BUHARI’S VISIT LOCKS DOWN LAGOS

.Residents Groan

Lagos residents are still groaning in pain, following a hectic traffic in and around the state yesterday, occasioned by the anticipated arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari to the state.

The incident which caught most people unawares made them miss crucial appointments while quite a number got home from their offices and business places late.

A man who simply identified himself as Dele lamented to other passengers immediately he got space in an Akute- Ogun outskirt-bound bus how the lock-down not only messed his day’s appointment but left him totally exasperated.

It was such that the driver of the commuter bus compassionately offered him an orange he had on hand.

Another woman who said she teaches in a private primary school in Ikeja, said their vehicle made several turns and detours to no avail, as the lock them still held them hostage for hours.

If it was challenging for those able to secure spaces in buses, it was not so for those awaiting buses at the different bus stops.

Our correspondents report that thousands of people were seen stranded at the different bus stop awaiting busies that never came.

Frustrated, they resorted  to trekking, a trckking that last several kilometres.

A man, Aloy Ibe, who said he described himself as a goods merchant, said he trekked from Ikeja to Maryland, trying to secure a bus to Ojota.

The media had reported President Muhammadu Buhari coming to Lagos on Thursday to commission some projects and also participate in the 66th birthday anniversary of national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Tis resulted into the closure of some key roads in the state, including the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Ikeja-Agege motor road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony-Airport road, among others.

However, the strategic nature of these roads was to tell immediately as the spill over overwhelmed every area in the state, especially the metropolis.

Though the traffic had been lighter this morning being a partial holiday, residents are still wary of what may happen later in the day.

While some of themm welcome the chaos with equanimity, others are however critical of the suffering that the visit is foisting on residents.

One of such is Gideon Tella, who told our reporter in an interview that what happened is a proof of insensitivity on the side of the rulers.

according to him, a popular president does not have to subject his subjects to such kind of suffering in the guise of safeguarding his own life; this he said only shows that such a president is unpopular.

“If the president has brought about the change he campaigned about, he would not be afraid coming to Lagos. Definitely, the president is just trying to shield himself from the people, who may obviously be angry with his style of leadership”, he said

-Additional reporting by Olagunju Ayomide