Ambode Extends Midas Touch to Iyana Oworo
After personally witnessing the terrible traffic caused by the Iyana Oworo Bus Stop and the long hours commuters spent on a daily basis, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently constructed a segregated bus park to decongest the persistent traffic o
On June 18, 2015, when Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode alongside officials of the State Government especially from the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure embarked on a tour of some major traffic points in the metropolis, the intention was clear.
Prior to the tour, there had been series of complaints from residents on the increasing traffic gridlock that had enveloped major parts of the state since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.
To make matters worse, the constant traffic was giving rise to the activities of petty robbers and hoodlums who took advantage of the opportunity to rob unsuspecting motorists of their possessions in traffic.
For most Lagosians, it was a situation that required urgent attention. Governor Ambode did not hesitate to respond swiftly.
First, he directed the State Ministry of Transportation to identify problematic traffic points in the metropolis of which the ministry immediately embarked upon and briefed the Governor on their findings.
Consequently, the June 18 visit saw the Governor inspect Ojodu Berger Bus Stop, Iyana Oworo Bus Stop, Ketu, Abule Egba, Alimosho and Mile 12 areas.
In each of the locations, the Governor descended from his vehicle and with his team, they conducted an on the spot assessment of the circumstances that usually contribute to the traffic snarl.
At the Iyana Oworo bus stop, the Governor’s passion to address the situation was obvious.
Traffic Jam seemed to have found a new home inward and outward of Iyana Oworo, subjecting residents living on the Mainland and working on the Island untold hardship and hours of traffic on a daily basis.
On an average, Lagosians returning from the Island have to contend with traffic from the UNILAG waterfront down to Iyana Oworo Bus Stop owing to the activities of commercial buses dropping and picking passengers at the bus stop without taking into cognisance the situation their activities were posing to residents.
But with his sleeves rolled and from a vantage point on the Pedestrian Bridge by the bus-stop Ambode analysed the situation from his personal experience as well as from feedbacks by Lagosians and gave room for members of his team to make their own informed contributions to the discussion.
For him, the decision to embark on a personal inspection of the situation was to have a feel of what Lagosians were going through and how they intended to solve it.
“I have here with me, heads of agencies that are really concerned about the traffic situation. I like them to speak to you directly and let you know that we are together as a team, we're going to start seeing solutions to the traffic challenges that we experience in Lagos.
“It's not enough for us stay to in the office and believe that we can create solutions to the traffic challenge that we have in the state. So, we decided that we are going to go round ourselves and see how we can improve on the traffic situation in Lagos. What we have done in the last three hours is to show that we are greatly concerned about the traffic gridlock that we have been experiencing in the last few months.”
Matching words with action, not too long after the inspection, work commenced at