Commuters on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway on Sunday decried
the incessant flooding of the road and urged the Federal Government to urgently
repair it.

The commuters in separate interviews with our correspondent
in Lagos said the bad portions of the road often led to accidents.

A commercial motorcyclist, Mallam Babagana Mahamad, said
that the road usually flooded during rainfall, causing gridlock.

“Several vehicles got stuck whenever the road is flooded
leading to traffic congestion,” Mahamad said.

He explained that accidents occur daily between Sanya
Bus-Stop and Tin can Island Port second gate as a result of the bad portions on
the road.

Mr Akedele Adetonju, a commercial tricycle driver said that
the road normally flooded for about five days whenever it rained, making it
impassable.

“Any day it rains, most of us plying the road will close for
business because everything will be at a standstill,” Adetonju said.

He said the situation had been on for over two years and
appealed to government to repair it.

Mrs Mabel Animotu, a business woman, said “last week after
it rained, I was on the same spot for over one hour inside my car due to the
flood.

“Some portions of the road have big potholes, so vehicles
try to dodge the potholes as they drive through the high water level, and the
flood is usually terrible around the second Rainbow Bus Stop area.”

Miss Mitchel Segun, a student, told our correspondent that
it was usually difficult for pedestrians whenever it rained.

Responding, Mr Godwin Eke, Deputy Director, Federal Ministry
of Works, Lagos, who was supervising the reconstruction of a portion of the the
highway, attributed the flooding to various forms of abuse on the road by
residents.

Eke explained that residents often dumped refuse into drains
and build houses over channels.

“We used to have drains at the road median but they are all
blocked, and who is blocking them?, the users in our right-of-way.

“Even the new `U` channel drainage we created were used to
dump tyres and all manner of refuse.

“When we discovered the abuse, we started covering the
drains, yet it is not stopping them. So when drains are blocked and silted,
water cannot go anywhere but come back to the road,” he said.

He explained that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency
(FERMA) was constantly cleaning the drains to check flooding which according to
him, also damage the roads.

Eke said efforts of the Lagos State Government to assist the
ministry to remove illegal occupants on the right-of-way was stalled because
some of the road abusers went to court.

He also said that some trucks carry goods that exceeded the
capacity of the road resulting in severe damage to some portions.

He explained that government had begun reconstruction of
Kilometre 7 portion of the road, while the rehabilitation of Cele area would be
undertaken later.