Motorists groan as Lagos gridlock hits harder

Commuters across the Lagos metropolis were once again caught in a frustrating gridlock on Thursday, and Friday morning with vehicular movement at different busy highways across the metropolis grinding to a halt for hours, a hardship that seems to have no end in sight.

For those heading out of Lagos via the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the traffic snarl, which started at the popular Otedola Bridge, extended through the Ogun State corridor and ended at the Fatgbem Filling Station, leaving thousands stranded or trekking.

Stranded passengers, who could not wait for commercial buses trapped in the gridlock, were seen trekking towards the Fatgbem filling station.

Others, particularly the elderly and families with children, stood helplessly by the roadside under the sun.

The usually busy Berger Bus Stop, which serves passengers heading to Mowe, Magboro, Wawa, and Arepo, was nearly like a ghost environment.

The Berger bus shed and its space were fully consumed by vehicles stuck in traffic and stranded passengers.

Vendors, taking advantage of the standstill, moved freely between vehicles, selling sachet water, soft drinks, and snacks.

Commercial drivers who managed to navigate through the chaos exploited the situation by increasing transport fares from the usual N500–N700 to as high as N2,000.

Occasionally, a few sympathetic private car owners were seen picking up exhausted passengers.

A stranded commuter, Yinka Oladele, a business woman from Effo Alaye described the situation as ” totally excruciating.

She said, “I don’t know why a few people are allowed to create problem for all of us, inconvenience everyone else.

“Is difficult for government to relocate these ram sellers? Why should people suffer like this just because they want to use a public road?

“This is 5 p.m. I left the Lagos Island around 2 pm, and I’ve barely moved. The bus fare has tripled.”

Another road user, who declined to did not volunteer his identity echoed the same frustration and urged the government to relocate the Kara market.

“You won’t see any of our leaders plying this road. It’s only the common man. Please, help us beg them to move this market elsewhere.

“It’s not a difficult thing to do if the government truly wants to help us, especially during festive seasons,” he noted.

He lamented, “That market has become a menace for road users during Sallah celebrations. This isn’t the first time commuters are facing this kind of hardship.

“If it’s not road repairs, it’s ram sellers. Every year, there’s a problem. The FRSC officials are trying, but this is beyond just traffic control.”

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Sector Command of the FRSC, Florence Okpe, had confirmed the situation and attributed the congestion to increased pre-Sallah activities at the Kara Market.

“Our officials are already on the ground and will remain there to manage the traffic throughout the festive period,” she had told our correspondent on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, massive gridlock was witnessed across several parts of Lagos on Thursday evening as pre-Sallah market activities and the usual closing-hour rush brought vehicular movement to a crawl in major commercial corridors.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, in a traffic update posted via its official X handle at 4:26 p.m., reported that the CMS Bridge inward Offin Canal Market was experiencing significant congestion due to market-related activities.

“There is slow movement on the CMS bridge heading towards Offin Canal Market, specifically impacted by vehicles entering and exiting the market area.

“However, the stretch immediately following Offin Canal Market to the Ijora Olopa by NEPA intersection is currently clear,” LASTMA stated.

The agency further revealed that traffic was building up steadily along Broad Street, with congestion stretching toward the Apongbon underbridge section.

“The congestion is tied to activities at Offin Canal Market and Olowogbowo, alongs