By Linus Akomolafe
Road side traders along Obafemi Awolowo Way in Ikeja have groaned over ongoing bridge construction work in the area, describing it as anti business activities.
When IkejaBird visited the area on Thursday at Ikeja Along bus stop, the ever busy and spacious road where buses conveyed passengers inward Ikeja had been reduced to a walkway. Traders were in clusters seeking customers along the scaled down pedestrian.
According to Chinedu, a trader who sells belts, since the construction began in March, the profit he generates has reduced by 50 per cent.
“Since I don’t have money to rent a shop I sell here. I know how much I was getting before they began construction. What I’m seeing now is less than 50 percent of what I realised before.”
Another trader explained how their businesses were impacted by the demolition that took place before the construction. In a chat with some of the traders, they revealed that many of the traders who occupied spaces in some affected buildings had been forced into the streets.
Meanwhile, a commercial driver narrated how he lost his bus while men of the Lagos State Task Force were ensuring compliance. He said in April, in an attempt to pick up passengers at a restricted area close to Ikeja Local Government Area, men of the taskforce arrested him and impounded his bus.
“I have been trying to get my bus back but it has been hard. Right now it needs a connected person to intervene,” he said.
Recall that the Lagos State Government announced the diversion of traffic on Adegbola Street, Ikeja from Sunday, April 11, 2021, for a period of 15 months.
The road closure is in readiness for the construction of the Ikeja Overpass for the Red Line Project of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit.
One of the workers on cite revealed that the project is pegged for 15 months.
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