The pleasant experience of driving on the ten-lane Umaru Musa Yar’Adua expressway popularly known as Airport Road is usually cut short the moment you navigate the intersection linking the road to Lugbe through the popular fruits market.
The residents said it is always a rough experience plying the snaky, narrow and pothole-filled arterial road that leads to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Estate. The other entry point at ‘Police sign board’ bus-stop is wide but also bumpy.
The two entry points also serve five other communities – Peace Village, Tudun Wada, Zhidu, Piwoyi and Sauka.
Lugbe is one of the popular suburbs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and mainly residential. Its proximity to the city centre attracts many to the area, resulting in population increase and overstretching of the already crumbling infrastructure.
Aso Chronicle gathered that the failed portions that dot roads in Lugbe, coupled with the failure to expand the main link road that connects the FHA estate to the expressway often caused traffic gridlock in the early hours of the day – 7.00am to 9.00am – and 5.00pm to 8.00pm in the evening.
“During these periods of heavy traffic, driving in and out of the two entry points takes longer than necessary, said a resident,” Folashade Bello.
“Recently, we have found it difficult driving in and out of the estate, and the condition worsens any day it rains as the roads turn muddy,” she added, and sought the intervention of the appropriate authorities on the roads.
She said there was need for the government to upgrade the infrastructure in the area so as to save motorists from the stress of plying the roads.
Another resident, Abubakar Ibrahim, said the roads had been useful some few years ago with periodic interventions from the authorities, but it is now exposing users to dangers with several incidences of collision between motorists and motorcyclists recorded.
“Now, nobody has even attempted to do anything on it. The road is becoming more dilapidated every day,” he said.
He, therefore, appealed to the authorities concerned to intervene quickly, saying the road was becoming more of a death trap. “It is a sad experience whenever you pass the road these days,” he added.
Another resident, Adebanke Odeyemi, said the experience of navigating through roads in Lugbe could be likened to having nightmares.
“Every time I wake up, my fear is what new damage the road will do to my car. I have spent so much in the past few months changing my shock absorbers because the road, which was terrible during the dry season, becomes even more terrible in the wet season.
“After close of work, I become sad because I have to leave the smooth roads in the city area and drive over the bad roads in Lugbe to my house. All these are aside the health effect. The body pains due to having to navigate through gallops and potholes are enough to make you addicted to pain relievers.
“Our hope is that the government, through the agency apportioned the responsibility will come to the aid of Lugbe residents and fix our roads. Because the road through Police Sign board is bad and could be impassable sometimes, most people go through the Fruit market entrance, thereby leading to avoidable traffic gridlock,” Odeyemi said.
“Road, water and electricity are very important amenities in every residential area and they fast track development,” said Victor Eze, lamenting, however that the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has failed woefully in fixing infrastructure in the estate.
Eze said: “The estate bears the name FHA Lugbe, so the Federal Housing Authority should take responsibility of fixing the facilities. If FHA cannot meet its obligation of fixing the road, they should release the estate to individuals and allow them to rename it and fix the road and other facilities.”
