Kunle Adelabu
About ten years after the commissioning of the Ipakodo/Ibeshe road in Ikorodu West and Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of Ikorodu Division , Lagos State, the interlock road is currently in a bad condition and begging for the attention of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu.
Several sections of the road, which is usually being plied by heavy duty trucks conveying sand from several dredging points at Owode and Ibeshe, has collapsed, posing danger to motorists and other road users.
The administration of the former Governor of Lagos State and now, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, built the road after several complaints and protests led by the late Asiwaju Babatunde Olushola Benson, SAN.
The road, which was built by the construction giant, Arab Contractors, now needs government attention right from the roundabout that connects NBC Road, Ipakodo to Igbogbo and Ibeshe roads, where the interlocks stones have caved in and several others removed.
There are other sections of the road where the interlock stones are now posing dangers to the road users.
Police, Local Government and Union touts are now taking advantage of the damaged points to extort motorists, commercial motorcycle and tipper drivers, knowing fully well that they would slow down at the damaged point.
THE IMPACT gathered that the damaged sections of the road had caused many accidents and there is need for urgent intervention by the Ministry of Works, Lagos State or better still, the government should bring back the contractor that handled the project for the corrective measures.
A commercial Marwa operator who carried our reporter last weekend on the tour of the road, said that many of his colleagues had ran into the dangerous points on several occasions and their tricycles were badly damaged and while they sustained severe injuries.
“We have been enjoying the road and it had made our journey faster but the road seems to need urgent attention because several parts of it have been damaged. There had been occasions where we have recorded accidents”, he said.
“I pray that government quickly intervene and fix the road before it deteriorate and becomes impassable again”, he pleaded.
Another tricycle driver driver who identified himself as Omo Alhaja, said that the road has recorded several accidents involving trucks and private car drivers who are not conversant with the road at night.
He too pleaded with the government to intervene quickly.
A resident of Owode-Ibeshe, Mr Akeem Onabote who said that he has been living in that environment for more than 30 years, said that residents in communities along the road, do not want to experience what they had gone through before the intervention of the Fashola’s administration and like others, they pleaded with Gov. Sanwo – Olu to assist in rehabilitating the road.
Meanwhile, some of the residents that spoke with THE IMPACT said that the Councilor that has been representing the area, Hon. M.K.O. Arowolo, at the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA Legislative Arm, has been the one providing palliative on the road from his personal purse.
They commended his action while asking the state government to carry out full rehabilitation.
