Residents lament deplorable state of Mafoluku streets

Residents, motorists and other road users are calling on the Lagos State government to, as a matter of urgency, rehabilitate Ogunwemimo and Abolaji streets in the Ewutu area of Mofoluku, in Oshodi/Isolo Local Council of Lagos State, which are in dire need of attention.

Apart from the two streets, they also want other streets in the neighbourhood fixed in order to ease the burden that they undergo in the process of carrying out their activities daily.

Motorists pass through hell on the road on daily basis while going to their businesses; even pedestrians find it difficult to use the road whenever it rains.

These roads (Ogunwemimo and Abolaji streets), which constitute an alternative route to the Muritala Mohammed International Airport Road tollgate, as well as Mafoluku Bridge Link at Ajibulu Street, down to Beesam Hotel, along Kalejaiye Street, are in very bad condition and require urgent attention before the onset of the rainy season, which would further worsen their conditions and plunge residents into difficulties.

Mr. Lawrence Jide, is an aggrieved motorist who plies the road daily in order to avoid tollgate, especially anytime he is out of cash to pay the toll.

He is deeply saddened by the pathetic state of the road, which caused his vehicle to develop faults, a development that has now forced him to resort to regular toll payment.

Jide said: “Many people who work in and around Ikeja and Victoria Island pass through Ogunwemimo and Abolaji streets, as well as other streets in the neighbourhood on daily basis. Therefore, there is need for the state government to rehabilitate these roads to make life easy for motorists and residents of the area.”

A tricycle operator, David Olalekan said that the poor state of roads in the neighbourhood affects the services he and his colleagues give, especially during the rainy season, and also makes life unbearable for them.

Olalekan said: “This is where we labour day and night in order to earn our daily bread; this is where we make money to feed our families. So, the state government should urgently rehabilitate roads in this neighbourhood. Rehabilitating the road will also go a long way in improving our businesses and the lives of people living in this area. Waiting for the rains to come before doing something about the roads will only complicate a bad situation.”

A landlord in the areas, Mr. Michael Ogundele disclosed that the residents have, on several occasions written letters to the local council and the Lagos State government informing them about the bad state of roads in the area, but both have not done anything to alleviate their plight.

Ogundele said: “When Governor Akinwumi Ambode promised to rehabilitate roads in Lagos State not long ago, we took it for granted that some of our roads would be among because the are very busy roads that serve Ikeja and Victoria Island-bound passengers and motorists. From time to time, we contribute money to buy gravel and sand to fill the potholes, and also desilt the drainage just to ensure that the roads are in motorable condition.

“We need government to work on these roads for us because gutters on some of them have collapsed. Whenever there is a downpour, Abolaji Street is shut down for human and vehicular traffic. We have reported the bad state of the roads to our representatives in the state House of Assembly, the House Representative, as well as, the senator representing us at the Senate, yet nothing has been done and nobody is saying anything.

“By these actions of theirs, we have been denied of our dividends of democracy because people who live here pay their taxes to the Lagos State government.”