Story from Kenneth AFOR, Lagos
Residents of Satellite Town in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos state, are complaining of the worsening state of roads in the area as well as neglect of the state government over the years.
The town, which is largely characterised as a place where retires of Federal Government reside and a preferred location for residential settlement is now faced with infrastructural deficits ranging from the deplorable state of roads, lack of social amenities, unethical business activities such as the citing of petroleum tank farms in the area among others.
Based on this, various Community Development Associations (CDA’s) in the area and the Satellite Town Forum (STF) have vowed to continue their agitations demanding for the attention of the state government for swift response in addressing the infrastructural deficit in the area as well as cautioning business owners over citing of businesses such as the petroleum products tank farms which are injurious to the human health.
The current complaints by residents in the area which have overtime been an agitating in rehabilitating the dilapidated roads in the area caused by flooding during heavy downpours, lack of maintenance by the state government, inadequate drainages, increasing number of petrol tankers plying a major road in the area linking to the Lagos-Badagry express road daily in conveying petroleum products from the area to various destinations across the country, and long hours of indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty trucks and trailers thereby distorting traffic which has become unbearable for motorists in the area and residents as well.
It is with this that prompted Neptune Prime to go round the area to assess the state of roads that are in deplorable conditions.
Residents mentioned the Buba Marwa road, Union Bank, First Bank, Shell Estate, Doyin Estate roads, Alakija To Navy Town road, Fin-Niger, Dantata to Alakija roads, Ijegun Waterside road, Felix Egbamuno street, Fin-Niger to Abule-Ado roads, NITEL road among others.
Also, they have complained of the citing of petroleum products tank farms in the area which members of the House of Representatives, the federal government and the state government during a visit to the area have intervened on the matter thereby appealing to members of the community to co-exist with operators of the tank farms.
However, according to the Chairman of STF, Mr Govenor Imitini, in a telephone interview with Neptune Prime, on Wednesday, October 28, the Chairman of Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Alhaja Ramota Akinola-Hassan had in her capacity rehabilitated a couple of roads in the area such as the 500 metres Close 1 to Close 16 (Constitution Road), 100 metre NIRA to Goodness Hotel Road, and the rehabilitation of Isetedo Street, opposite Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Estate II before Alakija Bus Stop.
Imitini added that the Council Chairman has forwarded the demands of the community to the state government during one of their meetings with her, yet the state has not responded to the yearnings of the community. Efforts were made to get in touch with the person in charge of Works and Infrastructure in the LCDA was unsuccessful, we were told the person in charge was not on seat.
Speaking to an Okada rider, Mustapha, who gets his daily income carrying passengers on most of the dilapidated roads, he confides to Neptune Prime that within a month he changes his tyres twice coupled with the daily dues they pay to the council.
Also, shop owners along most of the roads are experiencing low patronage of customers due to the condition of the roads.
A frozen food seller told Neptune Prime that she had to relocate to another place to continue her business because her customers have stopped coming to patronise her, the frozen food seller and other business owners in the area are experiencing the same narrative in the satellite town.
On the other hand, transport fare in the area has increase, the shortest distance for a mini-bus which would normally cost N50 has skyrocketed to N100 while the longest distance is N150 but prices during the raining season when there is a heavy downpour can double on the distances, likewise for Okada.
To reduce the burdens felt by community members, some of the CDA’s have resorted to fixing some portions of the roads linking to their residence.
Satellite Town itself and has been completely left out of the scheduled periodic road maintenance exercise carried out by the Lagos state Minister of Works and Infrastructure which ought not to be so.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
