Businesses in the Amje/Estaport community in the Àgbàdo/Oke-Odo area of Lagos State have been grounded as residents express frustration at finding alternate routes to access the Lagos-Abeokuta Motorway and other surrounding communities following the community’s bridge that collapsed due to recent flooding.
The residents expressed fear over the deplorable condition of the collapsed bridge, despite the state government’s repeated promises many months ago to reconnect the community with surrounding areas.
According to them, the bridge’s condition has left them stranded, preventing residents, students, and business owners from leaving the community to reach their respective destinations, especially during the rainy season.
Heavy rainfall on May 7, 2024, caused severe flooding, which destroyed the bridge and disrupted the residents’ means of livelihood.
Some residents, fearing abandonment by the state government, said that the bridge had become a “death trap” despite a visit from members of the Public Works Corporation on May 12.
A resident who sells soft drinks, Madam Temitope Adesina, said, “The bridge has caused a lot of injuries. We don’t go out once the rain starts to fall. We will be stuck in the house.
The bridge was distressed before the flood collapsed it. Now, it has become more dangerous. We cannot send our children to school during the rainy period since that’s the only road in the community. There was a time when some government officials came, but we have not for almost two months now.”
Another business owner identified as Remi told the media that, she had started considering moving her businesses out of the community due to the danger posed by the collapsed bridge.
