The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) today challenged the nickname of Lagos State as the ‘Centre of Excellence,’ saying it has next-to-nothing to show for the label.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) today challenged the nickname of Lagos State as the ‘Centre of Excellence,’ saying it has next-to-nothing to show for the label.
The assessment was contained in a press statement signed by CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, on the perennial flooding and deplorable roads in the State through the years.
“Bad and deplorable networks of roads, failed and blocked drainage system has been the bane of woes and travails residents in Lagos have to contend with,” the statement said. “This is a clear contrast to the huge amount of funds made available to the Lagos state Ministry of the Environment under the World Bank Project for decongestion of drainages and de-flooding in Lagos State.”
It said the State’s Public Works Corporation, which has responsibility for major repairs and rehabilitation of roads has failed to make appreciable impact into the lives of residents and has done nothing to improve the state of roads in Lagos since last year’s heavy downpour.
That failure, CACOL said, has escalated the sufferings and agony of road users and residents in the State.
It recalled that the National Meteorological Agency had earlier this year predicted a continuous and heavier torrential rainfall than last year and warned Lagos residents to prepare for the worst, adding that it is appalling that Lagos State government did not heed the warning or work with it with the information at its disposal.
The coalition therefore called on the Lagos State government, as a matter of urgency, to “expedite action and embark on the general decongestion and de-flooding of blocked drainages and channels, construction of new drainages, massive rehabilitation of all bad and deplorable roads across the state to alleviate the suffering of residents and give them the dividends of democracy so much desire by the masses.”
Full text of the statement:
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE PERENNIAL FLOODING AND THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF ROADS IN LAGOS STATE.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) finds it extremely imperative to comment on the attendant perennial flooding following heavy and torrential rain falls and the deplorable state of roads in Lagos State.
The National Meteorological Agency earlier in the year had predicted a continuous heavier torrential rainfall than last year and equally warned in anticipation that Lagos residents should prepare for the worse. It is appalling that Lagos State government did not heed the warning with a lot of information at its disposal thereby treating the predictions with absolute levity and pinch of salt while failing to make adequate preparations and put safety measures in place as a control mechanism to combat and curtail impending savage and intense flooding.
It would be recalled that residents in Lagos witnessed similar destructive heavy downpour last year, precisely July 11, which claimed the lives of many people and destroyed properties worth millions of naira in various parts of the state. Aftermath the heavy downpour, a portion of Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at Ahmmadiyya bus stop got seriously damaged and caved in due to the rainfall, preventing free flow of traffic for a period of time before a shoddy resurfacing of the affected section was carried out, which has now given way and its condition has exacerbated than last year, thereby cutting of total vehicular movement after the havoc caused by the heavy downpour on Wednesday, 27th of June, 2012.
The rain, which started on the 27th, lasted until the wee hours of Thursday 28th with the attendant effect so enormous and devastating. Checks revealed that the caved portion of the road at Ahmmadiyya caused a serious traffic gridlock along the stretch of the expressway resulting into loss of man-hour to workers and compounding the woes of motorists.
Motorists who dare to manoeuvre the damaged portion of the road got their vehicles stuck and eventually broken down due to the wide gully created and caused by the heavy downpour while others navigated through the adjoining streets along the expressway to avoid the deep crater, which could cause a serious damage to their vehicles. Most stranded commuters in the axis resulted to trekking because commercial drivers avoided the deep gulf like plague, discouraging them from venturing beyond the point and going further.
Mostly affected and areas susceptible to serious flooding after the heavy rainfall of last year July 11 which remain as it was unattended to since last year even after the recent downpour are: Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Abule-Egba Ile-Epo bus stop, Kirikiri road, Apapa, Akin Adesola,Victoria Island and Ikoyi, Pen-Cinema, Agege, Ikorodu road, Iju Ishaga, Lawanson Surulere, Ago-Palace way,Okota, Ogba market road, Adeniyi Jones road, Ijaye road and Wempco road all in Ogba and so many other places too numerous to mention.
Residents affected by the severe flood have started counting their losses, finding it extremely difficult to salvage their belongings and find a place to put up and lay their heads for the interim because of the uninhabitable state of their homes which was submerged and pending the time the flood will subsides before returning to their various destination is a task faced by many of them.
Meanwhile, from all indications, the Lagos State Public Works Corporation saddled with the responsibility of carrying out major repairs and rehabilitation of bad and deplorable roads in the state has failed to make appreciable impact into the lives of residents and done nothing to improve the state of roads in Lagos since last year heavy downpour thereby escalating the sufferings and agony of road users and residents in the state till date.
Bad and deplorable networks of roads, failed and blocked drainage system has been the bane of woes and travails residents in Lagos have to contend with. This is a clear contrast to the huge amount of funds made available to the Lagos state Ministry of the Environment under the World Bank Project for decongestion of drainages and de-flooding in Lagos State.
Ironically, Lagos State that prides itself as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ with a presumed mega city status has next-to-nothing to show for this rating except several dysfunctional infrastructural facilities while residents groan and moan with arrays of complaints on daily basis about the state and style of governance in Lagos.
Against this backdrop, the Lagos State government should as a matter of urgency and immediate response, expedite action and embark on the general decongestion and de-flooding of blocked drainages and channels, construction of new drainages, massive rehabilitation of all bad and deplorable roads across the state to alleviate the suffering of residents and give them the dividends of democracy so much desire by the masses.
Governor Fashola must listen to the cries of Lagos residents and put all roads in Lagos State and other infrastructure in good shape to commensurate with the huge tax residents in Lagos pay and additional funds granted by World Bank and other international agencies in justification of the mandate given to him and the confidence reposed in him by the people.
Debo Adeniran
Executive Chairman, CACOL
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