Landlords and residents of Temple Road, Ojokoro LCDA in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government Area of Lagos State, have called on the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to help rehabilitate the road that has been abandoned for years by the state government.
Temple Road is a major two-kilometre road that connects many roads within Jankara, Lambe, Power line and Agbado-Oja amongst other. The road, according to residents and landlords of the area, has been abandoned for years by previous administrations, adding that despite incessant promises to reconstruct the ever busy road nothing has been done.
They noted that the disrepair state of the road has affected business activities in the area, while some tenants and potential tenants are being discouraged from either renting houses or shops in the area.
A resident of the area, who happened to be the chairman of Efon-Alaye Landlords Association, Mr Jimoh Olajuwon said the state government has obviously abandoned the residents and landlords of the area to their plight over the poor state of Temple Road.
According to him, “the state government has not deemed it fit to pay a visit to the abandoned road let alone resuming works on it.”
He added that “top Lagos State officials are residents of the area, and they often pass through the road as at when it was still manageable before it degenerated to this impassable state.
“The disrepair state of the road has brought total setback to all business activities in the area, even rents and property have started weighing far below their values.”
Another landlord on Temple Road, Mrs Jemilat Jinadu, who stated that she has been living in the area since 1985, said “the government has not been fair to us for decades. No single government’s presence can be seen on the road, despite the fact that I my land use charge as at when due.
Alhaji Abdulrasak Olore, who said he is one of the oldest landlords in the area if not the oldest. Alhaji Olore, who noted that he has worked as night guard for several years in the neighbourhood before old age retired him, said “Temple Road is one of the major roads that links many streets in Ojokoro.”
Alhaji Nasiru Olasunkanmi, popularly known in the area as Baba Welder, in his comments on the almost impassable state of the road, said since he arrived the area in 1983 that the road has never been tarred or any drainage made by both the state and the local governments.
Alhaji Olasunkanmi emphatically made reference to the member representing Ifako-Ijaye in the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Olabinjo, that with the efforts and supports of the landlords when Olabinjo was the chairman of Ojokoro LCDA he did rehabilitate the road by grading once in a year.
