It was hell for Lagosians on Friday as many residents of the mega city spent hours in traffic before getting to their various destinations.
Many attributed the traffic logjam to the annual Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God which started on last Monday with the grand finale taking place yesterday night through this morning.
From Lagos Island through Third Mainland Bridge to Ketu-Alapere towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, it was all tales of woe as many commuters had to resort to trekking after staying inside traffic for hours without moving.
Traffic wardens and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, had hectic time trying to control traffic as many drivers had to drive recklessly in order to beat the traffic. A LASTMA official who did not want his name in print said the logjam was due to the programme at Redemption Camp as many people wanted to attend it thereby putting pressure on the roads.
"It has been hectic," the traffic officer told THISDAY. "We could not even arrest anyone because we ourselves became overwhelmed. I don't see any reason why everyone wants to be at Redemption Camp at all costs. It is strange."
Traffic Radio 96.1, the first dedicated traffic radio in the country, was monitoring the situation yesterday trying to inform commuters and road users the best options to take as they tried to wriggle their ways out of the chaotic gridlock.
Tokunbo Modupe, one of the nation's top public relations managers, lamented the stress he went through from the Island before connecting his office at Magodo, a highbrow Lagos residential area.
"I spent over three and half hours to get here," he told this reporter. "Yet, going by my movement, I was supposed to be moving against traffic by that time I was coming."
Adeola Adewumi-Ajayi, a fashion designer who had to go and see one of her clients on Victoria Island, told THISDAY that she spent hours before connecting her place in Ogba. She said this was despite the fact that she left Island very early. According to her, she still spent about four hours for a journey that should not have taken up to an hour by that time of the day.
Kolawole Igandan, a media relations executive, went through hell when he was coming back from Ikorodu where he had gone to keep an early morning appointment. According to him, he spent over three hours from Ikorodu to Ketu. He said he regretted taking his car out as he would have rather taken the Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, which would have been much faster.
"It was simply crazy," Ugandan told THISDAY. "I missed another appointment I had slated for 11am thinking that if I left Ikorodu by 9am I would be on Obanikoro by 11am. But I did not even get to Ketu until around 11:30am. It was sickening."
He was not alone as many Lagosians had tales of woe to tell. A couple who had gone to the Ikeja Shopping Mall (Shoprite) to keep an appointment spent over one hour at the bus stop in front of Lagos Television before they hitch-hike, and they even had to come down in front of Coca-Cola when the traffic was not moving. This was around 7pm and they finished their meeting around 5pm. Yet, that place to Ogba, even in the worst of peak traffic hours, should not have lasted more than forty-five minutes.
To worsen the situation were filling stations that were selling fuel to vehicle owners who had queued up to buy fuel. For instance, the Total filling station at Mobolaji Bank-Anthony in Ikeja which is close to Sheraton Hotels and Towers, was selling fuel and many motorists had to queue up to buy fuel. This worsened an already terrible situation.
As at the time of filing this report, axis like Agidingbi, Adeniyi Jones, Oshodi, Agege Motor Road, Third Mainland Bridge, Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Ojoja, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (by Otedola Bridge) were all blocked with motorists spending up to one hour on one spot.
From Lagos Island through Third Mainland Bridge to Ketu-Alapere towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, it was all tales of woe as many commuters had to resort to trekking after staying inside traffic for hours without moving.
Traffic wardens and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, had hectic time trying to control traffic as many drivers had to drive recklessly in order to beat the traffic. A LASTMA official who did not want his name in print said the logjam was due to the programme at Redemption Camp as many people wanted to attend it thereby putting pressure on the roads.
"It has been hectic," the traffic officer told THISDAY. "We could not even arrest anyone because we ourselves became overwhelmed. I don't see any reason why everyone wants to be at Redemption Camp at all costs. It is strange."
Traffic Radio 96.1, the first dedicated traffic radio in the country, was monitoring the situation yesterday trying to inform commuters and road users the best options to take as they tried to wriggle their ways out of the chaotic gridlock.
Tokunbo Modupe, one of the nation's top public relations managers, lamented the stress he went through from the Island before connecting his office at Magodo, a highbrow Lagos residential area.
"I spent over three and half hours to get here," he told this reporter. "Yet, going by my movement, I was supposed to be moving against traffic by that time I was coming."
Adeola Adewumi-Ajayi, a fashion designer who had to go and see one of her clients on Victoria Island, told THISDAY that she spent hours before connecting her place in Ogba. She said this was despite the fact that she left Island very early. According to her, she still spent about four hours for a journey that should not have taken up to an hour by that time of the day.
Kolawole Igandan, a media relations executive, went through hell when he was coming back from Ikorodu where he had gone to keep an early morning appointment. According to him, he spent over three hours from Ikorodu to Ketu. He said he regretted taking his car out as he would have rather taken the Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, which would have been much faster.
"It was simply crazy," Ugandan told THISDAY. "I missed another appointment I had slated for 11am thinking that if I left Ikorodu by 9am I would be on Obanikoro by 11am. But I did not even get to Ketu until around 11:30am. It was sickening."
He was not alone as many Lagosians had tales of woe to tell. A couple who had gone to the Ikeja Shopping Mall (Shoprite) to keep an appointment spent over one hour at the bus stop in front of Lagos Television before they hitch-hike, and they even had to come down in front of Coca-Cola when the traffic was not moving. This was around 7pm and they finished their meeting around 5pm. Yet, that place to Ogba, even in the worst of peak traffic hours, should not have lasted more than forty-five minutes.
To worsen the situation were filling stations that were selling fuel to vehicle owners who had queued up to buy fuel. For instance, the Total filling station at Mobolaji Bank-Anthony in Ikeja which is close to Sheraton Hotels and Towers, was selling fuel and many motorists had to queue up to buy fuel. This worsened an already terrible situation.
As at the time of filing this report, axis like Agidingbi, Adeniyi Jones, Oshodi, Agege Motor Road, Third Mainland Bridge, Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Ojoja, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (by Otedola Bridge) were all blocked with motorists spending up to one hour on one spot.
Source: ThisDay
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