LEKKI-AJAH BRIDGE IN PERSPECTIVE
Blessing Vendafan
According to the 2006 national census figure, Lagos had a population of about 9 million people. However, considering the exponential population explosion being experienced in the State of late, analysts have insisted that the state’s population must now be in excess of 25 million.
Lagos population, no doubt, serves as massive boost for investment, exchange of ideas, products and services among others. As it is with population growth, business expands, the need for office accommodation, warehouses, stores, shopping complexes etc also increase. Thus, formerly residential areas in Lagos such as Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki, along Ibeju- Lekki axis, have suddenly become one huge business hubs.
This, indeed, is the story of the Lekki-Epe- axis in Lagos which, perhaps, is one of the fastest growing business and residential focal points in the country. Situated in the Eti-Osa local government of the State, Wikipedia puts the population of Lekki and the entire local government area a little over five million. Highly populated with robust middle and upper class segment of family stratum, in Lekki an average family owns at least between two and three cars. These cars ply the only major road in the axis, popularly called Lekki –Epe Express Road. The result is the perennial traffic gridlock often experienced by commuters along the axis.
For those who are familiar with the state of affairs of the Lekki-Epe expressway prior to its transformation and expansion into a world-class highway, traffic brouhaha was so fierce that travelling on the road early in the morning and late in the day used to be a total nightmare. Taking undue advantage of the situation, hoodlums and armed robbers turned the road into a business honey hub for which they licked every day. Many people lost their jobs for frequently coming late to offices with the same boredom excuses while many became victims of several stress induced ailments, no thanks to the excoriating trauma usually experienced on the road. Many business owners relocated or went into oblivion as the brightest brains behind the offices could not cope with the impact of the traffic chaos of the road.
The sad case of Samuel Okon who was returning home from office at about 9 pm on a fateful day lingers on in one’s memory. Unknown to Okon, a group of armed robbers had cashed in on the heavy traffic on the road to embark upon their dastardly act. Poor Samuel, who was an hotelier, was behind the wheel when he suddenly felt a bang on his head. When he intuitively touched the spot on his head, he discovered that his fingers were smeared with his own warm blood which began to spill down his face. Bullets from robbers who were operating about four vehicles away from him had it him. If not for the swift assistance of spirited people, he could have lost his life from the sad episode. Unfortunately, by the time he left the hospital months later, he had become paralyzed.
Another ugly incidence that occurred arising from traffic gridlocks of Epe- Lekki road was that of the death of a senior police officer who was murdered just after location of the newly completed Jubilee flyover bridge. The retired senior police officer was on his way home that auspicious day when he encountered an illegal road block and saw armed robbers in police uniform who had ordered vehicle owners to lie on the ground. Even though he was in mufti, he had with him his identity card.
Armed with his identification, he approached the fake senior police officer on duty and demanded him to stop the devilish operation and allow innocent citizens to retire to their homes after the hard day’s job. Little did he know that he was actually conversing with armed robbers! Infuriated, the fake police officer accused him of being part of the messy system that had forced many to resort to crime. Hardly had he finished his statement when he gunned down the retired police officer. It was such a gory sight!
That was the agonizing state of the Lekki-Epe express way before the Lagos State Government decided to intervene through a Public -Private Model. That was about seven years ago and ever since motoring on the road became relatively better as commuters and motorists heaved a sigh of great relief. However, as it is always the case with growing business and residential hubs across the world, the sheer number of human and vehicular density that move along the axis on a daily basis exerted a huge pressure on the area.
It was in order to ensure that the axis do not return to what it was before government’s intervention that the state government in 2015 approved the construction of a fly over bridge along Ajah area of the axis. Cheerfully and to the admiration and excitement of residents and workers along the axis, the Ajah fly over bridge was commissioned on the 19th of May by the state government. Incidentally, the Abule-Egba fly over bridge was also commissioned that same day. The two projects just go to demonstrate the resolve of the state government to upgrade infrastructure across the state.
At the commissioning of the Ajah fly over bridge, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said: “We had to give this project priority because of its strategic importance to the economic growth of the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Ibeju-Lekki-Epe axis. This axis will play a key role in the future prosperity of Lagos State as the home to many multi-billion naira private investments in the Lekki Free Trade Zone as well as the upcoming seaport and airport. As a government, we are irrevocably committed to making Lagos State an investment haven and we have made it a duty to put in place top class infrastructure that will facilitate movement of people, goods and materials. We are confident that these initiatives will boost commercial activities in this axis, support economic growth and significantly reduce travel time as well as other costs associated with traffic challenges.”
Today, traffic situation at the axis is a lot better. A banker friend that could not travel years ago to Epe because of traffic congestion, took a trip to Shakpati a suburb along Epe- Lekki road where he had an interest in a landed property, returned home with a smile. This is an approval that traffic situation on the road had improved courtesy the Jubilee Bridge. Equally, the demolition of some of the bottle-necks roundabouts has given hope that the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Dangote Refinery and proposed airport and deep sea port projects are quite realistic.
If governance is truly about adding value to people’s lives and propounding creative solutions to critical societal needs, then the Lagos State government is actually on the right path in its pact with the citizenry.
