By Babs Oyetoro
Gloom. Perplexity. Hopelessness. Palpable fear.
These words are apt to describe the frustration of several thousands of residents of Oke-Ogbe and the adjoining towns along the Badagry Expressway during the rainy season.
For these large numbers of population in Oke-Ogbe and the adjoining 11 communities, rainy season does not give succour or usher in a period of refreshing as expected but rather a period of nightmare and palpable fear.
This fear is not misplaced or exaggerated after-all. It is a recurring tragic experience that has thrown the entire community into a state of despondency while the rainy season subsists.
The reason for this deluge enveloping the community is not far-fetched. The only access road to the community if you are coming from the Mile2 axis through Badagry Expressway is a make-shift wooden bridge that would have been over-flown by the river during the rainy season.
The rag-tag long wooden bridge runs over by the river flowing from the Badagry end thus putting the residents in a state of helplessness during the wet season.
Another available option to access Oke-Ogbe town during the rainy season is Ipara Road, which is always waterlogged and unpassable to vehicles and motor bikes.
Once, it rains and as long as the flood remains unabated, school children, traders including other residents would be cut-off from other adjoining communities and the Badagry Expressway.
To further compound the problems of the residents, business activities will naturally be paralysed. Indeed, it is a period of business lull for all and sundry.
Painfully, the residents have lived with this experience over the years with the hope that a period of respite is at hand but all to know avail.
Out of obvious frustration, one of the residents retorted: “We have lived on unfulfilled promises from respective governments in the state. We don’t know when this hope will become a reality”.
Some of the residents who spoke with ThisNigeria recounted their harrowing experiences in tears.
According to one of the CDAs’ chairmen, Alhaji Isiaka Babatunde, “all along we have lived on unfulfilling promises but from what we have seen in the recent time from the action Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, we believe our suffering will soon be over”.
“Honestly, over the years our experience has been very awful, we have witnessed on regularly basis pregnant women, the aged falling into the canal.
“Some women in labour pains suffer more trauma while trying to take them through the make-shift wooden bridge on their ways to the hospital. In the process we have lost some pregnant women in labour through this unavoidable painful experience if the road had been fixed.
“Some old people having critical health challenge have their condition compounded as they try to navigate the broken wooden bridge on their ways to the hospital”.
A prominent member of the community, Pastor Ndubisi Elowo has this to say: “We have a tense and dangerous situation in our hands particularly now that the whole world is witnessing climate change. We saw the incident in Borno state and other parts of the country. The whole world was ravaged by flood in the recent time. This is the effects of climate change”.
“Many of us in this community do not sleep with their two eyes closed. The whole of Badagry is surrounded by water and this canal can overflow into the community if there is heavy downpour.
“This is the right time for Governor Sanwo-Olu to attend to our cry. We therefore appeal to him to come to our aide now.”
Another CDA chairman, Mr. Wusu Nayan Joseph also known as Baba Isaiah, who has led the community leaders several occasion to meet the government officials confided in ThisNigeria reporter that there seems to be hope at the end of the tunnel very soon.
Mr. Wusu sounded optimistic that the government will soon accede to their request assuring that the matter is under consideration.
“We are coming from a season of gloom and hopelessness, but I want all the residents that the signs are positive by the grace of God, from the state government end”.
The chairman Favour Zone, Mr. Olagoke Idris also lent his voice to the ongoing discussion.
Olagoke recalled an incidence that happened recently where a nursing mother with three months old baby fell into the ditch.
It took the intervention of kind-hearted neighbours to rescue the nursing mother and the baby from being drown recently.
He observed that the make-shift wooden bridge is like a death trap particularly during the rainy season.
“We keep on spending money on repair, yet the bridge has not been in good shape all this while. We park our vehicles outside the community because there is no accessible road to our homes.
Sege Phase ll chairman, Mr. Victor Nwabunwene lamented that lack of accessibility to the community has continued to cripple economic activities in Oke-Ogbe.
“This has cumulative effects because there has not been meaningful development over the years within the community.
