The bad state of Lagos State roads yesterday became the crux of conversation on social media after a video surfaced online that alleged Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu’s convoy drove against traffic to avoid gridlock on Ikorodu Road.
The lady with the Twitter handle @enonnyok, who shot and shared the video lamented that the traffic in the axis was always horrific but was caused by potholes in a section of the road. She said: “Governor Sanwo-olu driving against traffic because he could not fix the road, can you imagine? He couldn’t even spend 30 minutes in the traffic and this is what we go through everyday.”Her tweet generated outrage on the social media with many condemning the act of the governor and urging him to work on the worsening condition of the roads in the state.
The viral story, which eventually turned out to be false got to a head when Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also shared the video with the accompanying caption: “For eight years, Babatunde Fashola was governor of Lagos, he led by example. He never drove against traffic. How does Lagos State get to such point of precipitous regression?”
But in a swift response, the Chief Press Secretary to Lagos State governor, Gboyega Akosile, replied: “This is not Governor Sanwo-Olu’s convoy. In fact we are investigating these vehicles. Please note that Governor Sanwo-Olu’s convoy has never driven against traffic, nor used sirens. It will be good that we confirm claims on social media before making remarks. Thank you.”
He then made a public notice on his Twitter page yesterday disclaiming the lady’s post, which started the trend. It read: “Please be informed that your video is totally false, malicious, misleading and a deliberate attempt to embarrass the governor. The convoy is not that of the governor, who has never and will never drive against traffic. Please do the needful by deleting the post.”
Continuing, he said: “His Excellency was actually in Abuja at that time. In fact we are not letting this rest. A legal action may follow after our investigation. Investigation is being carried out to unravel the identity of the people involved.”
Also yesterday, the state’s deputy governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, apprehended some road users plying one-way. According to the reports posted on the official Twitter page of the Lagos State government, the deputy governor was on his way to the Lagos State University (LASU) to deliver a lecture when he apprehended road users plying one-way from Carter Bridge down To Mile 2.
His action further elicited raucous reactions from citizens who blamed the action of the erring motorists on the spate of bad roads in the state. According to Damilola Adenusi, he said: “I am appealing to the state government to fix our roads. We swim in potholes on daily bases. Oke-Afa, Isolo, Jakande Gate, NNPC, Egbeda, Akowonjo, Ikotun, Oba Akran, Ogba, Ikorodu Road, Mushin, just to mention a few.”
