Rebuilding public trust: the Lagos way

May I ask the indulgence of our friends in the Small Business Community to let me veer off our mostly technical business discourses to write a few lines about what I consider the enduring tradition of humane leadership in Lagos. And your hearts need not race to the big things of life because it was some little people-centred acts of good leadership that got my attention that I want to share with my readers. I think it is profitable for us to take time off our professional discourse today and bear witness to ennobling acts of people-focused leadership, particularly when they occur in small bits, pieces and places.

Act 1: The alternative route through Ajah roundabout is humane

Those who live in our urban centres may have witnessed construction activities that necessitated the closure of roads and the provision of alternatives. When such alternative routes are provided, they are usually punitive and inconvenient, in such a way that using them becomes more expensive than doing otherwise. In many cases, no alternative is even provided. The people are left to their own devises. This was what many expected when the Lagos state government announced that traffic would be diverted from Ajah roundabout to allow for the construction of a bridge that will surely make life better for all users of that road.

Commuters had braced up to go through the pain that would normally visit them when the diversion comes into effect; that was last week Tuesday. But they were wrong. The planners in the state have blood running in their veins. They had provided for commuters an alternative route through the construction site that shows they have some respect for the residents of the state. The routs provided are not only humane but allow for even freer flow of traffic. Users of the alternative routes would bear witness that for once, an alternative route is not turned to a punishment. This is a mark of the growing humane leadership in Lagos state. On behalf of the users of the Lekki-Epe road, I commend Gov. Ambode and his government for a good job. This is how to build trust.

Act 2: The pothole at Awoyaya that wreaked havoc on commuters fixed in record time

Lagosians are usually troubled whenever the rains begin. They know what price there is to pay on account of traffic jams occasioned by floods. They know also that once it rains, the flood magnifies any potholes into ditches and slows traffic. As a result, they drive more carefully and slowly creating very serious traffic jams. That was exactly the scenario enacted on the Awoyaya area of the Lekki-Epe Expressway last week. Over the past few weeks, and while the weather was still dry, I had noticed a slowing of traffic around Awoyaya, which was cause by a deep and growing pothole on the road. This pothole reduced the road to one of a single lane. The result was an exceedingly long queue of motor vehicles heading towards Epe. Each day we drove through the road, I had my heart in my mouth wondering what it would happen when the rains come. And the rains finally came.

Last week, as we drove towards Ibeju Lekki, the site of the Pan Atlantic University, the road was basically free. The Lekki-Epe Expressway is very narrow and this makes it a nightmare for motorists as unregistered taxi operators and assorted brands of tricycle did all manner of stunts with their stop-go driving habits. So many accidents occur daily on that road, which is currently being expanded. Work has progressed slowly just past the famous Aja Roundabout. Hopefully the contractor would solve whatever the problem is that has slowed the job.

As we drove towards Awoyaya, we met a long and winding traffic jam caused by the pothole. As the traffic stood still, I observed people heckling at each other and screaming on top of their voices. I was latter to find that they were arguing over whose vehicle had hit the other’s. This worsened the bad traffic. It turned out that some hoodlums were using the opportunity to commit crimes. In fact I would say that there was an attempt to rob us as someone forcefully opened the front passenger door of our car and attempted to join us for only God knows what. We got respite as he suddenly raced to his base probably to pick up a weapon and we gained some distance. By the time he came back we had locked secured the locks. In frustration he banged several times on the car and left. I told my driver that we had just escaped a robbery attempt. That was on Wednesday last week. I worked from home during the rest of the week, for fear of the unpredictable events going on at the scene of the bad spot at Awoyaya.

On Monday morning, I braced up ready to go through the scary experience again. But lo and behold, the road was so free from Ajah to Awoyaya. I could no longer tell the point at which the road was broken. As I kept looking for that bad spot, I noticed that some repair work had been done on the damaged portions. It was a great site to behold that the potholes had been properly covered and traffic flowed freely through Awoyaya!

I am not sure of the person or the particular arm of government that did the fixing of this road. I imagine the local government must have done it. If so, I say bravo. We may yet live with some dignity in Nigeria. This may not be a widespread act even in Lagos but it is commendable and worthy of propagation. By the standards of local governments in many parts of this country, this is unusual. They did not stand by and watch the public sufferbefore they took action. In many parts of Nigeria, the vogue is to watch people suffer and have a good laugh at them on the side. Again I say Bravo to Lagos.

 

Emeka Osuji