LAGOS ROADS ARE IN A SHAMBLES -Adonai Gideön Adonai

Driving, travelling or journeying is expected to be a time of leisure, pleasure and pleasant experiences. This is why tourism has become a global phenomenon explored by people of all classes. In Lagos however, journeying has become torturing, horrifying and a nightmare to road users. Passengers who are travelling to other parts of the country often heave a sigh of relief whenever they read the billboard 'Goodbye to Lagos'. Commuters who travel to work either pick up quarrels with drivers or conductors. Some have adjusted their time and patience to suit the ugly situation while a host of many others simply take to biking to avoid delays, gridlocks and heartaches.

The Nigerian roads suffer from different forms of aliments and deformities. Shakespeare says 'disease desperately grown with desperate appliance is relieved'. For Lagos, it is our roads desperately grown with diseases, only desperate minds can ply. Confronted with too many users without alternative routes in many cases, the roads suffer severe breakdowns too often. Embattled by lorries which in America are referred to as trucks, many of them carrying containers, petrol or diesel, the roads become weaker and lose their resilience and thermodynamics. The 'squelching tar' described in Soyinka's "Telephone Conversation" does not happen. It is rumble, tremble and crash! There is no gainsaying that Lagos roads are in a shambles.

The trucks first, have formed a formidable obstruction that no one has got a control over, not even the executive governor. They have taken two lanes of the express way on the Mile II to Apapa Wharf Road. And on the service lanes, they have also divided the road into two, taking one on each to themselves. On many occasions, lorries carrying highly inflammable contents usually fall of, emptying their contents and claiming innocent lives and valuable property. This has happened twice at Cele bus stop and at least quatre time. No condolence letters served to communities affected in the national dailies or on a live broadcast. The following day, usual activities of the day resume. News headlines would say the honourable minister condemns the reckless truck drivers. And that the executive governor regrets the accident and has had meeting with operators. Less than four fortnights, the ugly situation simply repeats it self, taking its on the lives of precious Lagosians. Peoples of different cultures who have found a Dubai in African soil, oblivious of its death traps.

The same situation is prevalent in the Mile II to Badagry Express Way. This is particular has raised concerns among residents and road users. An honourable minister and erstwhile governor had once fallen out with a sitting governor. The road is utterly helpless, and hapless and interestingly enough, users have adapted to the situation. Apart from too many vehicles releasing hazardous and neauaeting fumes into the air, the untarred and unmaintained road releases overpowering dusts into the air and infecting unsuspecting commuters with influenza. Many of them being great talents of our dear nation, retirees, pregnant women and breastsucking infants.

Commercial motorcyclists, many of them being amateurs have flooded the road under our study with a locally produced grinding machine glorified with two tyres, an exhaust pipe, a fuel tank and a long seat without safety kits. They have gracefully found a means of leaving, many of them have taken this sickening incident as a business opportunity. Who is the first place is bold to confront someone who sees disastrous situation and creates an occupation for himself to make ends meet. As our people say, 'it is one who steals that corrupts a child'. Whoever falls off from their bike only finds themselves on the ground with in the midst of pity parties, likes and comments seekers who make a short video of the accident and upload them online. Who cares about ambulances in the city of Lagos? Monkeys do not eat mayonnaise. Ambulances do not work in Lagos. Three are for the records. Whenever they are called, they arrive late since they are also affected by the same situation. Everyone is helpless.

Our forbears always admonish with a proverb, 'if the anus gets rotten, the rottenness belongs to the owner of the anus.' The cries and appeals of anus owners have definitely fallen to deaf ears. To appeal to their weak emotions and silence their 'barkings' a supposed indigene has been filed as the deputy. That does not ascertain that these heartaches would be relieved. Well, as an old man always say, 'if a little boy's hands have not yet grabbed the handle of a sword, he never questions the kind of death which has killed his father.'  Their chickens of course are coming home to roost.
@adonaigideon