Protesting NLC Members Block Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway

NIGERIAN Labor Congress (NLC), Ogun state Chapter, joined by residents, organized a protest to express their disatisfaction with the government over the deplorable state of Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.

Chairman of NLC, Ogun State Chapter, Emmanuel Bankole, said the initial plan “was to shut down the road and block vehicular movement but the efforts of the state government caused us to change the decision.”

The protesters who trooped out in their numbers to restrict movement along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway so as to make the authority feel the impact of their displeasure, hands, carried placards with inscriptions such as , ‘Ogun people are suffering, ‘Enough of bad governance,’ ‘Dapo Abiodun, let us enjoy the dividends of democracy in Ogun,’ ‘Dapo, this suffering is too much,’ ‘Hear our cries’ ‘Dapo repair our roads, it is our right,’ among others.

The Honourable Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, had visited the site last month and promised that reconstruction of the collapsed Sango portion of the roads would begin soonest.

“We are sensitive; we are not here to inflict pain on the citizens of the state. The citizens are already in pain. We are not here to add to it but to make a statement loud and clear that we won’t allow them to make a mess of us” Bankole, said.

The NLC Chairman, said “just three weeks ago, we were here and we gave an ultimatum to the government that we are not pleased with the state of the roads and several weeks after nothing has been done.

He said “we are declaring Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, an enemy of the state for coming to lie to the citizens of Ogun State. We don’t want to see him in Ogun State for coming to fool and deceive us that palliative works will commence and nothing was done.

“When we leave this place, we are going to the FERMA’s office in Abeokuta and also the ministry of works to send a message to their headquarters in Abuja that we are not pleased with what they are ekdoing,” Mr Bankole said.