The Making of Mile Two Mess

By Eddy Odivwri

Our former Lagos State correspondent, Kola Ologbodiyan, the present National Publicity Secretary, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in those days, would come back to the newsroom and regale us with stories of what they (the Alausa correspondents), did the previous night with the then Military Administrator, Col Buba Marwa (as he then was), who is now the Chairman of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). He (Kola) would tell us how the MILAD would go with the Correspondents into the Lagos city, at a very ungodly hour of the night, driving through various parts of the city, notoriously labelled as “black spots”. That Marwa, would always be armed with a Jotter, where he notes bad spots that require maintenance, areas where there should be more security presence etc., adding that on a number of occasions they would run into a gang of bad boys who get promptly disarmed and arrested. Over time, that routine drive around, enabled the MILAD not only to have a firm grip and comprehensive knowledge of the state, it helped to significantly drive down the crime index in the state.

I do not know if succeeding governors, over time discarded or adopted that surveillance strategy.

I had thought the present governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu is not quite mindful of the rising state of insecurity in Lagos, until I recently listened to 96.1 FM, the Lagos traffic radio, wherein all the hazards and dangers associated with going around in Lagos metropolis was highlighted in an educative jingle. I surmised that the Radio station cannot know this much without the governor himself being aware.

As I drive round town most days, I see the strident efforts of Gov Sanwo-Olu to better the state. The socio-metrics of the state are looking bright, what with many of the major roads being re-surfaced, street lights being lit up, dirt mounds disappearing etc.

But there is a but. Lagos seems to be loosing its safety niche. In the last four months, the crime rate in the city is rising steadily and faithfully. It is worse with cases of roadside robberies. The frequency and audaciousness of attack on passengers and car owners on Lagos streets and roads is becoming intolerably alarming. It will require another day to tell the story of kidnappings and abductions in the Lekki/Ajah axis of the state.

Perhaps, the black spots are all fully back and activated with fiercer versions of whatever they were in times past. One of such bad spots is Mile 2. It is a major Bus stop connecting the outskirt communities to the city centre. Like Ojuelegba, Mile 2 does not sleep. But it has gone to seed! It is alive 24/7. It is a major gateway to Apapa, where the two sea ports in the state are located. It links Orile/Costain end of the city, It also connects Oshodi and Gbagada axis. It therefore hosts plenty of traffic, and ipso facto, a burgeoning commercial hub.

Sadly, Mile 2 has long overtaken Oshodi as a den of robbers and violent criminals. Oshodi used to be such a terrible place that everybody who had regard for his/her life and his/her little money and possessions, tried to avoid, even at 12 noon. That was the situation until the advent of former Governor, Babatunde Fashola, now Minister of Works. Fashola not only re-jigged Oshodi, it transformed it and all the criminals who had hibernated and operated there for years suddenly realized that Oshodi was too bright for comfort. The array of flood light was more than that of the National Stadium. They fled.

Today, Mile 2 has become even twice deadlier than Oshodi. Matters are not helped by the fact that too often, there are terrible and aged bad spots that certainly force motorist to not only slow down, but also devise ways to crawl through such very bad spots, especially during the rains. I have never been able to understand why year-in-year-out, government is fanatically negligent of such bad spots, and so motorists experience the same nasty danger and discomfort every year. I think it is the height of governmental irresponsibility. I do not quite care whether it is a federal or state road.

The consequence is that, too soon, there is a long stretch of traffic build up. And that traffic glitch is all the bad boys need to descend on motorists. This has nothing to do with the time. Twice in the month of May, I was attacked between the hours of 6 and 8 pm. That was after I had spent over two and half hours in almost one spot. On the second experience, a woman who was alone in her car, got her windows shattered with just the blast of a hammer on the window. Her laptop, bags, telephones and whatever they could lay their hands on were all gone in a jiffy. Many people simply ran out of their cars, locked or unlocked, into the dark night. It was a fierce night. Thirty minutes later, they came again, breaking many glass windows and grabbing whatever they could. So bad it was that the mere shout of “dem dey come” triggered a wild rush. A full coaster bus, in less than 2 minutes was completely emptied as passengers: men and women, old and young scampered out of the bus, some through the window, with some falling and rising the same second. We were all jittering and praying, reciting Psalm 23 as many times as possible….

Yet, the traffic was fixedly stuck on one spot, all lights and engines switched off. No police or soldier or even Civil Defence was anywhere in sight.

But if you think the ensuing darkness was invitation enough for attack on motorists, you will be shocked to hear that few days after my experience, my wife was also attacked at 3pm at the same Mile 2, coming from the Orile end! She was wiser, as she kept pressing her loud horn, as the fierce boys surrounded her, attempting to break her wound-up window glasses. The attention drawn by the loud blare of the horn caused the boys to flee.

Just last Tuesday, my cousin, an UBER driver was attacked by three wild boys, two of whom were bearing short guns, at the same Mile 2, before 6 pm and all his rake-ins of the day were collected, with his phone narrowly escaping. Just everyday, Mile 2 is a menace. It has become the headquarters of traffic robbery in Lagos.

