March 29, 2018

Some residents on Thursday expressed hope that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos State will facilitate transformation in transport sector through implementation of more federal road projects.

The residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Buhari’s visit would enable him to see the poor state of some federal roads in Lagos, which caused perennial gridlock.

A civil engineer, Mr Dele Ologunde, said that potholes and other dilapidation characterised some federal roads in Lagos, causing hardship for the residents.

He said that the Apapa end of the ever-busy Oshodi-Apapa Road which leads to Nigeria’s two major ports had dilapidated.

According to him, for a long time, the road has been a nightmare to motorists and users of the ports.

He added that the Federal Government, Lagos State and business owners were losing millions of naira daily to gridlock caused by the road dilapidation.

Ologunde told NAN that the Lagos residents were passing through stress due to the road dilapidation.

“Many residents suffer hardship daily because of traffic congestion in this mega city.

“I appealed to the president to assist the state Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode in implementing road projects to ease traffic in the state.

“We are tired of the daily gridlock; we hope the president’s visit will change the transport situation,’’ he said.

Another resident, Mrs Nonso Azuka, told NAN: “The Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway is one of the major roads that need urgent rehabilitation.
“Commuters suffer a lot on the road in the morning and at night as a result of traffic jam.
“We beg the president to come to our aid by rehabilitating the road for the benefit of the citizens.”

Similarly, a banker, Mr Rasheed Adewale, called on the Federal Government to strengthen the rail transport system to reduce the number of articulated vehicles on Lagos roads.

Adewale said that improved rail transport would enable business owners to transport their wares by rail and reduce the use of tankers and trailers.

The banker said that Lagos State and its residents needed to be urgently `rescued’ from transport difficulties caused by daily indiscriminate parking of articulated vehicles.

“We are tired of the traffic gridlock caused by tankers and trucks that park indiscriminately in Lagos.

“We appeal to the president to come to our aid and find lasting solutions to the menace,” he said.

NAN reports that the president’s plane landed at Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at 9.30.am. on Thursday for a two-day official visit to Lagos State.

He inaugurated the Ikeja Bus Terminus shortly after inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the military, police and para-military agencies.

The president proceeded to chair the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium put together in celebration of the 66th birthday of the All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The colloquium with the theme “Investing in People” was scheduled for Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island.

At the inauguration, Buhari lauded Ambode for reforms in public transportation, and promised that the Federal Government would adhere to its plan for the Lagos ports and other transport infrastructure in the country.

NAN reports that the terminus has a concourse for arrival, ticketing, waiting and departure areas, loading bay, ATM gallery as well as food court and parking facilities.

The facility, which is sitting on 10,000 square metre-land, is designed to convey more than 200,000 passengers daily to over 22 destinations across the state.