Nearly 24 hours after a petrol-laden tanker exploded along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, traffic has yet to ease, with scores of motorists and commuters stranded. The incident, which occurred in front of the NASFAT Camp on Wednesday, caused a massive gridlock that has paralyzed movement on the expressway.
As of Thursday morning, vehicles heading towards Ibadan remained at a complete standstill, while those coming into Lagos were being redirected to share two narrow lanes. Despite early assurances from the Federal Road Safety Corps that clearance efforts were underway, the situation has barely improved. Commuters told Punch that they had spent several hours covering short distances, while others said they wish they could abandon their vehicles altogether to continue their journeys on foot.
A commuter who left Arepo at 7:00am said he was still not in Ibafo by 9:15am, a stretch that usually takes five minutes. Another road user, Mr. Dele Ayeni, who was driving his private vehicle to Ibadan, said he had been stuck for over three hours. “We heard yesterday that the fire was brought under control. So why are we still here today? I think the authorities have abandoned us,” he said.
A commercial bus driver, Rafiu Alamu, who plies the Berger-Mowe axis daily, expressed frustration with the situation. “This kind of suffering is too much. I entered this express since 6:30am and it’s past 10 now. I haven’t even completed one trip. No official is here to direct traffic. Everyone is just fending for themselves.” Passengers inside Alamu’s bus had also run out of patience, with many stepping out to stretch their legs and fan themselves with anything they could find.
At various points along the expressway, hawkers who typically make brisk sales during heavy traffic expressed mixed feelings. One hawker, a teenage boy selling sausage rolls, said he had made enough sales, but pitied the people stuck in the traffic. Social media users have also taken to various platforms to vent their frustration, questioning the speed and effectiveness of the emergency response.
Some commuters questioned the government’s response to the situation, with one passenger, Mr. Obinna Nwachukwu, saying the government should have deployed heavy-duty equipment to quickly clear the wreckage. “How can a country like Nigeria leave a major expressway like this blocked for almost 24 hours?” he asked.
The tanker, which was laden with petrol, had overturned before bursting into flames near the NASFAT Camp. The explosion led to panic, with thick black smoke engulfing the air and vehicles getting trapped in a resulting gridlock stretching several kilometers. Attempts by some motorists to escape the traffic by driving against traffic compounded the confusion.
The Federal Road Safety Corps had issued a public advisory and mobilized personnel to the scene, confirming that there were no casualties but several vehicles were trapped due to the blocked lanes. However, commuters on Thursday questioned the effectiveness of the operation, with many still stranded on the expressway.
As of the time of filing this report, the road towards Ibadan remained impassable, with some commuters taking to using the shoulders of the road and adjoining pedestrian paths to make progress. The gridlock continues, and for thousands trapped on the expressway, the journey home or out is still far from over.
