Have you travelled on Lagos-Ibadan expressway lately?

I have heard horrible stories in the past of how travellers had had to spend the night on the all-important Lagos-Ibadan Expressway but I did not have a first hand experience until recently and the experience was anything but nice. And it wasn’t just once but twice in less than two weeks when I was stranded on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for several frustrating hours.

The first was two Saturdays ago. I had gone to Lagos that morning to attend a meeting and had told the family that I would be back latest by 4p.m. Leaving Lagos at 2p.m. that day, I thought I might even make it to Ibadan earlier. I had not reckoned with the fact that it was month-end and that my journey back home coincided with the end of the Holy Ghost Convention at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

I had hardly crossed the bridge at Berger around the point where Lagos State ends and Ogun State begins when the traffic inexplicably slowed down. But it was still moving until we got to the MFM and all vehicles came to a standstill. Quickly, some of the vehicles coming behind us took to the other side of the road facing the traffic coming into Lagos from Ibadan. Within the twinkle of an eye, both sides of the dual carriageway were brought to a grinding halt. I spent the next five hours navigating my way.

When the unhappy motorists began to criticize the RCCG for the monthly traffic jam that its programmes wrought on motorists, being a member of the church, I felt vicariously responsible for their plight and a tinge of guilt swept across my mind. I could not participate in the debate right there in the middle of the road. I joined RCCG in 1996 inspired by the Christ-like disposition of the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and ever since it is a church I have always been proud of. But I didn’t feel proud this particular day. Rather, I just wished the church in conjunction with the Ogun State government will do something fast to relieve motorists on Nigeria’s most important road of their agony. I didn’t want my church to be associated with the insensitivity of inflicting pains on people.

As agonizing as the traffic snarl was, there was enough drama to keep everyone amused. I must have witnessed about four boxing bouts resulting from frayed nerves by motorists whose vehicles collided in the rush to change lanes. At a point, a musician who was on his way to an engagement but was held up in the traffic decided after his bus developed engine problem to set up shop by the roadside to provide free entertainment for all. The most interesting for me was however the people’s parliament where virtually every issue under the sun came up for discussion. The two persons who came under intense scrutiny and heavy criticism were ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who was roundly condemned over his road construction record or lack of it in his eight years in power; and the incumbent Umaru Yar’Adua whose slow approach to governance was denounced.

If that Saturday’s traffic gridlock could be blamed on RCCG, the one I witnessed last Thursday is a different kettle of fish altogether. The blame rest squarely with trailer drivers who had created bottlenecks by parking their trailers on both sides of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from Ibafo up to Mowe. I was coming from Port Harcourt that fateful day. My plane landed at the MMA at 4.40p.m. and I thought that despite the rain I still had ample time to make it to Ibadan before dusk. With my driver busy in Ibadan with the task of fetching my children from school that afternoon, I had no choice than to charter a taxi. Little did I know that I would end up spending a lonely night in a hotel in Ibafo rather than the comfort of my Ibadan home. But I didn’t quite know until close to midnight .

The journey was smooth up to about 500 metres to MFM and the traffic jam became rather intractable. Like the previous Saturday, impatient motorists from our side quickly crossed to the other side blocking the traffic from Ibadan. In a short while, both sides of the road had been blocked. But I still had hope that I was going to see my family that evening. I called my wife to tell her that I would be arriving rather late and requested that she delay going to bed till 11p.m. when I was sure that no matter how bad the situation could be, I would be at home.

By 10.30p.m. when I was still around the vicinity of Ibafo, it began to dawn on me that I might not get to Ibadan that night. I was still thinking about what to do when somebody announced that robbers had begun to rob motorists and commuters of their bags and money ahead. Now I had some money on me. Worse still, I had lost a Nokia 9300 Communicator to phone thieves in a similar traffic jam the previous week. I was not ready to part with any more phones or even my wrist watch and other belongings to some evil boys.

I put on my thinking cap and immediately jumped down, paid off the driver and made for the side of the road. I called Kayode Akinmade, SA Media to the Speaker of the House of Representatives who lives at Mowe to direct me to the best hotel around. That happened to be Gold Standard Hotel at Ibafo. I quickly made my way to the hotel and booked for a room. While completing the formalities, more frustrated travelers joined and in a short while all the rooms had been taken.

I woke up by 6a.m. the following morning to be confronted by the traffic jam which had stubbornly refused to disappear. At 8a.m., I could wait no more and had to take an Okada to Mowe where my driver was waiting for me to take me to Ibadan. At Ogere, the notorious mid-point between Lagos and Ibadan where the dual carriageway had been turned into one huge trailer park, I was mightily relieved to spend only 30 minutes to negotiate the one kilometer distance sandwiched between trailers and tankers which had virtually taken the road.

