Commuters cry out as gridlock worsens on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

by our correspondent

The gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway continued on Saturday as commuters lamented the situation which left them stranded in the early hours of the day.

Road users have for the past four days been enduring the gridlock caused by the ongoing construction of the dual carriageway which narrowed the multiple lanes to one on both sides at the Mountain of Fire Ministry end as well as the Asese and Ibafo axis of the road.

Commuters accessing the road from the Lagos end were mainly affected as the drive towards the Ibadan axis took at least two hours to negotiate for a distance of about 10 kilometres.

The impatience of some motorists, especially commercial bus operators, who drive against traffic, worsened the situation, forcing passengers to trek several kilometres.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State command, had a hectic time turning back errant drivers who drove against traffic.

Commercial motorcyclists made brisk business as the fair from Berger Bus Stop to Ibafo was increased to N1, 000 as against N300.

Our correspondent, who monitored the situation on Saturday from the Magboro end of the expressway, observed that the gridlock was compounded by the impatience of motorists.

An Ibadan-bound commercial bus driver, Mr Dele Ali, said he has had to cut down on the number of trips he had hitherto made on the route.

Ali blamed the Federal Government and the construction firms for the delay in completing the ongoing upgrade of the road, adding that commuters were suffering.

He said, “This gridlock along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway had been on and off in the last four years. Unfortunately, there are times that it gets worse and during such periods I normally reduce my trips to and from Ibadan to just one. For me, and others who ply this road on a daily basis, it is a huge loss because the vehicles burn more fuel and the engines overheat while the wear and tear increase.

“This road has taken too long to complete. We know that they are doing the right thing but the construction firms and the Federal Government should expedite action on the pace of work. We continue to suffer for too long.”

A poultry farmer, who was conveying chickens and turkeys from Lagos to Ijebu-Ode, Mr Obinna Nwagboso, had a bad experience as not less than 15 birds died while in the gridlock for two hours on Saturday.

“I do not know who to hold accountable for this, but I never saw it coming. The birds are just dying due to the hot weather condition. This is a huge loss because the turkeys are sold for between N15, 000 and N25, 000,” Nwagboso lamented.

Attempts to get comments from the Ogun State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Clement Oladele, over the traffic control were not successful as he did not pick up calls.