•Residents bemoan rising deaths, others, seek Ambode’s help
By Ayo Alonge
Residents of the Ajah area of Lagos State are angry that many people have been killed lately around the Jubilee Bridge, Ajah, along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
The deaths, they noted, followed the closure of a popular link road by the new flyover. They lamented that among the recent victims were a pregnant woman and a commercial motorcyclist.
Some of the residents, who spoke with Daily Sun, claimed that the pregnant woman and the motorcyclist lost their lives at the foot of the bridge. They were run over by vehicles whose drivers were driving against traffic.
Residents, road users and traders in the community are of the view that the flyover in their area has turned to a death trap and a safe haven for criminals, just as it has increased traffic worries.
Relaying a litany of recent tragic incidents barely six months after the Lagos State government constructed the flyover, residents, traders and commuters bemoaned the facility, insisting that it has caused them more harm than good.
One of the residents, Calistus, who claimed to have lived in the area for more than 20 years, lamented that, since the closure of the link road, gridlock has become a daily headache, which everyone has been left to deal with.
“Apart from the pregnant woman and the commercial motorcyclist who were killed lately, I have personally witnessed many other deaths here.
“Since NEPA Road was closed from the expressway during the construction of the bridge, vehicles that used the link road to connect other destinations in time can no longer do so. Now, everybody has to get to Ado-Badore Junction to either link other places or make a U-turn.
“As a result of this, some unruly motorists and commercial motorcyclists have resorted to driving against the traffic, especially at night, injuring and killing pedestrians,” he said.
Other residents also lamented the development, describing it as frustrating and requiring urgent attention from the state government. They claimed that the situation always got worse anytime it rained.
Daily Sun learnt that the flyover had been the major cause of gridlocks, which the area was currently plagued with. This has often brought serious challenges to motorists and businesses.
“Before they constructed the bridge, business was thriving. But there is now a downturn in business within this area because people can no longer access the major market here due to the road blockage caused by the newly-constructed flyover,” a resident, Olaitan Badmus, told this reporter.
A passerby claimed that the residents had in the recent past, beseeched community leaders, politicians and some government officials in the community to come to their aid by ensuring the re-opening of the access road, which was blocked during the construction of the flyover. He regretted that the exercise had contributed to impeding the smooth flow of traffic and poor commercial activities within the area.
Emeka Onyekuru, a trader, speaking to our correspondent in a tearful tone regarding the turnout of things, declared that every step so far to resolve the problem has yielded no fruit.
He said: “We have spoken to a lot of government officials and even some opinion leaders and the contractor about this. But they all said that they didn’t have the power to do anything; it was the government alone that could give them the go-ahead to do so.
“The closure of NEPA Road, which connects private residential estates, hospitals, fire service station and other places on Ado-Badore, Kazeem Oyifo and Olayinka Atiku streets, constitutes a huge challenge to all of us here.
“We appreciate the sanity the state government has brought to this area, but we are only pleading that NEPA Road should be opened up to connect the expressway so that traffic can be eased and lives saved.”
Another resident, Mr. Ahmed Olayemi, stated that the closure of the road had affected investments in the community.
His words: “This closure has also allowed miscreants to set up an illegal market on a portion of the road, thereby making it very difficult for those of us who own firms opposite the new bridge to either come in or go out. We are now using this opportunity to call on the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to help us before the situation gets out of hand.”