THIS ROAD WILL PLAY A PART IN WHO WINS LAGOS GOVERNORSHIP

In the middle of this crossroads, which looks like where a ploughing machine passes through every morning, is a traffic control post. The post is always manned by personnel from, at least, three different offices— the Police inclusive. Ironically, grinding traffic is a daily affair on this road. It is Iyana-Ejigbo. The link between popular Cele Bust Stop on Oshodin-Apapa Expressway and Ejigbo, Egbe, Ikotun and Igando in Alimosho Local Government Area.

Alimosho is peopled by about 2,047,026 (or less) Lagosians, depending on who one believes between the state and Federal Government. Data from whoever you believe agree that it is the most populated council in Lagos and geographically bigger than some states. Which is why, according to one of the state's commissioners, infrastructure development in the local government appear invisible. What is striking, however, is not the eloquence of the administration, but that between Cele and Ikotun, there seem to be a pothole for every household.

So, between Danfo drivers trying out Hollywood stunts and private motorists (suit, tie and all) that flout traffic rules, they manage to turn a 40-minute journey to five hours of hell. That is, if an Ikotun resident leaves Mile 2 with somebody going to Benin, he would still be sweating on the road while his Benin friend would have had his dinner of pounded yam and Ogbono soup. As one motorist said, if you are on Ejigbo road and there is no traffic, “pack somewhere and ask around if everything is okay.”

When road construction work started on his road, a sigh that should sound like a rumble would be expected from this densely-populated area that also boast of all kinds of businesses. Not so. A resident, who gave his name as Emmanuel, said: “Can you honestly compare the pace and quality of work here with what you get in Surulere and Victoria Island? Even the fixing of the area around NNPC Bust Stop became an issue between the state and Federal Government. Who is deceiving who?”

Cynicism aside, the construction activities seem to have gathered momentum. The force is so much that drainage that look like gullies appeared everywhere. When rain fell, the gullies flooded and businesses shut down. A banker said customers simply abandoned their branch. A fuel station manager said his premises had become a park for caterpillars and two entrances to the station had been excavated out of existence. Only a few customers know that a side entrance exists.

However, some wise men still know how to do business. Chief Ezenwa, “an importer, exporter and dealer in general merchandise,” got some other traders together and “encouraged” the contractors to build them a bridge to their plaza. Mrs Olayera, a food seller, can easily move her table around as the flood dictates. But Kemi's pick-up load of tomatoes and pepper cannot get to her store. So she pays boys to move the baskets and passes the extra cost on to customers.

It is a different story for a book seller, who refuses to disclose her name. “Anytime rain falls,” she fumes, “my books are condemned. How can any serious person begin road construction without good drainage? They are constructing gutter on one side of a road that receives flood from all over Ejigbo. Take note that their equipment are what you see in building sites: pans, shovels, manual cement mixer handled by carpenters, bricklayers and Aboki. No wonder the gutter looks twisted like a snake.”

Her outburst was interrupted by screeching tyres and crunching metals. A red SUV probably thought that the best way to ride a rough road was to jump lanes. The breaks gave way and it rammed into a Volkswagen LT commercial bus. The rattled passengers were screaming. Their condition is heavenly considering what would have happened if there was no collision and the SUV ploughed into the ever-busy Ejigbo market.

Although the book seller had sobered up, she still had enough presence of mind to say that work looked serious on the road because elections were near. “As soon as elections are over,” she said authoritatively, “work will stop.”

Elections or not, the traffic officers appear very busy. Especially when a wealthy-looking driver is behind the wheel of an exotic car.

The hot spots are Kpako roundabout, Jakande, almighty Iyana-Ejigbo, in front of Synagogue Church and Ikotun roundabout. By this last point, one would have counted about 15 traffic officers. This is beside the police patrol vehicles lurking around and waiting to pounce on any traffic offender on a road that looks like it does not exist on any map, but was actually, like many other enduring Nigerian roads, constructed by the military years ago. The military! The military who has had to take all kind of blames for the nation's woes.

When the state government took time out to announced plans to commence repair works on Oke-Afa/Egbe Bridge from April 17 to April 28, people expected so much. Only the annoyingly protruding metals have been covered. One begin to wonder what the expectation was about anyway.

Residents, traders and motorists do not look impressed by the caterpillars and construction machines that look like tar-coated monsters packed all over Ejigbo road and some adjoining link roads. One motorists said: “We have seen enough of all these. Let them work.” “For now,” lamented another, “it is a case of dodge one pothole get two free.”

Emmanuel, quoted earlier, knows who has the answers. Raising three fingers of his left hand, he said: “The government, the contractor and the 'owners' of this area will tell you all you want to know.” And there is so much the people want to know about a road repair that never ends.

Therefore, any politician who wants the votes of Alimosho people knows what to say. The people might find promises hard to believe, though.