Infrastructure nightmare: Lekki residents of Sangotedo spend over 7 hours in gridlock

Lekki is a city and naturally formed Peninsula in Lagos state.
The stretch between Ajah and Sangotedo - communities within the Lekki axis - saw gridlock on Independence Day due to rain
More rain on Wednesday, October 2nd, saw Lekki residents spend over 7 hours in traffic commuting from Victoria island to Sangotedo and beyond.
The gridlock is because of a damaged part of the Lekki expressway that floods when it rains and reduces the road to a single lane
Residents took to Twitter to vent at Lagos Governor Sanwo-Olu but should he be the focus of their anger?

Rain shuts down parts of Nigeria’s megacity, Lekki’s Sangotedo Market is 23 kilometers away from the Four Points Sheraton hotel which is located in Victoria Island. On a good day without traffic, it’s a 30 to 35-minute commute by car.

In rush-hour traffic, depending on its severity, it can take as long as an hour and a half to over two hours.

On Wednesday, October 2nd, however, was an otherworldly experience for Lekki residents heading home to Sangotedo, Ibutu, Awoyaya, and beyond as they spent over 7 hours in traffic because of a damaged road.

This is the same time it takes to take a flight from Ikeja Lagos to London or Dubai.

Earlier in the day, at around 10 a.m, traffic from the Abraham Adesanya roundabout on Lekki to the Sangotedo market took over an hour. The distance from the roundabout to the market is just 6.3 kilometers and can normally be completed in 10 minutes. This was a sign of worse things to come as day turned to night.

Is the Governor to blame?

While it is natural for residents to vent at the Governor, one wonders if other elected officials responsible for districts of Lagos state where Lekki falls into should also be in the line of the polity’s fire.

At the National Assembly level, Oluremi Tinubu, wife of former Lagos governor and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), represents Lagos central senatorial district covering the Lekki axis.

Also, Babajide Obanikoro, representing Eti Osa Federal Constituency and Gbolahan Yishawu, a lawmaker representing Eti-Osa Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly should be held accountable.

However, the Governor Samwo-Olu at The Platform on Tuesday, October 1st, said his government will lay metropolitan fibre optic cable across the city to drive traffic compliance and laws.

Residents of Nigeria’s megacity lament 7 hour commute home due to bad roads, but should their ire be directed at Governor Sanwo-olu?

Is the Governor to blame?

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