Residents and Drivers Express Frustration Over Bad Lagos Road

The damaged road. Photo: Dayo Oyewo

Residents and drivers are unhappy about the bad state of Alfa Nla Road in Agege, Lagos State. They are calling for immediate repairs.

PUNCH Metro found that the road's condition has caused ongoing traffic jams and difficulties for those using it.

People are worried about the state of the road, especially a part that floods every time it rains.

When PUNCH Metro visited on Tuesday, we saw that the bad section of the road was filled with big potholes and covered in stagnant rainwater.

This situation made it hard for drivers to get through. The road connects the Pen Cinema and Oke-Koto areas of the community.

Residents told our reporter that the road has been in bad shape for about three years without any help from the government.

They pointed out that the problem gets worse during the rainy season because blocked drains stop rainwater from flowing properly.

A resident, who gave his name as Akeem, said both drivers and residents have called for repairs many times but have not seen any results.

He explained that the damaged part has become a major cause of traffic jams in the area, especially in the evenings.

"The road has been like this for about three years. Once it starts raining, the water remains here because the drainage is completely blocked. Every day, motorists struggle to pass through this place," he said.

Another resident, Bose Adeyemi, said the road's condition often makes drivers leave the damaged lane and use the opposite side.

She said, "The traffic is usually terrible from around 6 p.m. Vehicles, especially commercial buses, are forced to use the other lane while facing oncoming vehicles. The other lane is now gradually getting damaged due to the pressure from the traffic."

While she spoke, our reporter saw some buses already driving against traffic to avoid the damaged part of the road.

A commercial bus driver, Sulaimon Yusuf, said the bad road has raised vehicle maintenance costs.

He added that drivers often have to slow down to protect their vehicles.

"You have to be very careful when driving through this road, especially when it rains. Some of the potholes are hidden under the water and can damage your vehicle if you are not familiar with the lane," he said.

Residents blamed the worsening road condition on blocked drains along that stretch.

They said that rainwater not flowing through the drains has made the road worse and increased the risk of flooding.

"If you look at the side of the road, you will hardly believe there used to be a drainage there. It has been completely covered and now looks like an ordinary floor. This happened over time as the road continued to deteriorate," another unnamed resident said.

They are urging the Agege Local Government and the Lagos State Government to act quickly before the road becomes completely unusable.

The spokesperson for the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Adesina Odunuga, was not available for comment on Tuesday. Calls to his phone went unanswered, and he had not replied to a text message by the time this report was filed.