As I thought about my plight, I couldn’t help thinking that the solution to traffic problems on this most important road in Nigeria (which takes more vehicles than any other road in Nigeria, at least between Lagos and the Sagamu junction) lies among the Federal Government, the Ogun State government and the RCCG. But will they do anything about this road?

FROM MY MAILBOX

I read with throaty laughter the narration of your experience at the hands of phone thieves in Lagos. It's quite revealing of the daily experience in Lagos State. I am particularly amused by the ease at which the thieves picked your phone. On a more serious note, the country is bad. We daily live in fear: fear of the area boys; fear of armed robbers; fear of hunger; even fear of ourselves. The level of insecurity in the country is so high that the government should be concerned. — Duyilemi Ogunyemi (duyilemiogunyemi@yahoo.com)

Pity to read about your experience in our dear old Lagos. Tough luck as they say. I am out of the country on official business but just to express my sympathy and to let you know that I follow your column both in hardcopy and on the internet. — Frank Abenemi (Frank.Abenemi@dhl.com)

You are welcome to Lagos. One early morning, on my way to work, a hoodlum snatched a woman’s purse and ran into the dark. A man tried to help the woman recover her purse, so he ran after the hoodlum into the dark but before the “Good Samaritan” could know what was happening, the hoodlum had plucked his left eye with a dagger. So, that is the reason why nobody came to your aid. I count myself lucky to be a kid in Awolowo’s political days, he left no room for anyone to become hoodlum. Today, our emergent selfish and wicked leaders have a case to answer from God and man, as they have set the pace for criminal tendencies while others follow.
— Olu Akin, Lagos.

Biodun, nice piece. Sorry about the phone theft. — Tola Adeniyi

Nice piece, Egbon. May God continue to shield us from calamities. — Kola Igandan, Ekiti State.

Unemployment is the greatest problem Nigerian youths are facing. Unemployment has made intelligent citizens resort to crime. So it is not a surprise when they attack defenceless individuals violently. However, I will say the attack by these youths is justified, being a payback to the society for government’s inability to provide them with jobs. — Ganiyu Quadri, Saki, Oyo State.

First and foremost, let me thank God for your life. Do you know how many people have died in such a situation? Nigeria, our great country is in such a security mess that our government is being taken for granted. Let us not think that the increase in daylight robbery is due to the high number of unemployed graduates . No, it is because the federal security apparatus is longer enough for a population of 140 million. This is the time for Nigerians, home and abroad to begin a massive campaign on state police. State police is the solution that can reduce robbery and insecurity of lives in Nigeria. Thus, kindly use your power as a columnist to sell the idea of ‘state police’ to our government. — Olatunde Abdul, New York (kaslat@yahoo.com)

I am sorry about the theft of your Nokia Communicator. May God Almighty grant us His surest protection at all times. What you witnessed is what the country has degenerated into . May God help us all. — Olumide Lawal

Unemployment is the reason there is a rise in crime rate. It has turned graduates with skills to criminals. And until government finds a lasting solution to the issue of mass unemployment, many innocent Nigerians will continue to be victims of these intelligent criminals. — Ganiyu Quadri, Saki

Your experience at the hands of criminals who stole your phone is not a surprise to Nigerians. Or were you visiting Lagos for the first time? The revelations from the power probe and that of the health ministry scam is a shame to Obasanjo and his daughter, Iyabo. Now, the country must try and put the right peg in the right hole for it to progress. On your phone, I sympathise with you. — Olatunji Okeagbe, Ondo State.

RE: SEE WHAT GLOBALISATION HAS DONE TO US
The Nigeria Football Association is to blame for the reason why Nigerians prefer the English Premier League and other foreign leagues to Nigeria’s local league. However, on your article published on April 22, on who will speak for Obasanjo, those who benefited during his eight-year rule should come out and speak for him. — Saheed Maruf Olaide, Saki

RE: WHO WILL SPEAK OUT FOR OBASANJO?
Looking at my hero Olusegun Obasanjo (though we've not met or talked before) you will discover that he has done a good job, and the reason for his silence is that he believes that his good work will speak for him. What could have been the fate of Nigeria now, in terms of the economy and democracy? The nation would have been in decay. Please let us leave the man alone. He has served Nigeria very well. There’s no one without a negative side, not even the old prophets. But the fact is, we shouldn't overlook the 99 per cent of good he has done for this nation, and concentrate on the 1 per cent,which we are not even sure he is guilty of. — Mike Soyobi, Ayobo, Lagos, mikethegreateagle@yahoo.com; 0802310071.