Abiola Wooden Bridge Still Unbuilt 12 Years After Govt Demolished Houses

BY FAITH AHUNANYA

Residents in Abiola Street, Oke-ira and Onijema Street, in Ifako both in the Ogba area of Lagos are close neigbours, needing but a walking distance of no more than five minutes to meet and interact. .

In reality however, moving from one section of these neigbourhoods to the other, seems like embarking on a cross border journey of grave dangers and discomfort

The impediments centre on a sprawling canal that separates the two areas, and that has become a major breeding ground for mosquitos.

But worse, is that there are no land link, but a shaky wooden platform that is better seen than imagined, but which you must cross to get from one side to the other.

-Abiola Wooden Bridge-

For as many times as you cross the Abiola-Onilema link bridge, you are charged a toll, your statues as an artisan, civil servant, entrepreneur, scholar or cart pusher not withstanding

In fact, the toll used to be N50 before concerted protests forced the administrators to reduce it to N30.

Of course, this may seem a friendly charge for an occasional visitor, but not so for the average hawker for example, who needs to trot to and fro as many times as possible daily, depending on the demands of business.

The Eagle correspondent on the trail of users of the wooden bridge was told that the Ijaiye Local Government Council a modernization contract for the the bridge in 2009 but till date, nothing has been done.

A resident told our correspondent that cost was the major factor that the platform had remained in its shaky state, with all the associated dangers for users, an assertion confirmed by Head of the Landlord’s Association in the area, Mr Femi Oluomo.

-Abiola Wooden Bridge-

Oluomo blamed the government for the neglect and the plight of the residents, saying that their repeated and desperate pleas had remained unheeded.

“We solicited with the government initially in 1994 about us sharing the bridge with ifako ijaiye residents. The contract was later awarded to us that year. The local government council couldn’t carry it out because of the expenditures according to them. 

“Then, the Lagos state ministry of works took over.  It even demolished some parts of Abiola street; my house was affected too in the bid to carry out the project. But after the demolition, nothing was done

“They recently cleared the canal early this year and we, the residents decided to do the wooden bridge with our communal effort. The project has been abandoned ever since”

According to Oluoma, despite promising to take over and finish it, and after so many letters and follow ups, still, nothing has been done”.

He said till date the burden for the maintenance of the wooden bridge had fallen on the shoulders of the two communities – Abiola oke-ira and Onijemo ifako.

“We mplore the government to please come to our aid.”

-Abiola Wooden Bridge-

It was also gathered that the residents and visitors pay a certain amount of money before using the bridge to cross over. When asked during an interview with Mr Femi Oluomo, the head of the landlord association in the area, he said: “we are aware of that and we use the money gathered to maintain the bridge “.

Rsdients and users of the bridge were no less angry at being so neglected by the authorities.

One of them, Mr Yusuf Tunde said ” I am tired of praying #30each time I want to cross over.  No matter how many times I cross over in a day, I pay. I am pleading with the Lagos state government to come to our aid”. 

Another user,Miss Funmi Wasiu said ” I don’t like the situation of things around here. It is dangerous to our health and finances.  I am tired of saving money because I want to use a bridge”. 

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A resident, Mrs Adetutu Mary also expressed anger at the abandonment: “I have been living here for more than 15years and there has not been any change as regards this bridge.  I will like the government to remember this place, to remember us and the safety of our children and come to our aid”.

Miss Mayowa Kunle responding, said, “the extortion will continue till the bridge is properly fixed. I pray that one day, somebody will not fall inside the canal and die. There is nothing anyone can do to help us here. It is the government that should come and help us”