President Jonathan must be joking if he thinks what happened today at Sagamu, where he purportedly performed "turning of sod" for the reconstruction of Lagos/Ibadan road (only God knows where in the World that is done) is anything spectacular. With fun fare, drums and pageantry, President Jonathan cut a tape to mark the commencement of reconstruction of a two lane dual carriage road. From Lagos to Sagamu, only a single lane is added making it three lanes. But from Sagamu to Ibadan, no additional lanes just resurfacing. Why did he have to insult our collective sensibility? This is the busiest road in Africa with average of 250,000 cars passing through that road per day. With the amount of lives that perish on that road day in day out and the kind of manpower hours lost, one would have expected the President to be more sensitive by making sure it's expanded to about six lanes on either side.
Jonathan's late boss, President Umar Musa Yar'Adua awarded 16-lane Abuja Airport road without any noise. The only time official function was performed on this road was when it was commissioned for use in 1978 by President Olusegun Obasanjo. No ceremony whatsoever when it was awarded. I haven't seen Jonathan supervise a party to signal construction of any road in any part of the Country, not even in his home zone , South south, but he derived pleasure in gathering our Obas, chiefs and political class to clap for him because he has just approved a contract to do a road that has killed many Nigerians irrespective of tribes. Why did he have to do this in Yoruba land? Why did he have to play race card? People that have lost their lives on this road are not just Yoruba! The people that have lost their lives are from all parts of the country, statistics have shown. If this is to curry support of the people for the forthcoming elections this has fallen flat. Those that I saw dancing and praising him as shown on AIT may support him but Nigerians are not fooled.
Raheem Ajayi
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