Pedestrians Lament Over Government Policy



People queue to take pedestrian-bridge at Ojota
 



 

Pedestrians at Ojota, expressed dissatisfaction on Monday over action taken by Lagos State Government to stop people from crossing over the express road, rather to making use of the foot-bridge.

This policy attracted enforcement agencies such as Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), and some bouncer as they were deployed at the site in order for effective implementation. These agencies and bouncers were coordinating the crowd as people queued from both sides of the foot-bridge.

Undisclosed source from KAI’s Public Relation Office reported that the barricades built at the middle of the express was there to stop people from crossing over the express, but some touts were out to destroy these barricades in order to for access to cross the road.

Also, the source added that it was in the government interest to reduce the arresting of those who go against the rules and cross over the express rather than taking the pedestrian-bridge.

However, the pedestrians complained as they got stranded while trying to cross the overhead foot-bridge by surging and uncontrollable users. Some of these pedestrians who spoke expressed sadness over the time spent trying to cross the bridge without provision of an alternative route.
 

Mr Idika Mbonu, a trader at Yaba market, told NAN that he came to the bus stop from Ogudu end of Ojota at about 6.45am stranded. Mbonu stressed that as of 7.32am he was yet to cross the bridge that was less than five minutes walk.
 

Mbonu said, “This crowd of pedestrians is unprecedented in the history of crossing Ojota Bridge. When I came here, I thought something else had happened with the mammoth crowd.

“I was trying to find my way to the bridge, yet the crowd going and coming through the bridge was scary. At a time, the entrance was blocked as no one could go through.

“I saw police and bouncers on the road preventing people from crossing the expressway; I have to be patient before I could cross.”

 

Ms Esther James, a student of Yaba College of Science and Technology, who was there for some time said the crowd at the bridge was unacceptable, stressing the need for a wider bridge that could accommodate a large number of people at the same time.

“We have called on the Lagos State Government to build a new bridge that can accommodate the physically challenged, pregnant women, load carriers and the elderly.

“The government is trying to enforce the use of the bridge, which is okay, but look at the crowd today. This bridge was not meant for this crowd,” said Mrs Evelyn Dagodoro, a civil servant