State Neglect is Murder: And the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is the Weapon.

Punch

There are few things more grotesque than watching a nation normalize carnage. Today, I witnessed yet another gruesome crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a stretch of road so routinely soaked in blood, it might as well be renamed the Expressway of Death. And yet, both the federal and Lagos/Oyo state governments have responded with the same callous, zombified indifference that has become the hallmark of governance in Nigeria, performative press statements, empty promises, and photo-ops in starched agbadas while the people die in real time.

This death-trap of a highway has become so hazardous that it stands as a testament to ongoing, government-sanctioned loss of life. The tragedy unfolding here is not the result of random misfortune or mere accident. Instead, it is the direct outcome of official negligence, with the state’s indifference translating into violence against its own citizens. Each life lost on this road is not just a statistic or an unavoidable incident but a damning accusation against the authorities responsible for public safety and infrastructure. 

Owned by the federal government and overseen in part by the Lagos and Oyo state administrations, this so-called lifeline has become a corridor of chaos. On the Ibadan stretch alone, from Toll Gate to Iwo Road, pedestrians are forced into a daily ritual of Russian roulette. No pedestrian bridges. No proper crossings. Just crumbling concrete, reckless drivers, and a government that treats the poor like expendable extras in a dystopian horror show.

You can’t talk about “modern infrastructure while children are leaping across eight lanes of speeding traffic to get to school. You can’t praise economic corridors while the bodies of traders, students, and fruit sellers lie twisted in the median because the state couldn’t be bothered to build a simple footbridge.

And don’t insult us with your “smart city” propaganda when communities like Soka, Boluwaji, and Sanyo must rely on makeshift wooden planks to cross deadly drains at the road’s median. While struggling to survive day to day, they’re forced to rely on temporary, unsafe solutions when proper infrastructure should exist. A clear evidence of deep-seated institutional decay. Behind the façade of ribbon-cutting ceremonies and carefully crafted media messages lies a reality of neglect, where empty gestures and political theater overshadow the needs of ordinary citizens.

We are constantly told that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is in the process of “transforming infrastructure,” and that Governor Seyi Makinde stands as a beacon of technocratic governance. These claims are repeatedly circulated in official statements and public discourse, painting a picture of progress and competence. However, the harsh reality tells a different story, one that is evident in the experiences of families who, this very week, will be forced to bury loved ones. Their losses are the direct result of the refusal by both federal and state governments to recognize and treat pedestrian infrastructure as a fundamental human right.

It is no longer acceptable to attribute these tragedies merely to reckless drivers or to dismiss them as “unforeseen circumstances.” Such explanations obscure the deeper issue at hand. What we are witnessing is a crisis stemming from failures in leadership, misplaced priorities, and a lack of conscience among those in positions of authority. The ongoing neglect of basic infrastructure is a reflection of the values, or lack thereof, held by the nation’s leaders, and it is the citizens who pay the ultimate price.

An Immediate Call for Action

We demand immediate and uncompromising action to address the crisis on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The brutality and loss of life must end; government at all levels must act without further delay.

• Pedestrian bridges must be constructed without delay at Soka Junction, Sanyo, Boluwaji, and all other high-risk crossings. The absence of these lifesaving structures continues to endanger the most vulnerable road users daily.

• The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, must face public scrutiny for the ministry’s grotesque oversight. Accountability is essential for change; there can be no excuse for continued negligence.

• Governor Makinde must stop hiding behind press releases and show up where his people are dying. Leadership requires presence, empathy, and real solutions, not just words.

• The federal government must stop treating infrastructure like a playground for elite contractors and start recognizing it as the lifeline it is for ordinary Nigerians. The focus must shift from profit to public safety and survival.

  
  

Every day we delay, the expressway claims more lives. Each life lost is another line of indictment against a political class too insulated to care about the suffering of its citizens.

This highway is paved with blood. Until there is justice, every crash is a crime scene, with the fingerprints of Abuja and Agodi all over it.

LaBode Obanor

Political Commentator | Social Justice Advocate | Writer

April 23, 2025

Abuja & Washington, DC

The views expressed in this essay are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Social Justice.