“Small medium enterprises, petty traders and other business concerns prefer to travel outside the community to seek greener pastures. Commercial activities are at the lowest ebb due to lack of patronage”.
He continued: “The town is like a ghost village during the week because majority of the residents travel far to seek for their daily bread. Some landlords out of frustration have sold their properties at ridiculous prices”.
“I pray we do not experience any fire incident in the community, it would be a disaster because the Fire Fighters will not have access to the community. I strongly feel that the time has come for the state government to intervene in our situation”.
A concerned landlord, Mr. Ganiyu Idowu was closed to tears as he dwells on the general experience of the people in the community.
“Some years back, when we came to this community, with great hope but it appears everything has gone awry for some people as their economy gets dwindling by the day.
“Some people’s investments have gone down the drain due to lack of patronage or customers. Shop owners, clinics, business centres are experience customers lull due to low patronage and what have you.
“The initial enthusiasm of settling down in a new environment was short-lived when the reality became dawn on residents and
some of the landlords put up their properties for sales. To even get buyers becomes a herculean task.
The state government needs to urgently come to our aide and open- up Oke-Ogbe for commercial activities so that live can return to the community, already gasping for breath in a state blessed with abundant resources”.
Pastor James Attah, one of the residents living in one of the adjoining towns liking to Oke-Ogbe highlighted the strategic location of Oke-Ogbe to other 11 communities around the Badagry Expressway axis.
Attah, who painstakingly listed the towns linking to Oke-ogbe as follows- Ipara, Ijotun, Ajarakoh, Samo-Seje, Saimole, Agunmo, Gumajayi, Eyekole, Zunveh and Kogakoh, noted that several thousands of residents are cut-off completely from the closest link to the Expressway due to non-accessibility.
“One can imagine the volume of both human and vehicular traffic through Oke-Ogbe link on daily basis daily, if the road were to be in good shape.
This volume of traffic would have impacted positively on the economy of these communities and boost the economies of the adjoining towns as well.
It is high-time the state government opened up these communities through Oke-Ogbe link road to boost the residents’ economies”.
Call for government intervention
The Lagos State government led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has brought great transformation to the state thus complementing the efforts of his predecessors.
A lot of government’s interventions to catalyse the economy of the state through massive infrastructural projects are visible to the naysayers to see.
It is sufficed to mention that Lagos has witnessed tremendous transformation in the areas of modern transportation system with the introduction of modern train system to ease the movement of the citizens across the state.
The volume of work done on the Lagos Badagry Expressway till date serve as signpost to confirm the administration determination to build solid road network across the five division of the state.
Meanwhile, the state government has also reiterated its commitment to completing infrastructural projects that will positively impact the well-being of residents.
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Dr. Adekunle Olayinka and his counterpart on Infrastructure, Engr. Olufemi Daramola, all ongoing projects would be completed before Governor Sanwo-Olu’s tenure expires.
Olayinka and Daramola explained that the administration, through the Office of Works, has deliberately continued to invest in building infrastructure as an avenue to discharge the social contract signed with residents.
They also said all projects inherited from past administrations will be completed.
But the main concern now for residents living at the adjoining towns along the Badagry Expressway is the internal and link roads that needs urgent government attention.
Pastor Emmanuel Fanu noted that the internal and link roads are paramount to us as a people because therein lies the solution to our problems.
Fanu added that all the good projects the state government has embarked upon, in terms of infrastructural development in the state will bear bountiful fruits if the authorities attend to the yearning of the people within this axis to fix the internal and link roads.
Another prominent member in the community, Mr. Afinju corroborated Pastor Fanu saying that for Lagos to attain the status of a true Mega City calls for strategic and meticulous planning to attain this feat.
“Neglecting some crucial aspects of infrastructural evolution must take into cognisance the internal and link roads construction.
“The economic importance of internal and link roads cannot be underplayed in this instance. With the access roads so quality time will be saved when the main roads are encumbered with heavy traffic jam.
“These routes will serve as escape routes to avert being caught up in a traffic jam. I pray that the government of the day will listen to our pleas”, he submitted.
