TELL Magazine

eginning next week, interstate buses and vehicles with parking lots along Ikorodu road, Lagos will no longer be allowed to operate from them. They will instead operate from Ojodu Berger and Ojota Motor Parks. This was revealed by the Lagos State government through its commissioner for Information, Steve Ayorinde. The disclosure was made after Ayorinde embarked on a visit to the construction site of a bus terminal in Yaba as well as Jibowu, which is undergoing renovation. Ayorinde’s visit was preceded by that of Akinwunmi Ambode, the Lagos State Governor who had assessed the areas. The decision to ban commercial vehicles  from Ikorodu Road axis, Ayorinde said, is “in line with the determination of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration to free the city of avoidable nuisances and install sanity and civility in the environment.”

According to him,  quit notices had already been served on the affected operators.

“This is a follow-up on the visit of Governor Ambode to this axis last night and was very displeased with what he saw particularly in the manner with which long buses, inter-state buses are using the main town and what we have done so far is the initial announcement to say that henceforth, we will no longer allow inter-state buses to be along Ikorodu Road.

“Henceforth, they will have to go to Ojota and Ojodu Berger which are the two designated inter-state motor parks. The ones that we have here in Jibowu will have to move and there is a 7-day ultimatum for every one of them beginning from the ones in this axis to move.”

Explaining further the reason for the decision, Ayorinde said:

“The new Jersey Barricades here are being destroyed and they are built with taxpayers money. Yes, the initial accident was caused by a vehicle but we have seen people showing disrespect to taxpayers money and that we can no longer allow. We have also seen the way vegetal nuisance have taken over everything particularly areas that are being used by the operators of the inter-state buses in spite of the repeated warnings that this is no longer acceptable. Sometimes, you come here late in the night and you encounter criminal elements and the government is saying we can no longer take this,” he pointed out,  adding

“In the overall interest of the public, what is tidy, what is decent and civilised is to move them where they really belong so that we can free the city and you know what we are doing in terms of the overall plans for the city. There are major bus terminals springing up. People have seen what we are doing in Yaba which will be ready by December; they have seen what we have done in TBS and Ikeja, which are all parts of the overall plan.

The commissioner urged all affected to work with the government, saying that the development would, in no way affect their businesses and livelihood.

Speaking in the same vein, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, the  Acting Commissioner of Transportation in the state, said the ban would enable government properly utilise spaces under flyovers and bridges, even as he assured that government had already provided adequate spaces for the affected operators at Ojodu Berger and Ojota.

He, however, said that a stakeholders’ meeting would be held this week to discuss and allocate spaces for operators at the said parks, pointing out that at the expiration of the ultimatum, the government would enforce the ban and any operator who flouted the directive would be seriously sanctioned.