagamu–Benin Expressway project to accommodate pedestrian safety infrastructure.
The House also called for collaboration with the Ogun State Government to ensure that such safety measures are fully integrated into federal road projects within the state.
In the interim, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps have been urged to intensify public awareness campaigns and introduce temporary pedestrian safety measures pending the construction of permanent structures.
As part of its oversight function, the House Committee on Works has been mandated to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas—including the Total–Ewu Oliwo Junction, RSS Junction, and Ikenne–Delabo Junction—and report back within four weeks.
Speaking after the motion was adopted, Ayoola-Elegbeji emphasised that infrastructure development must never come at the expense of human lives.
“The safety of our people must always come first. Development must go hand in hand with protection,” she said.
For decades, residents and road users along this corridor have cried out for intervention, especially after repeated tragedies involving pedestrians and commercial motorcyclists attempting to cross the ever-busy expressway.
Until now, those calls had largely gone unheard beyond Remoland. However, Ayoola-Elegbeji’s intervention has brought renewed hope that lasting solutions may finally be implemented.
Sagamu remains one of Nigeria’s busiest gateway towns, linking major regions of the country and witnessing heavy daily traffic from all directions.
With the emergence of the Gateway International Airport along the Iperu/Ilishan axis, traffic volume is expected to rise even further—making the need for pedestrian bridges not just urgent, but inevitable.
As reconstruction work continues on the expressway, many residents now look forward with cautious optimism, hopeful that this latest move by the House of Representatives will translate into real, life-saving infrastructure on the ground.
