By Kelvin Adegbenga
On Thursday during a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said those who have lived in Lagos for 20 years have already lived in hell due to daily traffic congestion.
I was not surprised at the statement credited to el-Rufai as he is well known for making reckless speeches.
I believe that as we grow older and are saddled with more responsibilities, we are expected to become circumspect in our thinking and avoid recklessness in our speeches and utterances.
There is no doubt that the daily influx of people from crisis-ridden states like Kaduna State which is the most insecure state in the whole country with the highest rate of kidnapping, has contributed to the big human and vehicular pressure on the roads.
One of the major strategic moves of the Governor to reduce the daily traffic congestion is opening up many roads in the state.
From my research, the Sanwo-Olu administration has built over 94 roads and rehabilitated over 800 others
The road projects were undertaken to avert gridlock in major economic, commercial, and residential areas to reduce travel time.
These projects have made commuting stress-free, life more meaningful for the people, and ensured connectivity within the various communities in the state.
These projects are in line with the THEMES agenda; Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment, Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century state; Security and Governance especially the first pillar T, which stands for traffic management and transportation.
There is no doubt that the THEMES agenda also underscored the commitment of the administration to execute projects that directly impacted the quality of lives of residents.
For clarification purposes, I will list some of the completed road projects which include Pen-Cinema flyover, ramp and road works, Lagos Ogun Boundary roads Phase II, Lekki Oniru Traffic Circulation projects, network of 31 roads in Ojokoro, Aradagun-Epeme-Iworo-Ajido, and Somolu Road network among others.
Several others were under construction and being upgraded to further ensure the interconnectivity of different parts of the state. They include Oba Sekunmade Road, Agric Isawo Road, St. Finbarrs and Iwaya Roads, Lekki-Epe Expressway, from Eleko Junction to Epe T junction, and also Lekki Regional road project.
Other roads awarded included: Hospital Road in Badagry, Construction of Muwo Jetty in Ojo, Abaranje road network in Alimosho, Reverend Braithwaite in Epe.
Late 2021, Governor Sanwo-Olu would formally flag off the construction of a new ultramodern Massey Street Children’s hospital and the reconstruction/rehabilitation of Adeniji Adele Road under the Lagos Island Area North Action Plan.
Other newly awarded projects were: reconstruction of Moshalashi Street, Shomolu, rehabilitation/upgrading of Ademoye/Alake Lakonko Street in Alimosho, reconstruction of Onilegbale in Eti Osa, among others.
Known for matching action with his words, the Sanwo-Olu administration is ensuring the speedy completion of all the ongoing projects.
As part of measures to decongest Lagos road, the Lagos State Public Works Corporation had maintained 632 inner roads covering 192 kilometers in addition to over 24 public infrastructures to ensure the comfort of Lagos residents.
With the above, there is no doubt that the Sanwo-Olu administration has done exceedingly well in line with the THEMES agenda.
My advice to el-Rufai is to face the myriad of problems he has caused in Kaduna state instead of making comments capable of stoking division in Nigeria.
Instead of fixating on Lagos State and the soaring popularity of Governor Sanwo-Olu, I expect el-Rufai to show remorse that he was part of those who brought in crisis to Kaduna State, which has contributed to the big human and vehicular pressure on Lagos roads.
Kelvin Adegbenga writes from Festac Town, Lagos State He can be reached via @kelvinadegbenga