The Ogun State Government on Monday said it is not responsible for the gridlock being experienced by motorists and commuters on the Kara/Long bridge on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway end in the state.
Motorists and commuters plying the highway have been lamenting the gridlock on the axis which had resulted in a loss of man-hours.
Some motorists blamed the heavy traffic jam on the ongoing reconstruction work on the highway being undertaken by a giant construction company which they said had taken a serious toll on them and their businesses.
The numerous potholes on the Kara axis had been responsible for the traffic snark which had subjected the people to hardship and, equally had terrible effects on the socio-economic activities on the route.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, said the state government under whose jurisdiction the road lies said it is not responsible for the people’s agony.
He said, “It will be unfair to blame the Ogun State government for this. This is a Federal Government road and we have offered palliative to cushion the effect, including making entreaties to the contractors to take advantage of our engineers who are ready to work with them.
“We are offering 24-hour security for them to fix the failed portions of the road because that is what is required.”
Describing the experience as agonising, a commercial driver who plies Kuto in Abeokuta to Oshodi in Lagos State, Kabiru Oyedeji, blamed the construction company for causing unnecessary hardship for the road users on a daily basis.
He said since the gridlock began on the road, several man-hours had been lost as travellers spend hours trying to get to their respective destinations.
The driver, however, called on the Ogun State Government to intervene and let the Federal Government know about the unpleasant experience of the road users on the expressway, particularly residents of the state.
A commuter, Mrs Adedeji Comfort, who also spoke with our correspondent, lamented the suffering road users have been subjected to, noting that the FG and the contractors handling the road projects, ought to work round the clock to fix the road to ameliorate the situation.
She disclosed that she travelled through the Ijebu-Ode/Epe express road last week in order for her to meet up with a business meeting in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
Mrs Adedeji, therefore, urged the FG to expedite work on the road and put an end to the “nightmare” being experienced by the motorists and commuters.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
