For some Lagosians, the restriction of movement imposed on certain areas of the metropolis as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos was a terrifying experience.
Although Eons Intelligence’s incident alert system warned motorists and commuters that there would be minor inconveniences and heavy security presence in some areas, many were caught off guard.
As a result, many road passengers and travellers were left stranded at bus stops, while others were forced to walk long distances to Ebute Meta and other locations in the state due to movement restrictions in the Yaba and Apapa areas.
Shuttle bus and taxi operations within Yaba were also restricted, forcing commuters and travelers to walk long distances to their destinations.
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There was a heavy presence of security operatives enforcing vehicular movement restrictions for the president’s commissioning of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project, at Apapa and the Lagos-Ibadan rail project, as well as the flag-off of commercial operations.
Commercial buses and other unauthorised vehicles were barred from using Jibowu, Mobolaji Johnson, Ebute Meta, Alagommeji, Ojuelegba, and other link roads as early as 5.00 a.m.
Kemi Onaja, a commuter, told The Guardian that she walked from Ojuelegba to Alagomeji, a journey that took her more than 30 minutes.
“I walked from Ojuelegba to Alagomeji.” We didn’t have to deal with the stress. When a president visits, there should be provisions for commuting so that commercial activities can continue without people resenting the president’s presence,” she said.
Anayo Augustine and Michael Okpara, two other commuters, complained that advance notices should have been sent to travelers, commercial vehicle operators, and motorists to prepare them for the inconveniences caused by the restriction.
“Some of us are going to a very far place, and it is not good that we are being treated this way,” Augustine said. I had to trek from Jibowu for hours to get to my destination.”
Despite the restrictions, Michael said he was fortunate to find a cab driver who was willing to navigate him around the area for a fee.
Commuters around Oshodi, Airport, Mile 2 and Apapa axis, on the other hand, had a smooth ride because there was no major gridlock in the area, while commercial bus drivers along the restricted areas complained that the event crippled their daily revenue target.
“I had planned to send complete delivery to the owner of this bus previously, but now I’ll have to figure out how to navigate my way to get passengers. “This visit should not have happened today,” Baba Tope lamented.
Bamidele Nuru, a driver on the Mushin-Ebute Metta route in Lagos state, said there should be a proper plan in place to ensure that VIPs’ visits do not affect residents’ income, especially given the current economic difficulties.
