Press Releases

Lagos Street Gates To Open From 5.30AM To 12 Midnight - Residents

Jan 27, 2009 - The Lagos State Government, residents and other stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting on the impact of street gates in Lagos on traffic flow resolved on Tuesday that all Street Gates within the state will remain open from 5.30 am till 12 midnight everyday in order to ease the traffic bottleneck often caused by the Gates.

At the Town Hall meeting which had in attendance representatives of Community Development Associations, Community Development Committees, Traditional Rulers, Landlords, Security organizations, para-military formations and opinion leaders which took place at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium , Alausa, it was also agreed that all such gates will be manned by members of the Community Development Associations resident in such areas.

It was also resolved that the decisions jointly agreed on at the Town Hall meeting should become effective all over the state not later than seven days time.

The Stakeholders at the Town Hall meeting also agreed that the State Police Commissioner should ensure that all Area Commanders, DPOs, RRS, Neighbourhood watch and other security apparatus intensify street patrols.

Speaking at the interactive session, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said incalculable damages have been done to people through the persistent closure of gates, while also not preventing the attacks of men of the underworld.

He added that if the gates are opened till midnight as agreed by the Town Hall meeting, traffic jams would be improved considerably.

Governor Fashola implored everyone to rise to the call of duty and for the common good of all which is a duty to do what is right saying “we cannot use old and unsuccessful methods to get new and different results”.

The Governor also said those who threaten the security of the society are an insignificant number and therefore in the minority, saying he will work with the people as he has already started doing and collectively, “we can defeat them and take back our common patrimony and safety back”.

The Lagos State helmsman explained that the gates in most cases constitute serious obstacles to the efficient management of the built environment and in particular to vehicular and pedestrian movement along roads that are funded and maintained from the commonwealth which is the tax payers money.

Said he: “In cases of fire outbreaks, burglar bars and street gates have prevented fire fighters from gaining access to homes and inner streets, sometimes resulting in needless loss of lives. It forces all of us to longer routes and eliminate by-passes or connectivity access to back streets through which we would otherwise have reached our destinations quicker”.

Governor Fashola asked rhetorically: “Have the gates stopped robberies? Have we gained more than we have lost by erecting them? If we do the same thing without getting a different result, must we continue in self delusion or must we find the courage by trying something new”.

The Governor reiterated that the state has swung into action to improve security by lighting up streets at nights even where there is no power (through solar powered lights), equipping law enforcement agents and inspiring them through improved welfare packages as well as deployment of technology through 767 Emergency toll free number and commencement of street cameras pilot scheme

He recalled that Lagos in the sixties was a safe and peaceful place to live and work in, adding that one of the unfortunate and bad consequences of the Nigerian civil war was the proliferation of arms with armed robbery becoming rampant all over the country.

He added that “it therefore seemed natural that with the increase in the crime rate, people took steps to guarantee the safety of their lives and property. Everybody became prisoners or victims of fear with the introduction of barricades within or without the home. With time, residents moved from burglary bars, erection of fences, to gated compounds and streets”.

Governor Fashola said the rate at which the street gates are being erected within metropolitan Lagos in recent time has become very worrisome to the government as estates have now graduated to multiple gates keeping only one opened manned by a security guard while others remain permanently locked.

He said equally worrisome is the fact that none of the gates have an approval which is a violation of town planning law.

Experts, Governor Fashola told the gathering, have shown that street gates constitute a major constriction to traffic flow, and that their removal will spring surprises about how positively impactful the outcome will be on the city’s transportation efficiency and lives.

He added that an area like Agege Motor road which constricted at Oshodi and Mushin is only one of the roads that everyone have been forced to abandon for over 20 years until most recently, because:”We allowed a few people to convert our transport infrastructure to a market place”.

“Your Government has shown courage to make your taxes and assets work for you by clearing the constrictions at Oshodi and Mushin so that it now takes only about twenty minutes to travel from Ikeja to Apongbon through Agege Motor Road”, he said.

The Governor added: “if you imagine 60,000 people, having to leave a campaign ground or rally or a football stadium through only one exit after the event is finished, I believe that you will appreciate the picture. Gbagada, Ilupeju, Anthony Village, Surulere, Aguda, Surulere, Aguda, Okota, Ogba, Maryland, Ikeja, Opebi, Mushin, Ilasamaja, Ipaja and Itire to mention a few are daily examples of these self inflicted pains”.

He disclosed that when people clamoured for an expansion of the BRT shuttle bus service to other areas, the Agege Motor Road constitute one of the most viable but which could not be plied due to the excesses of street traders, revealing that today, LAGBUS buses are plying the Agege Motor Road without any hindrance.

Governor Fashola said the convening of the Town Hall meeting on street gates is a fulfillment of the promise he made to the people to use all his skills, knowledge and energy to find solutions to the problems that make life difficult for everyone.

Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Developemnt, Mr Francisco Abosede said the provision of street gates have made interconnectivity practically impossible for all residents of Lagos.

He added that in all places where such gates have been erected, it has not stopped criminals or armed robbers from terrorizing the residents, but has also created traffic snarls as motorists could not interconnect other areas.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa in his welcome address said the government observed that though the erection of street gates may seem attractive, the consequences on the overall urban efficiency, aesthetics and functionality of the city and most especially traffic flow poses difficult questions to answer.

He added that the state Governor mandated the convocation of the Town Hall meeting to create an opportunity for the people’s contributions and inputs before arriving at any acceptable policy.

The State Police Command in its presentation made on behalf of the Commissioner of Police by State Force PRO, Supol Frank Mba the erection of gates has made the job of policing the state more difficult as the Police sometimes have problems accessing scenes of crime due to locked gates.

Participants at the interactive sessions including Oba of Egbeda, Oba Balogun who spoke on behalf of all traditional rulers and Chairman of the CDC Advisory Council, Alhaji Moshood Dosunmu all unanimously agreed and called on all residents of the state to dismantle all streets gates and give unfettered access to everyone including security agents and first aid responders.

The event was attended by several dignitaries including the State Vice Chairman of the Action Congress, Alhaji Safiriyu Sumaila, representative of the State Police Commissioner, the Navy and Airforce as well as traditional rulers and community development associations across the state.