•Interlock stones meant for the rehabilitation of some sections of the roads abandoned at First Avenue
Six months after the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Oyetola Ojo, flagged off the reconstruction of deplorable roads in Festac, the contractor has abandoned the projects leaving behind majority of the roads in their appalling states and few stack of interlock stones meant for the reconstruction works.
After the flag off, Ojo made a return visit to Festac in late August 2024 to inspect the level of work done, reports The Guardian.
During the visit, the FHA boss stated that the rehabilitation of the roads would be in phases, as government is committed to addressing the decay in the town.
He added that “Restoring the glory of Festac Town has gone beyond mere rhetoric, but will now be matched with visible actions.”
According to him, this is so because Festac Town is more than just an estate in Nigeria but a national monument, insisting that FHA would do everything it takes to restore the lost glory of the town.
Surprisingly, six months after making the statements, majority of the roads within Festac are still in horrible condition inflicting pains on motorists, commuters and residents and the contractors are not on site.
Since the road rework started, except for a section of First Avenue Road that has been repaired, all other deplorable roads have not been touched for reconstruction. The best that has happened is community efforts by residents and concerned citizens who filled the big potholes with stone debris.
Therefore, from 4th Avenue by 5th Avenue Junction to 4th Avenue Opposite 400 Road; 4th Avenue by 3rd Avenue Junction; 4th Avenue toward 1st Avenue Junction; 1st Avenue Opposite Holy Family Catholic Church; 1st Avenue by Heavens Hostel; the whole of 2nd Avenue is a write off; 7th Avenue by Total Fuel station towards Alakija; 7th Avenue by 73 Road near Mountain of Fire Ministry; 7th Avenue by 71 junction; 7th Avenue by 72 Junction; to 71 Road by 24 Road Junction near Temple Hl Mall are either complete write off or almost.
Like many national assets, FESTAC Town in Amuwo Odofin Council of Lagos State is rotting away with government paying little or no attention to maintain its facilities including its roads.
The most hit among the roads include First Avenue Road, 2nd Avenue Road, 6th Avenue Road, 7th Avenue Road, 23 Road, and 52 Road. A section of 2nd Avenue Road towards Alakija has been abandoned by motorists as a route to connect the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
There are different sizes of craters within the less than 200 metres section of 2nd Avenue Road that majority of vehicle owners and motorists who use to ply the road now fear driving through principally because the craters are covered with stagnant dirty water and vehicles often get stuck on the road.
Commenting, a resident, Oluwasola Ogundele, said he was excited when the FHA MD announced that the roads would be repaired.
“I was really happy that the era of Festac being decorated with bad roads will be over. But I am surprised that despite all the pronouncements by the MD of FHA about the roads, it was just grandstanding. This is because I kept wondering why make such a huge promise when you know there is no immediate capacity to do the job.
“Rather than repair the roads, it is the Festac first gate that needs no reconstruction that was being done, a complete waste of resources. They are remodeling the gate to Festac yet the roads are in a poor state. This is just a misplaced priority.”
Both sides of 2nd Avenue adjacent 7th avenue not passable by vehicles
Another resident, Solomon Okeke stated that driving on FESTAC roads is like a punishment for many residents and visitors.
“There is no road in FESTAC where you can select all your gear while driving without breaking. Before you select gear three, you will return to the first gear. It is not funny. I live at 7th Avenue, but it takes me over 20 minutes to drive to 1st Avenue. This is within the FESTAC not outside.
“There are roads that I avoid now because of their deplorable state. 2nd Avenue is a no go area for me when driving. In the past two years, these roads have been so deplorable like never before. None of the governments at the different levels, whether local government, state or federal government look towards repairing that section of 2nd Avenue as a major outlet out of Festac. Sometimes, the local government will do palliative filling of the dilapidated sections of the roads which after one week, get damaged and it goes bad again.
“We are suffering from bad roads and its impact on our vehicle. You have to change your shock absorbers on a regular basis majorly due to the state of our roads in Festac. We call on the government to come to our aid.”