Yet, not only is there a Police station in Mile 2, there is indeed a stationary Van of Policemen, LASTMA etc., at the Oshodi-Oke, at the point where the road leads down towards Orile. Those security men never do anything to protect motorists. They are more interested in collecting tolls from the tanker and trailer drivers heading to Apapa.

This fear of attack also causes many motorists to hit the roads almost all at the same time, to beat the black spots. But they hardly ever do. At all ends of the Mile 2, there are hoodlums and criminals waiting for whom to attack.

But even if you ignore the menace of traffic robberies, what can we say about the colony of Okada riders who have practically taken over the entire Mile 2 Exchange—whether above or beneath the bridge? It is worse above the bridge. Hordes of dirty-looking motor-cycle riders take over the two lanes with their bikes, leaving motorists to struggle to squeeze through a narrow corridor, most times scratching their cars, amidst swearing and cursing. If these can happen in Mile 2, you can then imagine the deep mess neighbourhoods like Ajegunle, Shomolu , Mushin and all such adjunct communities must be going through.

Even then, there is a worse aspect: people operate roadside Buka or restaurant right on top of the median of the bridge. There are Tea sellers, who have camp gas cylinders with which they fry eggs, potatoes, boil rice and really undertake cooking expedition. While the feasting continues, the packs of food, nylon of pure water sachets and all such warts are thrown around and about the roads. In an hour, the mess generated will fill a truck. Yet, nobody talks. Nobody drives them off the highway. Nobody arrests them. Nobody chases the unlicensed motorcycle riders off the roads. Many of the motor-cycles, especially those ridden by people from a certain part of the country, are without plate numbers. They are not registered. So, when they use those bikes to commit crime, and escape, they can hardly be traced or tracked. The riders have no licence. They do not understand road signs. Neither they nor their passengers wear helmet. They ride against traffic, most recklessly. They have sent many to their graves and the luckier ones to Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital.

How does a 21stcentury city, desperate to be called the Centre of Excellence have all these as its signature malaise? And there is a government run by law? No government worth its salt and name will tolerate what goes on in Mile 2 for just a day. This is a crying challenge to Gov Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.

About a kilometer from Mile 2, is another Bus stop Called 2ndRainbow. It is defined by the huge number of Okada riders who are menacingly positioned on both sides of the express way. Motorists have to literally run away from them, doing everything to avoid hitting them.

Matters are further worsened by the now accustomed tradition of Danfo(Yellow Buses) who usually drive against traffic, all the way from Cele Bus stop to the same Mile 2. They are not only on top speed, they are reckless, daring and abusive. Needless to say many fatal accidents have been recorded on account of such highway recklessness.

One is tempted to ask if the people of Mile 2 axis enjoy immunity from the many laws enacted by the Lagos state government. There is hardly a pretence to the enforcement of the laws. Surprisingly, even Policemen are often coolly seated on the front seat of such offending buses, driving against traffic. So, who will arrest them, if the Police appear overwhelmed and given up?

Yet, even the LASTMA officials who will always cast a blind eye to the mess on the highway will be so active in intercepting offending motorists on adjoining, less busy Apple Junction axis.

I was all too giddy when in February 2020, Gov Sanwo-Olu had reiterated the ban of Okada on Lagos major roads. But it has proven to be something like “For the Records” order, as not quite a week after some task force men clamped down on Okada riders, seizing their motor-cycles, the business is back in full swing. There is no highway that is sacred to Okada riders, not even the Third Mainland Bridge! The streets are full of the menace of these people. Government appears helpless as it silently wrings its hands in utter helplessness.

Of what use is a law that cannot or will not be enforced?

The concept of a failed state begins with inability to punish offenders of state laws.

Quite often the unofficial explanation for the seeming incapacity of the government to rein in the Okada riders and even reckless Danfodrivers is that they are often the people politicians turn to during elections. They are the ones who strive to queue up in the rain and sun to vote the candidates dictated by politicians. But it is raw Bunkum with a capital B! Former Gov Fashola was undaunting in enforcing the law banning Okada riders or traffic offenders, insisting, for instance, that those who drive against traffic must undergo a psychiatric test. Was/Is he less a politician?

Gov Sanwo_Olu went a step further by seizing such eighty-eight “one-way” vehicles and auctioning them, last February. It happened only once. Ever since then, there has been no other auctioning session. And so the practice is back, with all its concomitant danger!

Gov Sanwo-Olu must be reminded that no matter how smooth the roads are, how well he ups the ante in many other areas, the failure to ensure and enforce security in the city, will eclipse his good works, as it is bound to be a turn off for prospective investors—local or foreign. He cannot afford to allow that issue to slur his records.

Life is already hard enough with an unfriendly economy, adding the pain and fear of insecurity will merely make life more brutish, short and even nasty. That will be by no means an attribute of a Centre of Excellence.