Bulldozers demolish structures under bridges, at motor parks •Ambode forges a Cleaner Lagos
In Lagos State, aides of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and residents who have become enamoured of the governor will argue the governor is working. That has become the sing song in the state anyway: Ambode is working, Lagos is working.
On Monday, September 18, 2017, many settlers, traders and bus operators living and operating under bridges, flyovers and other areas the state government deemed as constituting a nuisance to his Cleaner Lagos vision woke up to be hit by the practical vent to the ‘Ambode is working’ song.
Early on the Monday, the heavy sounds of bulldozers reverberated in the Ojuelegba and Ikeja areas of the Lagos metropolis as operatives of the Lagos State Taskforce moved in to dislodge illegal squatters from under the bridges in those areas.
The demolition operation began in the affected areas simultaneously following the expiration of the 48 hours quit notice given to those affected by the state government to vacate those areas.
Workers of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) collecting tolls from commercial bus drivers from commercial motorcycle operators at parks at Ojuelegba, Ikeja and Ojota were already at work when the task force bulldozers arrived.
Also, food vendors who had settled down to do their business of the day had barely settled down when the operatives stormed the parks and under the targeted bridges, along with armed policemen.
The food vendors, along with others who had converted spaces under the bridges to be their sleeping quarters, began scrambling to salvage whatever they could of their belongings.
At Ojuelegba, an elderly man, simply identified as Raouf who was understood to have been sleeping under the bridge for over 10 years, could not salvage his old mattress and paraffin stove before the demolition crew tore into his makeshift home made of corrugated iron sheet. “They came as early as 8am when I was at work,” Raouf said.
Also there, undesirable elements stripped off the zinc roofs of some shacks used as business arenas by petty traders before the demolishing job there.
Those who had moved their properties overnight before the expiration of the deadline counted themselves lucky as they watched the bulldozers moved from one end to another levelling structures.
Some miscreants who wanted to capitalise on the opportunity to loot property were unlucky as about 10 of them were arrested by the taskforce officials. Some other hoodlums, including members of the different transport unions, pelted the taskforce officials with stones and packs sachet water.
At the end of the operation on Monday, many commercial buses and motorcycles were impounded.
The chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, Superintendent of Police Olayinka Egbeyemi, had, indeed, warned at the weekend that the task force would carry out a full enforcement operation after the expiration of the 48hour ‘Quit Notice’ the agency had served on Sunday September 10, 2017 on illegal parks.
Egbeyemi maintained that all illegal motorists engaging in commercial activities at Ojuelegba and Ikeja, by the Ipodo market and Awolowo Way were duly served a ‘Quit Notice’ to vacate under bridges immediately.
He stated that siting of illegal garages and parks has been contributing to the chaotic traffic gridlock across the state, stressing that no responsible and responsive government would tolerate the kind of criminal activities carried out by hoodlums and miscreants around those illegal garages.
“I had advised motorists involved in illegal commercial activities under the bridges to comply with the directives. Those
He, however, appreciated the effort of the government in providing learning structures for both primary and secondary schools, but appealed that the compound be fenced for the protection of their children.
“The unfenced structures lead to pupils and students playing truancy, and they are exposed to dangers. The lack of fence at the school has paved way for kidnappers who hide behind bushes waiting for unsuspecting students,” he said.
He said recently, about four children were abducted by unknown individuals but that they were found through the collective prayers and search efforts of the people.
Lack of a pedestrian bridge on one of the roads on the outskirts of the community is another issue that has been bothering the residents.
The district head said there have been cases of students and even adult residents being hit by speeding vehicles but that their cries for intervention have similarly not been heeded.
The chief stressed the need for government to provide traffic warden that would help in controlling traffic and providing safe crossing for the children after school hours pending when a pedestrian bridge is constructed.
“The pedestrian bridge is something that will really help us as a community. In the last few years, our people have been hit several times by cars on the road and it is because of this that we need the bridge. Even if the government cannot provide a bridge for us, they should at least post a traffic warden that will control the traffic on that part of the road even if it will only be from morning to afternoon,” he urged.
Dodo also lamented that they lack drinkable water in the community. He said the only source of clean water was boreholes owned by individuals.
“The government’s attempt at providing water in the community has not been successful. Barely few weeks after the commissioning of a borehole, the tank stopped pumping and since then, we have not had potable water,” he lamented.
On how long the water tank had been malfunctioning, Dodo said it been down about four years now and they are left with no choice but to patronise water vendors for all their water needs.
He therefore appealed to the council authorities under the leadership of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu Candido to liaise with the FCTA to come to their aid.
He said the community wants AMAC to provide security of lives and property, good water supply, electricity and also rehabilitate the road to improve their lives.
Abubakar Salihu, a resident of Kado Kuchi also said that they lack good source of water, explaining that the government constructed a borehole in 2013 unfortunately the project did not last long and is now in a dilapidated state.
He said the authorities came and repaired it but up till date it is not useful, saying that they have been depending on hand dug boreholes belonging to individuals.
Another resident, Grace Daniel, said they have limited power supply. “They decide on when to supply electricity. Sometimes we go for two days on a stretch without having electricity but I have heard that the power is being rationed so we do not even know what they are planning for us. When we complained about the situation, they tell us that they were working on it,” she said.
Reacting, AMAC Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu Candido, said the council is working hard to meet the needs of the residents.
Candido who spoke through his chief press secretary, Dayo Lawal, said his administration had provided infrastructure to all communities across the council’s 12 wards.
“No fewer than 63 life-impacting projects have been done so far,” he said. He added that infrastructure would soon reach the community.