The discreditable condition of the Old Ojo Road in the Amuwo Odofn Local Government Area of Lagos State has created agony in the neighborhoods as residents, motorists, and business operators lament their plight regarding the prolonged reconstruction of the road.
Walking through a cratered road and getting splashed with mud water by motorists and okada while waiting for a bus among other unpleasant encounters has become a sub-routine for most residents around Old Ojo Road.
The worsening condition of the road, whose reconstruction began several months ago, has taken a toll on dwellers, including road users and business operators, in the neighborhoods.
The decaying road is not just tearing up asphalt. It is tearing apart livelihoods, especially around the Maza Maza/Oluti axis.
Roadside business owners have been lamenting over the state of the road and it’s hinderance to their business. Gabriel Ibeabuchi, who deals in motor tyres, lamented the impact of the poor state of Old Ojo Road on his business. Ibeabuchi said: “People no longer follow this road anymore because of how bad it has been for years. So it is seriously affecting our businesses.
“Before the road became this bad, customers driving by might see where they are selling tyres and stop to buy them. However, since the road became deplorable, vehicles no longer access the road, hence our businesses here are suffering.”
A commercial bus driver, Godwin Onuoha, shared his experience plying the road in recent times. Onuoha said: “This road is not only affecting me/ It is affecting everybody. But we transporters here are mostly affected. When it rains, you won’t be able to work. So the road automatically reduces our income. The impact of the bad road on my vehicle is so enormous that I have been taking my bus to the auto-mechanic workshop for repair every week due to the damage caused by the bad road on this vehicle every day.”
A representative of the Royal Palace of Amu-Kuje in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Chief Sehu Ariyo, who is also the General Secretary of Kuje Amuwo Royal Family, said that for close to 10 years, the road has been in this terrible situation. Ariyo noted that during the tenure of a former local council chairman, who he simply identified as Sanusi, there used to be some kind of palliative work on the road until recently when nothing has been done about the road.