Residents of Fatai Irawo Street in the Ajao Estate area of Lagos State have called on the government to rehabilitate their road, describing its condition as hazardous to lives, vehicles, and business activities.
This is just as members of the community lauded the government for the ongoing drainage construction in the area.
NewsWatch Metro gathered during a visit to the area on Thursday that the construction of the drainage was part of efforts to address erosion and flooding challenges affecting the community.
While residents welcomed the intervention, they lamented that the project was limited to drainage construction and did not include repairs to the deteriorated road.
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident, Ugo Chukwu, who said he had lived in the area for about five years, described the road as a persistent safety concern.
“This road has been causing accidents. Sometimes, when trailers are passing, we are scared they might fall,” he said.
Another resident and hairstylist, identified as Amarachi, who said she had spent about 17 years in the community, noted that the road’s condition had negatively affected commercial activities.
“We are not selling anything because vehicles don’t pass here. Nobody wants to use this road because it damages cars,” she said.
A trader, Joy, also described the road as particularly difficult during the rainy season when flooding and mud make movement difficult.
“Many cars get damaged here, so they don’t pass again. During rain, everywhere is muddy and flooded,” she said.
She added that rehabilitating the road would improve accessibility, attract more customers, and boost business activities in the area.
Although residents observed construction workers at the site, NewsWatch Metro gathered that the ongoing project focuses solely on drainage infrastructure.
A construction worker involved in the project who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the assignment was restricted to gutter construction.
“People complained about erosion, so we are repairing the gutters. It’s not the road we are working on,” he said.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent, the vice chairman of the Community Development Association, Laja Fowokan, said residents had repeatedly sought government intervention over the road.
Fowokan also expressed concern about what he described as the slow pace of response from the local government.
He stressed the strategic importance of the area, citing its proximity to the airport and the volume of economic activities linked to it.
“We have gone to the government office and tried our best to push for intervention. The road has affected residents, from damaged cars to serious traffic.
“The local government is not always fast enough. Sometimes you report and nothing happens until it gets to the state level.
“To show you how critical and strategic this place is, a lot of movement comes through the airport, and the revenue generated is significant,” he said.
While commending the commencement of drainage construction, Fowokan said residents were still expecting comprehensive rehabilitation of the road.
“The residents are happy that something is being done, but we are hoping they will fix the road completely,” he said.
The residents appealed to the Lagos State Government to expedite repairs on the road, expressing optimism that improved infrastructure would enhance mobility, reduce accidents and stimulate economic activities within the community.
When contacted for a reaction via telephone on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Works, Adeshina Odunuga, said he would not speak with a journalist whom he did not know.
He added that our correspondent should get someone to introduce her to him before he would grant an audience to any enquiry.
“I don’t know you! I don’t know you! Someone has to introduce you if you are from NewsWatch. I can’t just be talking to someone I don’t know. Tell someone to introduce you to me,” Odunuga said.
