Thousands of Lagos residents were held up in what could be described as an endless traffic gridlocks yesterday, a situation which was traced to the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan.
A sizable number of fierce-looking officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) entirely closed all key road networks that lead to Third Mainland Bridge, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and Funsho Williams Avenue more than one hour before the convoy of President Jonathan passed through the route.
The road closure, which was mounted at about 6:15 p.m. by security operatives of the Nigeria Police, was not dismantled until about 7:33 p.m. after the convoy of President Jonathan and his entourage passed through Third Mainland Bridge heading to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport.
Like other motorists and road users,one of our correspondents was also held in the traffic situation on his way from Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja where he is assigned to cover the activities of the state government.
A good number of road users and motorists, who were held in the traffic, were visibly furious and angry; bitterly complaining that
such blockage was uncalled-for in the era of democratic government.
At about 7:28 p.m. when the convoy started passing, some of the road users and motorists, who had alighted from their respective vehicles, were angrily booing President Jonathan, though security operatives scared them away.
Before the road blocks were dismantled, THISDAY spoke with a number of road users, who were held in the traffic jam, which covered a distance of more than five kilometers and in some cases more than that.
A banker in one of the new generation banks, who plead anonymity for security, lamented about the situation, saying he was fortunate to close early, but the hold-up had shattered the plan of being with his family on time.
He expressed profound reservation about the capacity of President Jonathan to guarantee fundamental human rights in different spheres of life, saying the idea of blocking roads because of the president “is uncalled for”.
On his part, Mr. Segun Balogun shared his previous experience with THISDAY, saying the visit of to Lagos metropolis President Jonathan “has always been a source of concerns and worry due to the tradition of road closure”.
He frowned at the tradition, which he said, had put road users and motorists under unnecessary stress and ended up wasting more than expected time on the road as a result of presidential visit.
Responding to the situation, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) on Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa appealed to Lagos residents after the hold-up eased three hours later.
He explained that traffic congestion experienced “all around Lagos roads was due to road closure from Victoria Island to Murtala Mohammed International Airport arising from presidential visit and the consequent closure of Lagos roads by the security operatives of the Nigeria Police”.
Opeifa urged the road users and motorists to be patient, saying the roads would be opened as soon as the convoy of President Jonathan passed through the Victoria Island en route the airport.