Residents of 4th Avenue, Rofo community, off Femi Atewolara Street in the

Ikorodu area of Lagos have lamented the state of the only road that links them to major areas of the state.The residents who spoke with newsmen in separate interviews on Tuesday lamented that poor drainage in the area had led to a deep and wide cut on the road following flooding, and had almost completely cut them out from adjoining routes.

Our correspondent gathered that the trench had made the residents abandon their vehicles outside the community because the crater-like hole was capable of swallowing their vehicles.

One of the residents, Mr Banji Adebayo, told newsmen that it was difficult to take pregnant women to hospitals in the area because they always had to put them on bikes.

Adebayo said, “The road is not tarred. The trench has almost cut off the road. Pregnant women are put on motorcycles. Vehicles cannot ply the road again.

“A child was rescued after falling in the pit recently. We were surprised the child did not even die. People just saw that the child’s head was popping up in the water that filled the trench when it rained and they rescued the child.

“The Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area has not done anything about it. The Community Development Association has visited them and informed them about it several times but to no avail. They should just fill it even if they cannot construct the road. Primary school pupils take that route. The road leads to Odongunyan, LASPOTECH, and other major areas.”

Another resident, identified simply as Mr Taofik said the residents’ experiences on the road were horrible.

The Chairman, Itesiwaju Community Development Association, Pastor Odusanya Oluwasegun, said the situation was giving the community problems, including flooding that wreaks havoc in the area.

Odusanya said, “Flooding has almost torn the road apart. We have tried several times to inform the LCDA but it’s been to no avail. This rainy season, water floods our houses, even apart from that trench. Some people came from the State Ministry of Rural

Development to check it but we have not seen anything done. We wrote to them around December last year. We are thinking of reminding them again. Vehicles cannot ply the road.”

Contacted, the Councillor, Ward E1, Odongunyan in the area, Abimbola Adaramola, said the road project was beyond the local government.

Adaramola said, “I have reported to the LCDA Chairman and I believe that the chairman would have written to the state about it. It’s when I see the chairman now that I can ask him how far the process has gone.”

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