Residents of Shasha community in Lagos lament bad road, flood

The Guardian reports that residents of Lawal Street, Ikoti Street and its environs in Shasha community in Alimosho Local Council of Lagos State have decried the deplorable state of the roads in the area.

Some of the residents, who spoke to The Guardian lamented the pathetic state of the roads, which have endangered lives and property, especially when it rains.

According to The Guardian, a resident of Lawal Street, Mrs. Kemi Lawal, said deplorable state of the road is worsening by the day, as a result of erosion. She stressed that residents live in fear whenever there is down pour.

“The road has been in this terrible state for a long time and whenever it rains, everywhere is flooded and people are stranded”.

The Guardian reports that Miss Maureen Wilson, who also resides on Lawal Street, attributed the state of the road to the poor drainage system in the community.

In addition, The Guardian reports that a shop owner on Lawal Street, Mrs. Kikelomo Salami revealed that the road, which was not accessible to vehicles, had been like that for over three decades.

According to her, the road, which had been neglected by the government, has endangered the lives of children. She narrated how a child drowned in the flood. “A little boy came to buy food from me and was carried away by the flood. If it had not been for the intervention of young men in the area, he would have died.”

When The Guardian visited the home of the young boy, his mother Mrs. Lillian Nkwocha, confirmed the incident.

The Guardian reports that Mr. Tunde Salau, a landlord in Ikoti Street, said several letters had been written to Lagos State Government over the state of the road but nothing has happened.

“We keep on sending letters to the government secretariat and they keep promising the road would be repaired. We have not seen anything yet”, he said.

According to The Guardian, the acting Secretary of Shasha-Ajegunle Community Development Association (CDA), Mr. Olasukanmi Moseobalaje, stressed that the community was faced with the challenges of road network and poor drainage channel.

He said that the CDA had written to the state government on several occasions but the community was yet to get any response.

The Guardian reports that the vice-chairman of Oke-Shasha CDA, Mr. Michael Idowu disclosed that the community had been on the issue of the road repair since the era of Lateef Jakande.

“We wrote to Governor Akinwumi Ambode, who promised that the issue would be resolved next year February.

“We hope that it will be resolved this time around so that we can enjoy the dividend of democracy,” he added.

Source: The Guardian