Reconstruction: Lagos-Ibadan highway becoming unsafe ― Oyesiku

A university Don, Professor Olukayode Oyesiku, has said that the ongoing reconstruction work on the busiest highway in the country, Lagos/Ibadan expressway is taking too long and thereby becoming unsafe for road users.

He said this in an interview with newsmen at the 3rd annual Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps Commander’s Conference held on Saturday in Abeokuta, that work on the highway should speed up to reduce the loss of manpower as a result of heavy traffic gridlock associated with the reconstruction.

Oyesiku who delivered a paper entitled: “A System Approach to Human Capital Development For the Attainment of the Goals of Safety Vision 2020 Agenda,” urged government at the centre to open up more transportation networks across the country.

He said such a move would reduce carnages on the nation’s roads, insisting that the nation’s road network had taken 95 per cent of mobility.

“We are taken too much time in our repairing mechanism in infrastructure particularly the Lagos/Ibadan expressway, its taken too much and it is becoming unsafe,” he said.

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He added that 82 per cent of cars were not roadworthy, hence the need for the government to empower the traffic officers to operate.

“The vehicle inspectorate unit along with safety agencies must be empowered.

“The education on the use of the roads should start from the primary schools where students would be inculcated into how to make good use of the road,” he said.

He explained that capacity building of traffic managers through workshops and conferences was necessary to enable them to sharpen their skills on accident prevention and taking care of victims of road accidents.

The Corps Commander, Mr Olaseni Ogunyemi, said the annual workshop became necessary to enhance the productivity of the traffic officers in the State.

Ogunyemi gave the assurance that the corps would continue to strive harder to generate ideas and formulate policies that would guarantee the safety of all roads users.