Yes, many may know this already but i'll mention it once more.Lekki Expressway is the most dangerous road in Nigeria.Personally,i've lost count of the number of armed robbery cases that occur on this infamous stretch of sand,gravel & tar.
There are 2 major contributing factors to it being a highly lucrative location for criminals.Lack of street lights & horrendous traffic.
Just yesterday,a colleague of mine witnessed(live,not hearsay)an attempted robbery of a man in a jeep between the 1st & 2nd roundabout around 7.30pm.In fact,this happened just 2 cars in front of hers.She was stuck in traffic while on her way to Ikoyi after visiting a friend in inner lekki,when she noticed a guy wearing a long trenchcoat,with a bowler hat to match.The strangely dressed individual walked up to the jeep,said a few words & in what seemed like a split second,shot at the jeep's driver-side window with the previously concealed weapon.Just as she attempted to reverse,another suspicious-looking dude started tapping at her window.She immediately swerved out of her lane,climbed the curvette in desperation & made a fortuitous getaway.As she hustled her way out of the chaos,she heard another shot & noticed blood splattered all over the jeep's side window,with the door flung open.
She told me this morning that her friends in lekki,who gave her temporary refuge after the heart-wrenching experience, heard today that the guy in the jeep had died from his gunshot wounds.Just like that.For driving on a sunday evening.
Personally,i've never witnessed an armed robbery attack & i pray to the Almighty that i never do.
Due to lekki's recent notoriety,i can count on one hand,the number of times i've been to the Palms(i used to patronise Newscafe & Shoprite) in the last 3 months.
It's still baffling that an area which has hundred of thousands of residents(including many affluent ones),as well as the nation's biggest mall,still doesn't have common streetlights on its major passageway.Also troubling is the fact that this massive residential area has only one entry & exit road.Yes,One.Obviously,constant daily traffic on both sides of the dual carriageway is bound to persist.
I agree that the road expansion project,currently in snail speed progress,would help but i feel lighting the entire span of the expressway can be undertaken & completed in a short span of time as a quick win.
Before i forget,i'll like to say congrats to Lekki Expressway for easily taking the 'most notorious road' title away from Osbourne road,Ikoyi.
On a more serious note,I worry for lekki residents(sis & brother-in-law inclusive),particularly those who due to their occupation etc,have no choice but to be stuck in traffic there both morning & night.Godspeed.
4 comments:
Crazy story. Extremely shocking, first question is who was in charge of the construction of Lekki Express? How could you design and build a road without putting street lights.
Second question, Over the years Lekki has expanded tremendously and now has more inhabitants than originally planned. Where is Lagos state planning commissions blueprint. How come they did not envisage this growth?
If it where in any developed or developing country the press would be asking for heads to roll. People must loose their jobs as an example to the next man. Most public officials sit on their backside all day doing nothing, instead of working, they are craftily looking for ways to inflate contracts and get their grubby fat hands on public money.
Third point, if Chakams has noticed that there is a problem on this stretch of road, so must have the Police. Why hasn't anything been done? Why hasn't the Lagos State police set up a taskforce to combat this scourge. I guess they are more interested in the 'egunje' (bribe) they collect from hardworking Nigerians than carrying out their constituitional duty paid for by public funds.
Again the Nigerian Police, Government and Lagos State must be ashamed of themselves for allowing this terrible, preventable and needless loss of life to continue unabated.
This scared the s**t out of me for real.
I'm sitting here with clammy palms and goosepimples all over just praying for everyone and thanking God with every breath cos I drive that route ALL the time..leaving NewsCafe at odd hours driving back to Ikoyi, sometimes alone..Lord have Mercy on us all..
It irks me to think of all the CRAP we keep taking, how our lives apparently have no value to anyone..we arent even numbers on a page somewhere cos they dont even GET THE CENSUS RIGHT!!
And I absolutely agree with Jigga about the absurdness of the absence of street lights.
And now that they're working on the road, they have these high beam lights that just BLIND you!
They charge them up during the day and proceed to blind rather than illuminate for passage at night. I drive that route more out of familiarity at night rather than the fact that I can SEE where I'm going!
..its crazy...
Its crazy how one doesnt feel like they can relax and enjoy the fruit of their efforts and hard work in this crazy Catch 22 situation because on the one hand; I work hard for my money, car, toys, home and deserve and reserve the right to enjoy it in peace and relative security..but on the other hand its so hard out there for a lot of people because the basics; ELECTRICITY & WATER and amenities have NOT been provided, that they go out to take what they can...anyway they can.
I remember as far back as JSS3 my fine art teacher saying something that has stuck with me almost 20yrs later: "We are no longer a 'WE' society, we are now an 'I' society."
He was absolutely right..NOW more so than ever..
Something on a fundamental level is missing in our society..
We dont even like each other if we can be so brutal towards each and not stick up for each other,which begs the question; WHERE THEN IS HOME?
Great posts Chakams.
Will be by to check on the reg, even when I dont get "direct mail"..lol..
Sometimes I don't feel any pity for these people. Pray tell, how many of these people worked for their money? How many is not a relative of one "honorable" or "governor" somewhere in Nigeria? How many did their parents really worked for their money? What have they done with all the money they made, to improve the lives of those in Nigeria? How can they afford 150 million naira houses in the same country that someone can not even afford one meal? I can keep asking questions.
Do I feel bad for them? No. The rubbish that is called Nigeria, is a problem of everyone - leaders, followers, thieves, owners -everyone.
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