Travelling outside the bother of Lagos metropolis could be adventurous and fun at the same time. However, the way many motorists and commercial drivers recklessly handle their job have been causing road mishaps. A normal trip along the Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Ore which are the two main ground routes in and out of Lagos, puts every traveler in a state of worry. Though it is fun and exciting, there is the issue of safety to worry about. On an average day several hundred travelers journey out of Lagos for various reasons like official trip, business trip, holiday trip, festival and vacation trip and what have we.
In Ikorodu Local Government Area, there are motor parks to virtually every regions of Nigeria. There are motor parks loading to all major towns in Southwest Nigeria; Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Akure, Osogbo, Ado and many more. Also in Ikorodu there are motor parks to the Southeastern region of the country; Benin, Onitsha, Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Oweri, Uyo etc. there are also buses plying Northern region from Ikorodu to Abuja, Kaduna, and other geographically close towns to them.
While some of these roads are relatively safe, they all have their threats every travelers must be aware of. Take for instance, the Lagos route leading to the Southeast may be in fairly good shape, there are cases of armed robbery and kidnapping to worry about. There have been seasons where highway robbers with heavy guns waylays travelers to ruthlessly steal from the innocent commuters. There have also been cases of kidnappers, who are possibly ritualists, sieging and whisking people away.
The government is aware of these menace and posted heavily armed security men at close interval at the Benin-Ore highway, it is also common to see similar military obstructions across the Southeast and South-south highways.
This heavy military presence only bring respite to travelers, the savage men of the underworld still strike at some point in time. Commercial motorists who frequent these routes always know their way through and have certain time of the day they hit the road. Some of them even travel in party, they set out of Lagos in convoy of three to five vehicles, a strategy which help scare way small banditry.
Another danger of these Southeastern way is the speed level of some of the drivers who take advantage of the smooth highways to run beyond the speed limit of our high way codes. This reckless attitude often lead to vehicular accidents when they go astray. Some collude with long trucks, others spin off the highway into ditches or bushes.
The Lagos way leading to other western towns may not be smooth like the eastern roads and not experience cases of armed robbery, they pose some hazards to travelers. Some of the roads in the southwest regions are not double lanes and they are mostly old roads done during the Obafemi Awolowo regional government. They are too narrow and have many steep slopes and sharp corners. The problems is compounded by the old rickety vehicles which ply these roads. Most of the cars/buses are sluggish and the interiors jagged, which injure passengers and tore cloths. The commercial motorists’ also care little about the wellbeing of their passengers as they tend to “overload” by taking more passengers than required by the capacities of the vehicles. It is always scary when they maneuver in sharp bents, steep hills and when driving close to long big vehicles. It is a common site to see vehicles breaking down along the southwestern roads, a journey of four hours usually last for six and seven hours due to frequent breakdown of these poor vehicles.
Every traveller must understand that travelling is an unavoidable venture that must be embarked on when the need arises, so you need not worry about eventualities. Instead, a traveler should plan his route and inspect the kind of vehicle to board. Take for instance, when travelling to the southeastern region, one is required to leave home very early to join the first and second buses, or might even go to book overnight before the following morning. This preparation will enable travelers to arrive their destinations in the East on time, since most journey last about eight to nine hours. For those travelling along the Lagos and other southwestern towns, should inspect the vehicles properly and ensure that the diver did not take passengers excessively before taking off from the motor park.