Her wooden expression belies her daily strain. In her litany of complaints, it seems easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for her to have a walk across one of Lagos makeshift bridges.

“We have had so many promises from the government, but we have seen nothing so far,” says Idera Jimoh, a resident who sells footwear in Ayobo-Ipaja. 

Lagos lies at the intersection of prosperity, potential, pretence and poverty. It bears a wooden frame of a megacity, bursting at the seams with ubiquitous local and foreign immigrants. As the richest state in Nigeria, its politicians, particularly the first citizens (past and present governors), rode to office on empty promises made to overpopulated communities strewn across the state.

“In my 12 years of living in Ayobo-Ipaja, I have been paying N200 every day to ply the wooden bridge,” she intones. “There are days I ply the wooden bridge (panko) six times in a day. You can see for yourself, we get no help from the government, those people (toll collectors) are here to collect money, there is no escape for us, and we have no choice.” 

Her daily experience sums up what other residents living in Ayobo-Ipaja, Oke-Ira and Alaba, have suffered over the last two decades. Due to poor road networks, they pay to ply the wooden bridges built across harmful canals and flooded areas.

Residents of Ayobo-Ipaja, Alaba and Oke-Ira (spanning Alimosho, Ojo and Ifako-Ijaiye local government areas in Lagos West Senatorial District) lament decades of neglect. Though the government and politicians pledged to build a concrete bridge and construct good roads, they have been empty promises, they claim.

In Alimosho, residents say nine different wooden bridges provide pedestrian and automobile access to nearby communities. These areas include Iyana-Odo to police station road, Idowu-Egba to Baruwa road, Okoloyun street, Lanre to Alakara road, Karo to Olayemi road, Igbosun street, Olorunshola street, Olarenwaju to Igando road and Atapa to Idiorogbo road. The wooden bridges are the fastest link to Atan, Ipaja, Igbogila and Ashipa, border communities connecting Lagos and Ogun metro areas.

There are at least five wooden bridges in the Ojo local council by Akapo street, Sunny to Ilufe road, Alaba-Rago to Alaba road, Cassidy street, and Seriki street. They connect through nearby communities and streets (Seriki, Alaba-Rago, Jakara and Alaba International Market). For residents in Oke-Ira (Ifako-Ijaiye local government), the bridges connect nearby Ogun communities.

All these communities told tales of under-development to Peoples Gazette despite turning out significant numbers at every election cycle.

Alimosho

Every day, residents like Mrs Jimoh pay a toll fee to use the bridge. They have to pass through Iyana-Ipaja. It costs N200 (about 50 cents) per trip. But the wooden bridges built by individuals, private firms, or residents’ associations cost N50 (per pedestrian). Pedestrians with luggage or heavy loads pay between N150 to N500. Vehicles pay between N300 to N1,000 to use the wooden bridges. Road Link Ventures Limited built the wooden bridge linking Lanre to Alakara road and Olarenwaju to Igando road. The firm, managed by a man known as Mr Osibote (aka Prince), declined to speak with Peoples Gazette.

“I spend N800 daily to use the bridge. I met the bridge here. This is not the only bridge, but whenever I go out with my vehicle, I spend N300 aside from the fact that I pay N50 for each passenger in the vehicle except myself,” Oladun Kayode, a resident who plies Lanre to Alakara wooden bridge every day for the past 10 years, tells Peoples Gazette.

He further notes, “We had meetings and sought the attention of authorities that could help to ameliorate our sufferings. Well, the CDA has been communicating with the government, but nothing is happening. To our shock, we were told that the bridge had been fixed three years ago; only the canal was fixed, not the bridge.”

A roadside trader, Murufat Nuruhdeen, says she pays N50 each time she uses one of the wooden bridges. “The government needs to do something,” she said. 

Funsho Benson, the vice-chairman of Olayemi to Igando unit of motorcycle operators, feels the government needs to ensure the safety of commercial transporters who risk their lives on the road.

“Imagine two-wheel vehicles on a wooden bridge built with nails anything can happen. It is risky. The risk we pass through on wooden bridges can be deadly, but we have no choice,” Mr Benson points out, adding that the residents have to use the bridge, which serves as a shortcut or risk getting late to work.

Lagos is at the crossroads of poverty and prosperity in which government officials and politicians feed fat on the public purse. Still, its underbelly of penury-stricken communities tucked inside the state away from glistening and lush neighbourhoods often sold as the face of Lagos.

He discloses that the owners of the bridges run a private enterprise with the approval of the local government. 

