Ijaiye road in Ogba is slowly turning into a nightmare. The road, which was once smooth and a driver’s delight, is now filled with craters, brimming with murky waters from clogged drain gutters.
This major road leading to Ojodu Berger and linking to other vital areas in Ogba affects not only motorists and commuters but also traders like ThankGod Ebirim, who is struggling to make a living.
Ebirim, a roadside clothes trader, faces difficulty retaining old customers because of the dreadful condition of Ijaiye Road. His shop is among those lined up on the side of the road opposite the Ogba Bus Stop. Here, traders sell clothes, shoes, and various other merchandise close to a gutter almost filled with debris.
Ebirim lamented to The Record about how the deplorable road has deterred most customers from buying at his store, saying, “My customers with cars no longer come here to avoid getting stuck in the potholes.”
Many affected traders were reluctant to talk to our correspondent about the road’s state.
“We have been talking about this road for months now and nothing has improved. I don’t have strength to talk about it anymore,” one of the traders sadly disclosed to the Record.
In front of the Area G Police Command Station and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, gutter channels are filled with trash, affecting the road whenever it rained heavily.
In September 2023, during a flooding and road degradation inspection of the Area G Ogba channel, the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab disclosed that some shop located opposite the Area G police station in the Ogba area will be demolished because they are built on the right of way of the drainage.
However, no demolition has been done as these shops are still open and running.
Attempts to fix the road by filling potholes with gravel stones and draining gutters have been futile, as the gutters soon fill back with refuse, and the road holes deepen.
Social media has echoed the outcry, with residents and commuters calling on authorities to find a lasting solution.
On January 8, 2023, Lagos-based lawyer Mesiri Abraham sounded an alarm about the dangers of the deteriorating road. In a tweet, he urged the Lagos State Public Works and Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives for Ikeja Federal Constituency, to look into the deteriorating condition of the road.
Residents have also taken to Twitter, issuing calls to Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging him to address the road repairs.
A tweep, @Dejicold wrote, “Lagos State Government, please who is in charge of works? The road that comes from Berger to Ogba straight down to Agege needs repair. Since the beginning of the rainy season last year, you people have not done anything. @Mr_JAGs”
Another resident, @Nairacodes tweeted, “Mr Jags, the state of Oba Ogunnusi road (Ogba section) is appalling especially in front of Area G police station. Please help us amplify this.”
While speaking to the Record, a resident, Mr. Matthew Olukwu revealed the challenges of vehicles getting stuck in potholes. He mentioned that owners have to pay a certain sum of money to able-bodied men to pull out their vehicles stuck on the road.
“I want to use this opportunity to call the state government to as a matter of urgency evaluate this road and possibly fix it to save commuters and vehicle owners,” Olukwu implored.
The Executive Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area, Segun Odunmbaku in a chat with The Record in September, 2023 mentioned that the LCDA has worked on the drains around this road, and they are waiting for the Lagos State Public Works Agency to fix the roads.
However, efforts to reach out to the Chairman through the Director of Information at the council in regards to an update on the development before filing this report proved abortive.
*The road was earlier wrongly identified as Jakande Road. It has now been corrected.