The Lagos-Badagry expressway

The Lagos-Badagry expressway, a route which connects Nigeria to other West African countries through the Seme Border, and a major gateway into the country has been in decrepit condition and remained a death trap to motorists and passengers who ply the road. It is not only a gateway to the country, it also leads to the Lagos International Trade Fair, Alaba International Market, the Lagos State University, the ancient city of Badagry, and countless residential communities.

The incidences of trailers stumbling and petrol-laden tankers going up in flames have been routine activities. Robbery attacks thrive around FESTAC First-Gate and up to Agbara and Badagry, while commercial activities shrink. A journey of less than 30 minutes could take two hours and under limited choices, people grudgingly move on, wishing the government would respond accordingly.

The Lagos state government began the construction of the road 10 years ago. On leaving office, former governor Babatunde Fashola who began construction and expansion of the road to 10 lanes assured residents and road users that his successor, whom, he said, understood the project thoroughly, would complete the road. However, since coming to power, Governor Ambode has abandoned the road. The only section of the road repaired thus far has been the section between Eric Moore and Okokomaiko.

Also, the Federal Executive Council last year approved a contract for the rehabilitation of the 46km section from Agbara to Badagry and to Seme Border. Months after, the signs of commitment have not translated to the passable roads that commuters dream of. The road is replete with different abandoned works even when both the state and federal governments have mapped out the aspects they would undertake.

More like a useful material for campaign manifesto, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has pledged to deliver the road, citing its role in connecting the country to other ECOWAS states as critical.

“Specifically, the ongoing 60-kilometre Lagos-Badagry Expressway project being executed by the state government must be completed as early as possible. The project has two major intermodal transport schemes – the Lagos-Badagry Expressway and the Light Rail Mass Transit with their accompanying infrastructure – 10 lanes superhighway taking off from Eric Moore interchange and traversing westward through Orile Iganmu, Alaba Oro, Mile 2, Festac, Agboju, Iyana-Iba, Okokomaiko, Iyana-Era, Ijanikin, Agbara, Ibereko and terminating at Badagry,” Femi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu’s running mate, said on radio.

It remains to be seen whether the governor-elect and his team will fulfil their promise on coming to power. Although the federal government embarked on rehabilitation of some failed sections of the road, especially from Agbara to Seme border, it was just mere remedial work due to the elections. Now that the elections are over, we hope the government will follow through on its commitment of reconstruction of the road.

It is unfortunate the government allowed a major gateway into the country deteriorate to such a level. The state of the road continues to confirm our thesis that we are not a thinking society; and are only reactive rather than pro-active. While other societies have thought about their transport needs of the future and have designed effective transportation systems to accommodate the needs of their growing societies, we are stuck in the past and unable to maintain even the infrastructure of the past, built to support only a small fraction of our current population.

Even our poor neighbours are doing far better than us. On crossing the Seme border, one is confronted with a society that works. The Benin republic end of the road is everything that the Nigerian end of the road is not: well-paved, excellent asphalted surfaces with absolutely no pot-hole on any section of the road. What is more, the Benin republic road has a dedicated lane for bikes, barricaded with iron, stretching kilometres into the town.  If, indeed, we still feel shame, we should be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves and what we have turned our country into.