“For each wooden bridge, there is a fee charged,” Mr Benson reveals. “We are lucky at Olayemi because it is run by a nice woman. That is why we book for a day’s payment. We pay for each day at the cost of N500. Imagine if we are paying N100 to N150 per trip, how much money will be left to take home?”

Another tricycle rider who identified himself simply as Oluwaseun says, “We pay N1,000 to toll collectors every day if you do not have money, you will not be allowed to work for the day. The road is not good. We need the government’s support. The toll collectors are trying, but the government is not making any contribution to support the people.”

Ojo wooden bridges

For all its 30 years, wooden bridges built over canals and swampy areas connect through Alaba International Market, a commercial hub in Lagos. On average, thousands of people (customers and traders) pay N30 to walk past these footbridges to purchase their electronics. Nigeria’s multibillion-naira electronic market, the Alaba market, generates huge tax revenue for the government, but the inner roads leading to the market does not reflect that. Over 100 people used the bridge connecting Alaba Rago to market within 20 minutes. Traders and customers who carry goods across bridges pay between N150 and N500.

James Tokunbo, a businessman at the market, spends N1,000 on average to get his goods across the bridge.

“If I calculate, sometimes I pay N1,000 toll fees to bring my goods into the market. We just want the government to fix the canals,” he says. “Whenever rain falls, the problem we have here is flooding caused by the bad canals. If rain falls, there is no road we have to pay to find our way back into the market. During the ex-governor Fashola administration, we benefited from the monthly cleaning of the canals. If they can fix the wooden bridges and make it motorable, the masses will enjoy the value of the government.”

A resident of the area, Doyin Olaoye, believes that there will be progress if there is a market in the community. But she accuses the government of being unconcerned about the community’s plight.

“The government is unfair towards the people. They are all aware of these bridges. They ought to have helped the masses,” insists Mrs Olaoye.

‘Omo onile’ as toll collectors

Lagos, considered a “megacity of slums,” heaves and sighs with millions of impoverished people buffeted around by the winds of government’s apathy and the capitalist spirit of private entities who reap from their misfortunes.

Idowu Oseni, popularly known as Mickey, manages the Igbehin-Adun wooden bridge located along Seriki street. Hesitant to speak with The Gazette, he asked one of his ‘boys’ Rosyko to comment.

“When we ask the people, they tell us the amount they can afford to pay. Some people pay us N50 and some ply for free,” Roskyo explains.

In charge of toll fees at Alaba-Rago to Alaba market wooden bridge, Alaba Joshua claims he does not know how much money comes in daily. The wooden bridge at Alaba has two sections that belong to Hausa and Yoruba locals. Mr Joshua controls the Yoruba section. 

“Well, I do not know much we make, but I’m in my office collecting money. The money we collect is for the community,” Mr Joshua points out. “You can not walk on this pedestrian bridge without paying me. I will collect the money from you.” 

Buba Mohammed, chairman of Pro-Alaba Amalgamated Union, the umbrella body for associations in the Alaba market, tells The Gazette they want the government to fix the inner roads leading to the market because it will be good for business.

“We want the government to come and do the needful. We need the linked roads to be fixed. We have five wooden bridges. These wooden bridges are not motorable,” Mr Mohammed says. “We just walk on them. We want a major road just like Ojo-Okoko road. It is good for business.”

Stressing how important the bridges are to the community, Mr Mohammed adds, “If the government can come to fix the bridges, let them leave the roads for us, we will fix the roads from what we generate because that is something for the development of the market.”

Both roads and bridges are only in politicians’ campaign promises. They accuse Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and ex-Governor Akinwumi Ambode of selling them a dummy.

“Yes, the government have been promising to fix the road. We call them campaign promises for elections. Even Vice President Osinbajo and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode were here in the presence of the traders,” the market leader laments. “They promised to fix the road, but nothing has been done. Alaba is the biggest electronic market in West Africa in Lagos, and we pay our taxes annually.”

To further illustrate the community’s insufferable situation, Mr Mohhammed says in Ajagbadi, a road from Sunny to Ilufe for those going to Ojo road has been messed by the government. 

“You just take that road (to other parts of the area). But now there is a pedestrian bridge there. Vehicles cannot ply the routes. The traffic in Alaba will reduce if that road is fixed,” he reasons. “I do not have any business with those collecting the toll fees from the pedestrians. In fact, some families are benefiting from the poor state of the road and bridges.”

Shedding light on that, he says, “Recently, I was called to lead the team that will fix the wooden bridge in Akapo street through the local government initiatives. We went to Ojo, signed documents and finalised the projects. The locals, omo onile, object to our mission because of the N50 they are collecting, they are bigger than the government. That is our problem here.”

