Residents and shop owners have decried the poor state of Old Ipaja Road, Agege, saying that it impedes free flow of traffic and causes avoidable accidents.

Motorists plying the corridor also complained over the regular damage done to their vehicles by the decrepit road.

Our correspondent, who visited the neighbourhood on Wednesday, observed that potholes and craters littered several portions of the road.

Drivers and tricycle riders were seen making effort to avoid potholes and slowing down to navigate some spots they could not escape.

Some of the worst portions include Sofunde, Agbotikuyo, Mulero, Abekoko bus stops.

Our correspondent saw some workers of the Lagos State Public Works Corporation filling up one of the potholes with bitumen but residents said the palliative measure would only last for a short time, calling on the government to completely rehabilitate the road.

One of the landlords at Sofunde, Babatunde Omotosho, said, “The road causes a lot of traffic. It became bad about eight years ago. Sometime last year, a tricycle rider drove against traffic to escape gridlock. It had a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle at Sofunde junction and all the passengers were seriously injured. We are beg the government to reconstruct the road. They should also help us clear the drainage.”

The chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at Mulero unit, Lukman Babatunde, said the road damaged vehicles, adding that his members, who are tricycle riders, always complained.

He stated, “This road is bad and has been giving us serious problems. It usually spoils our tricycles. It has been in a bad state for years now. The worst spots are in Sofunde, AP, Agbotikuyo, Mulero, Abekoko, among others. Government should help us to rehabilitate it. Many inner roads on this axis are also poor.”

Moses Oladele, who sells building materials at Mulero, said the poor state of the highway had also negatively impacted on his business.

He stated, “Sometimes, there will be traffic on the road. Drivers meander to the roadside meant for passersby in an attempt to avoid the potholes. Sometime last week, a truck broke down in one of the potholes and caused gridlock. It took about an hour before the vehicle was fixed.

“Many times, the traffic affects my business. It is difficult for me to offload goods from the truck that brings them. The government has been doing some palliative work, putting granite and sand in the potholes but after a while, flood will wash it away and the bad portions will resurface. They should help us fix the road completely so that it won’t cause more damage.”

A landlady, Mrs Oluwasola Opebi, appealed to the government to construct the road, saying it was difficult for schoolchildren to walk by the roadside as motorists struggled to avoid potholes.

She added, “The last time they filled the portholes with sand, floods washed it away after some days.”

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, said the government was working on a number of roads in the state and promised to reach out to the relevant agency regarding the Old Ipaja Road.

He said, “In Lagos, we have almost 10,000 roads and as we speak Public Works Corporation is working. We are working on some of the major roads. Most of the traffic around Lagos is as a result of construction work that is going on.

“We have to be mindful of what people are saying so that they don’t undergo too much stress because of road work. All hands are on deck to ensure that as many roads as possible are fixed. But as regards this specific road, I will find out.”