SOS to Fashola on Badagry Expressway

Sir It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of commitment that I write to draw your attention as Minister of Power, Works and Housing to the pitiable and parlous state of Badagry Expressway, Lagos.

As the immediate past governor of Lagos State, you are no doubt familiar with the state of Badagry Expressway, a road under reconstruction and expansion by the Lagos State Government. While the laudable project over which Lagos has committed huge sum of money drags on with missed deadlines of completion of the first phase which terminates at Okokomaiko area of Lagos, the remaining portion of the road from FESTAC to Badagry has become a road to hell, characterised by pot-holes, ravine, craters and completely failed portions which are impassable. Its negative impact on residents is far-reaching that we have regular nightmares.

The state of the road and the fact that it is a sub-regional highway amount to a national shame. Badagry Expressway is the gateway to a number of West African countries, namely, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Burkina Faso. The road is the first narrative on which we are as a people – careless, disorganised and hopeless.

While we expect the time the expansion project being shouldered by Lagos Sate Government would be completed, I appeal as a concerned resident in this area to your high sense of responsibility to please deploy your ministry to carry out some measure of rehabilitation work on the road for ease of movement. This will certainly spare us the agony of another raining season.

Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Lagos