by Augustine Ogwo
Good day Sir,
Congratulations on your new role as the Governor of arguably Africa’s most commercial state. The tasks ahead are herculean for you and your officials but you must hit the ground running. I have got no access to you or your commissioners but since I can access a laptop, I decided to write you this letter which is straight from the heart.
Sir, I am really hurt. I am very hurt about so many things which are of no direct concern to you but I have got a simple request. It’s obvious that Nigerians are not the easiest crop of people to lead but no set of people really are. You must do your best lest you go down in history as just another ex-governor of Lagos state. We often seek solutions to just stuff we consider complex problems but we fail to resolve simple problems which require just common sense and functional consciences.
Sir, what does it really cost to construct standard pedestrian bridges? Does it cost more than the lives of those who get murdered by hit and run drivers every other day on the Lekki-Epe expressway which is about a 49.8km distance that runs from the end of Ozumba Mbadiwe road in Victoria Island to Epe?
For a state which prides itself as a mega-city, is it not a show of shame that there are only three pedestrian bridges for a great distance as 49.8km? Oh! I get it. Pedestrians have no business living in that part of Lagos? How come the partnership between Lagos state Government and Lekki Concession Company doesn’t mandate the latter to ensure more pedestrian bridges are constructed? Are we not sick and tired of watching our soil soak up the blood of innocent citizens? Sir, does it require rocket science to do the needful? Is the primary responsibility of a government no longer to protect the lives and interest of its citizens?
I have seen and heard of the young, old and middle-aged knocked down at various instances just around the Ajah axis of the Lekki-Epe expressway. They lost their lives simply because the government who they pay tolls and taxes to mandatorily have chosen not to give a damn about their well being. The blood of these lost ones may forever haunt those who refused to come down from their high horses and do the needful.
Sir, you can make Lagos better by fixing simple problems such as this. I hope you don’t respond to this except through positive actions, your time starts now!
Augustine Ogwo is a writer, blogger and web content developer. In 2010, he won the 1st runner up award in the short-story category of the maiden edition of the Ken Saro-Wiwa Award (organized by the Niger Delta Restoration of Hope). He blogs at www.austinaija.com
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
