Why Lagos State Government Is Getting Rid of Allen Roundabout
About a week after the Lagos state government demolished the Allen roundabout in Ikeja, there is still some ambivalence over the removal of the landmark. Many commuters plying the route were caught unawares as they were not privy to the earlier announcement about the removal of the roundabout.
The Lagos state government had announced through its twitter handle, @followlasg that it was going to demolish four roundabouts in the city to ease the free flow of traffic across the metropolis.
“Four roundabouts including Ikotun, 2nd roundabout on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Allen Avenue roundabout and Maryland will be removed to pave the [way] for road expansion and free flow of traffic,” it tweeted on December 29, 2019.
While inspecting the removal of the 2nd roundabout along Lekki-Epe Expressway, the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu reiterated why the roundabouts were being removed.
“We are currently working on junction improvements at four major locations to improve the free flow of traffic in Lagos”, he said.
Allen Roundabout which is located halfway between Alausa and the entire stretch of Awolowo Way is a major intersection within Ikeja. It connects Awolowo way with Alausa at one end and Allen Avenue with Adeniyi Jones at the other strip.
Commuters from both ends of the road are always stuck in long traffic as they try to maneuver the roundabout during peak hours. It was established that the gridlock in the area would be reduced drastically by removing the roundabout.
The Obafemi Awolowo’s statue within the main bowl of the roundabout was equally removed. The statue which was erected by the Tinubu administration was an iconic feature at the junction. Many residents expressed mixed feelings over the removal of the Awo statue.
A Neusroom source says that the roundabout was removed to create a junction that will accommodate up to six lanes in the direction facing Alausa. He said that the move was necessary to reduce ‘hold-up’ there as the roundabout was a major cause of gridlock.
He explained that the movement of vehicles through the intersection will be controlled by a traffic signal that will reduce the amount of time spent in traffic at the spot to the barest minimum. When he was asked about the timeframe of the project, he added that the construction which is being carried out by Roosco Resources Nigeria Limited will be completed in April 2020.
Many commuters and residents have lauded the move, recounting how the new road that will emerge in the place of the roundabout will reduce the chaos that occurs within the ring of the roundabout. Some residents who ply the Lekki-Ajah axis have also pleaded with Governor Sanwo-Olu to equally demolish the roundabout at Abraham Adesanya as it is causing major traffic.
Demolition of Fela’s Statue
The removal of the Allen roundabout also included the demolition of The Liberation Statue which was unveiled in 2017 to mark Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s 79th posthumous birthday by former governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode.
The action was greeted by disapproval from some of the Afrobeat legend’s fans despite being assured that the statue will be moved to a more appropriate location. They believed that the significance of having it close to Fela’s shrine was of utmost importance.
