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From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Motorists and commuters plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, have lamented the gridlock on the Kara-Long Bridge end in Ogun State.
Some of the motorists who spoke with our correspondent on Monday said that the traffic snarl caused by the reconstruction work on the express road being undertaken by Julius Berger Construction Company had taken a serious toll on them and their businesses.
Investigation revealed that numerous potholes on the Kara Market axis of the highway have been the major causes of the traffic logjam, subjecting people to hardship and terrible effects on the socio-economic activities on the route.
Describing the experience as agonizing, a commercial driver who plies Kuto in Abeokuta to Oshodi in Lagos State, Kabiru Oyedeji, blamed the construction company for causing unnecessary hardship for the road users on a daily basis.
He said since the gridlock began on the road, several man hours had been lost as travellers spent hours trying to get to their respective destinations.
The driver, however, called on the Ogun State Government to intervene and let the Federal Government know about the unpleasant experience of the road users on the expressway, particularly residents of the state.
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A commuter, Mrs Adedeji Comfort, who also spoke with our correspondent, lamented the suffering road users have been subjected to, noting that the FG and the contractors handling the road projects, ought to work round the clock to fix the road to ameliorate the situation.
She disclosed that she travelled through the Ijebu Ode/Epe express road last week in order for her to meet up with a business meeting in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
Mrs Adedeji, therefore, urged the FG to expedite work on the road and put an end to the “nightmare” being experienced by the motorists and commuters.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State governor, Kunle Somorin, said the state government under whose jurisdiction the road, is not responsible for the people’s agony.
“It will be unfair to blame the Ogun State government for this. This is a Federal Government road and we have offered palliative to cushion the effect, including making entreaties to the contractors to take advantage of our engineers who are ready to work with them. We are offering 24-hour security for them to fix the failed portions of the road because that is what is required,” Somorin told our reporter.
