12th March, 2021
By Nimot Adetola Sulaimon
Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to reconfigure the Ikorodu Roundabout in its bid to unlock traffic gridlock, checkmate the activities of the roadside traders and other impediments.
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde made this known during a Stakeholders’ engagement with the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, His Royal Highness, Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, other traditional rulers and prominent personalities in Ikorodu at the Ayangburen Palace.
The Commissioner explained that in the light of the exploding population of Ikorodu, there was a need to fast track infrastructural development that will be commensurate with the growth rate of the area and in line with the State Transport Master Plan.
Dr. Oladeinde reiterated that transportation is the engine room of the economy, once the transportation issue is addressed, it has ripple effects on other critical sectors of the economy.
“We have come today to discuss with you how we can maximise the space presently occupied by the Ikorodu Roundabout despite the challenges posed by the activities of public transport and roadside traders. Among other things, we want to remove the Ikorodu Roundabout and create laybys. This is just a step forward into getting a permanent solution to the gridlock in this area,” the Commissioner stated.
He also disclosed that the Ikorodu Roundabout reconfiguration is just one of the stop-gap measures to solve the gridlock in the short term. According to him, the State government is doing a lot to improve water transportation in the State of which Ikorodu is well positioned with the availability of Water around the Communities in the axis, adding that the Orange line Rail project is in the pipeline as part of the long term plan which is expected to take off from Ikeja to Agbowa.
The Mogaji of Ikorodu, Engineer Ba wa Allah opined that the provision for the Service lane from Ikorodu to Majidun should be maximized by the State Government to decongest the road. He added that the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge and coastal roads will further manage traffic gridlock as there will be many outlets out of Ikorodu.
In his contribution, the Chairman, Ikorodu Central Local Government, Mr Wasiu Adeshina reiterated the need for enforcement especially on traders at the garage who display their wares beyond the drainages. According to him, the encroachment of roadside traders into the main road is a major contributor to the traffic gridlock being presently experienced.
The Agbaakin of Ikorodu, Ayodele Elesho, an erstwhile Commissioner for Information in his contribution stated that other alternative routes that could be used have been taken over by truck drivers, tricycle and okada riders who indiscriminately park and offload passengers in violation of the Lagos State Traffic Laws. He advised that these road users be relocated and given better alternatives.
In his response, the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, His Royal Highness, Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, maintained that the expectations of the residents of Ikorodu over a long term plan is for the State Government to construct a Fly-Over that will take off traffic from Ikorodu Roundabout, Ogolonto and Agric Bus Stop but it is understandable that embarking on these projects will be capital intensive hence the need to support immediate the roundabout intervention proposed by the State Government.
In his words, “I want us to support and rally-round the Commissioner for Transportation and his team on this noble project. We should not criticise him and his team so much that he will be demoralized and now focus on other locations. Let us accept this as we expect bigger projects in Ikorodu from the State Government.”
The Commissioner promised to integrate all the contributions made by the Oba and others into the current proposal on the reconfiguration of the Ikorodu roundabout and subsequently the multimodal transport plan of the State.