It is often said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; it would be instructive to add that if that 'Journey' is to be embarked upon along Lagos-Benin expressway, it should start with a heart palpitation. The 37-year-old road has undoubtedly taken an unimaginable toll on Nigerians beating several public commentators into submission. Characteristically, many of you may believe I am flogging a horse, if not dead certainly at its point of mortal demise, but I must, for I have been stung again and every new urtication brings verdant memories of the perennial neglect accorded Nigerians by the government. Many of you who have made it a religion travelling back to your ancestral roots every year can regard this as an updated 'tour guide'. The tragedy of governance in Nigeria is put on display right from the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, through Shagamu-Benin highway up through the East-West road that dumps one at Port-Harcourt. These roads have been aptly aliased 'Hellways' and the evidence of the demons is carcasses of cars sprawled along the sides, quickly sending the dictionary meaning of an 'expressway' into disrepute. Successive governments have siphoned billions of naira over the past 19 years under the deceptive veil of fixing the Shagamu-Benin expressway, yet, the road still has the semblance of a criminal smuggling route, one that has been given legitimacy by the government. Several works Ministers have huffed and puffed, accused contractors and even shed tears but failed to achieve the primary aim of their office. If Nigeria was a Bible a regular verse would read; 'Ministers will come and go, but the hazardous Shagamu-Benin road shall remains'.Not wanting to feel left out on the frustration being meted out to travellers due to the neglect of the road by the government, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as they are wont to do, add their spice to the misfortune. The amount of roadblocks that line up that road reminds one of the Civil-War era, almost as though there is a calculated attempt to make you relive a dark period in Nigerian history forcefully. The attendant traffic gridlock caused by these illegal 'toll-gates', mostly created with heavy logs of wood and unused tyres, is quite unbelievable. Several times they leave these woods behind causing fatal accidents. Every new Inspector-General of Police that comes makes it a point of duty to pronounce illegal checkpoints on the highway, yet, I counted 59 from Lagos to Warri (excluding two Nigeria Customs posts). Little wonder people do not bother about the re-introduction of a few more toll-gates by the Federal government. The lawlessness of heavy-duty vehicle drivers along the highways also contributes to the travel-torture. Aside being directly responsible for a lot of the vehicular-carcasses that litter the road side they also make it a point of duty to park indiscriminately along the road. The Ore axis of the road has been converted into a parking lot of some sort, and it seems to have been rubberstamped as two police-posts are stone-throws away either side. A journey that should have taken me four hours was completed in 10 hours and I was lucky not to have met with officials of yet another principal partner in the road-travel tragedy; The armed robbers. They have found the bad terrain of the roads conducive for their nefarious activities and unleash unspeakable mayhem whenever they strike. Sadly, highways in other countries like Sudan, Benin, Egypt and India, etc, are a minimum of six lanes, but you find yourself sharing two-lanes for most part of the journey on this road. Sadly, the solutions to this national disgrace are not far-fetched, but implementation has always been the problem. If we had a rail system that worked effectively and extensively across the length of this country the pressure on the roads would greatly reduce and the deterioration rate would be slower. The government needs to remove all police checkpoints from the road, and probably set up special highway patrol teams, but definitely not those marauding road-blocking units again.There is also the need to start punishing contractors who have failed to execute projects after they have been paid. And if the reason adduced for their non-completion is lack of mobilisation, the minister in charge should be charged to court for breach of public trust. We deserve better than that road as Nigerians.'Sylvester wrote in from 12 Jida Road, Agbara, Lagos State.
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