Ifako-Ijaiye

The Oke-Ira community in Ifako-Ijaiye appears to have a well-managed situation using a wooden bridge to connect settlements separated by slums. The bridge was created and is operated by a coalition of local community development associations.

Oke-Ira is a suburb that borders Ogun. Its bridge connects the neighbourhood in Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos, to Yakoyo/Alagbole in Ogun. The Power Line/Oke-Ira Community Development Association and the Yakoyo/Alagbole Community Development Association maintain the bridge. Adekunle Ajayi, an executive of the Power Line/Oke-Ira CDA, tells The Gazette that using the bridge reduces transportation stress for the residents on the two ends of the bridge between Lagos and Ogun.

“If you want to go to Berger from here (Oke-Ira), you would have to pay N100 to get to Ogba and then another N100 0r N150 to get to Ogba,” Mr Ajayi disclosed to The Gazette. “But with a token of N20, this bridge allows you to link Ogba and Berger right from your backyard on foot or at a relatively small amount of money. The bridge has been here for more than ten years, and it was built by the communities without support from the government.” 

Money generated from the toll fees is used to maintain the bridge, including hiring security guards to keep the bridge safe and fix other facilities in the area.

Residents feel obligated to pay the fee as indicated by Nwobi Kelechi, a resident.

“The payment of N20 token is also fair for the maintenance of the bridge and replacement of woods that wear off, and I am happy paying it,” the resident tells The Gazette.

The community re-echoes the empty promises of politicians and government officials.

“When Ambode first came on board, he stated that he would not build footbridges but rather build a major road and bridge that would connect the state to the neighbouring state and drive economic activity,” Mr Ajayi explains. “However, he never got around to carrying out his plans.” 

“When Sanwo-Olu came on board, he stated that he would return to footbridges and canal clearing, which was supposed to take place every three months, but he has only done once since the inauguration of his government,” Mr Ajayi adds. 

Bola Shobowale, the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA in Lagos, notes that the council is more interested in building roads than constructing bridges.

“There are wooden bridges in Ayobo-Ipaja, but it was not constructed by the local government. As the chairman of the local government, I am not willing to construct any wooden bridge. There are other roads and streets under construction,” says Ms Shobowale.

“The state government plan to renovate and construct some wooden bridges,” she acknowledges. “There is a wooden bridge along Akinola road. That road will be constructed in 2022. There is nowhere in Lagos state where they do not have road issues, even in Nigeria.”

The LCDA chair tells The Gazette that the government is aware of the insufferable state of the Ayobo-Ipaja resident. “So, it is not a new thing here in Ayobo-Ipaja. But we know what the residents are going through. That is why we are finding ways to ameliorate their problems.” 

Yisa Abiola Jubril, the Iba LCDA chair, denies knowledge of a wooden bridge in his axis. “We do not have any wooden bridge in Iba local government. I don’t know if there is any wooden bridge there,” Mr Jubril claims.

He recanted after The Gazette presented him pictorial evidence of wooden bridges littered across the LCDA.

“Are you particular about the wooden bridges at Seriki and Alaba? These wooden bridges are owned by different families. If anything wants to happen there, it has to be a joint work from the state government and local government because we are supposed to construct the bridges,” Mr Jubril reasons.

Yet, the Iba LCDA chairman does not want to bother about the bridge. He explains why.

“We do not want them to put any politician in the middle. After the bridge has been fixed, the politician’s name will remain in their mouth. They will complain that I took over their source of livelihood,” says Mr Jubril. “That is why the place will remain like that.

He revealed that “the families managing the bridges visited me” and “pleaded with me not to remove the wooden bridges.” 

The LCDA chair says he would rather pander to the desire of the bridges’ owner rather than the public’s, the majority of whom voted him into office.

“So, if the residents are complaining that they are paying money, they should also consider that the people who built the wooden bridge used their money to construct the bridge,” Mr Jubril argues. “It is not a community effort. The family took it upon themselves to make their own income. At least they have invested in that bridge. They have to make their money.”

None of the money made from the bridge comes to the LCDA, claims Mr Jubril.

“The local government is not generating any money from these bridges,” he insists.

The Lagos supervisor for works and infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, did not reply to letters requesting comments on the wooden bridges that litter the state’s sprawling neighbourhoods. But the state has repeatedly said it is making efforts to ensure the wider spread of its so-called urban renewal project, an ambitious plan towards infrastructure renaissance.