The Calamitous Ayobo Road

Ayobo Road, Bisi Yusuf and Fashola’s failed promise

It was a cloudy afternoon in a Lagos suburb. I was returning from a youth congress together with many campus students in the popular Lagos BRT. Suddenly, it started to rain. It was pouring in furious torrents. But as we burst into the opening, it became clear to us we were in for a terrible experience. We were actually on the calamitous Ipaja-Ayobo Road. Ahead were gullies with pools of stagnant filthy water, bellowing audible threats to oncoming vehicles. Houses and shops were sealed and their occupants taken under house arrest as the waters flooded their homes and extended to the streets. Two young men took cover by turning large iron sheets on themselves. Cars were recklessly parked on the road, abandoned by their frustrated owners. I also observed heaps of sands beside the road, eroded by previous downpours with weeds freely playing on their remains. There were rolls of concretes and slabs apparently meant for the reconstruction of the road pelted with grey matters to protest their neglect and desertion. It was the story of an area without any governmental oversight. Distraught, I hung my head in shame.

The BRT we were travelling in also had its fair share of the assault. At a particular point, it came to a screeching halt. The tired vehicle could not continue the hazardous journey as the carcass was already badly cut and damaged by the hard core of the parched road which had not been covered by the deluge. One of us had to courageously step into the deep muddy water to assist the driver in picking parts of the carcass that had been torn by the road. The driver’s indignation was palpable and understandable but thankfully, the bus is the property of the owner of the road. But as we moved a little further one of those in the bus intoned: ‘May the road of our lives not be like this Ipaja-Ayobo Road’ A resonating Amen greeted the prayer. But who would believe that only two months ago, Ipaja-Ayobo along with Mushin Local Government, was adjudged the best performing LCDA in Lagos by the NUJ under the chairmanship of Mr. Wahab Oba?

The Ipaja-Ayobo road has remained an albatross. Every Lagosian that has ever plied that road has a sad tale to tell. Cars are stuck in the innumerable potholes that adorn the road and traffic jam is a usual sight. Businesses have crumbled and commuters stranded because of the shortage of vehicles plying the area. In fact, the road is a monument of disgrace to the mega city of Lagos.

Every community efforts made to fix the road has proved abortive. Every time it rains, the efforts are drained and the condition of the road festered. The youths in the area have also shown commendable resilience to find a lasting solution to the challenge. But the limitations of their human and material resources render them impotent in the face of this Kilimanjaro of a problem.

The road in question was constructed about 13 years ago without drainage and that is why there has been the perennial problem of flooding. The road is said to be under the administration of the state government. What’s surprising is that the government are not unaware of the deplorable condition of the road. They know about the economic loss of the residents of Ipaja-Ayobo, yet they look the other side. It was claimed that the Ipaja-Ayobo Chairman, Mr. Bisi Yusuf relocated to Victoria Island which he denied. But why should anyone believe him? It was also alleged that he prevented Deeper Life and Winners Chapel from reconstructing the road. What a Luddite! Does he or any of his acolytes make any gain from the problem? He shamelessly said in a recent interview in Punch newspaper ‘We have commenced the filling and grading of the road from Ayetoro boundary to Abesan Estate Gate’. It is important that Yusuf gives an account of his stewardship. After almost four years in office, all he could do is filling and grading. The reporter of the story could not hide his disappointment over the feeble effort of the local government as he said he saw ‘workmen’, who described themselves as members of the Abesan Gate Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, using bare hands to pick slabs of hard tar that seemed to have been brought from another failed road to fill whatever they could of the failed road. I read the bitter comment of one of his party loyalists on Facebook. The man swore to turn his back on the party if nothing is done before 2011 and even urged people to vote against the party. What a shame!

What is the the state government doing about this? Governor Fashola’s exploit in giving Lagos a facelift is widely publicised and celebrated. He delivered on many of his promises and showed that he could be trusted. So far, he has done creditably well and deserves the accolades. Sincerely, I did not pay attention to all the promises he made during his campaigns and so, I am not qualified to score him vis-à-vis his achievements. But I was there when he publicly declared before cameras and videos at the burial ceremony of Pastor Kumuyi’s wife that he would start working on the Ipaja-Ayobo road. He received rapturous applause. It was a single promise hence the ease of monitoring its fulfilment as opposed to the flurry of political promises which may be hard to assess. That was about two years ago. Nothing has been done. I have since then been disappointed in the state government for abandoning the people of Ipaja-Ayobo to their fate despite the heavy tax they pay into the state’s coffers.


I want to appeal to the conscience of the Governor to rise and give the residents of Ipaja-Ayobo a sense of belonging and a new lease of life. I am not living in the area but I sure feel their pulse in my occasional visits. What do they have to show for the four years of BRF administration? Destroyed property, wasted opportunities, irrevocable economic losses and governmental deception I suppose. What right does he have to expect votes from the people of the area who are obviously not reaping the dividends of democracy? Fashola’s government is ineffectual as far as they wake up every morning and return only to bemoan their woes. If he is not paying lip service to his mantra ‘Eko O ni baje’, then the people of Ayobo must receive immediate attention and intervention. Not in the next tenure, but now!

I also want to strongly appeal to the people of Ipaja-Ayobo to shine their eyes and make the right choice in the coming election. They must not vote for any political demagogue based on sentiments and sweet talk. It is so sad that for many years they have been going through this distressing experience and successive state and local governments have not shown serious commitment to the reconstruction of the road. They must vote out selfish and irresponsible governments that plunder their resources and sabotage their efforts. Ipaja-Ayobo people, your vote is your voice!

By Folarin Samson
400 Level, Mass communication, University of Lagos, Akoka
childofdkingdom@yahoo.com, 080305772852