The Lagos State Chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has flayed the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the dilapidated state of major roads in the megacity. The party noted that with the coming of the rains, most roads in the state have become difficult for motorists to use, just as it called on the government to urgently repair, maintain and construct roads in the state, which are currently in deplorable State. The SPN made its position known in a press statement signed by Comrade Rufus Olusesan, State Chairperson, and Shoyombo Monsuru, Publicity Secretary, and made available to The Explainer.
The party lamented that among several roads in the state which, either wholly or partly, are now in different abject conditions are the Ikorodu-Epe Road, Abule-Egba to Ajegunle toll gate, Ibeju-Lekki-Epe Road, Lagos-Benin Expressway, Mile two (2) to Badagry Expressway, and theApapa – Oshodi Expressway.
“All these roads are critical for daily users most especially for commerce and to ease movements in the state being the commercial nerve center of the country,” it said. The party further argued that the terrible state of the roads, despite the huge monthly Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) of the Lagos State Government aside the statutory allocation from the Federal Government is a sad tale of bad governance by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government.” Subsequently, the SPN lamented that with the torrential rainfall in the state, most of the roads had become inaccessible due to flooding, exposing the “mega-rot” of the “Mega-City”.
“The collapse of the roads reflects the failure of the contract system wherein big business friends and party loyalists are rewarded with inflated and fraudulent contracts. What is urgently needed is adequately funded workers and community-controlled public works programme that will repair, maintain and reconstruct the roads, build houses and other physical infrastructures in the State. We call on the working masses and the poor to build a mass movement against flooding, poor State of roads and absence of basic amenities in Lagos State to force the Lagos State Government to do the needful,” the party said.
