In the Ikorodu area of Lagos, the Igbogbo-Bayeku Road, a major artery that connects two densely populated communities and numerous other areas is in a deplorable state and not fit for humans. SODIQ OJUROUNGBE writes on how residents, motorists and business owners are daily exposed to choking dusty haze, with many battling respiratory illnesses because of a road project abandoned by the Lagos State Government.
Basic amenities like roads are meant to usher in development, make life easy and open up business opportunities for people in a sane clime, but this is far from it for residents living along and around the Igbogbo-Bayeku Road in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Life in the area has been tortuous for not only residents but for visitors, business owners, commercial bus drivers and tricycle operators.
Buried in dust
A short trip on the stretch would leave one gasping for air, with runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and coated in thick layers of dust from head to toe.
No one dares to go through the stretch of the road without wearing a nose mask and even at that, it does not guarantee absolute protection from the thick layers of dust that hang in the air from dusk till dawn.
The only thing that comes to mind when plying the route is a scene from a film or documentary depicting a sand storm in the Sahara desert.
Road construction turns nightmare
For over 20 years, Funke Obayomi called the quiet neighbourhood where she stays near Igbogbo-Bayeku Road, her home. The relative peace and tranquillity she enjoyed in the area was deemed perfect for her lifestyle and health until the road construction started and was abandoned midway.
For many years now, the said road has been in a bad state, especially near connecting communities like Offin, Agunfoye, Unity, Macaulay, Banjoko, Oreta, Selewu, Lajo, Igbogbo, Community, Bayeku and Fashola Estate Road, among many others.
When the Lagos State government in 2022, announced a plan to construct the road, residents were overwhelmed with joy.
Less than two years after the construction began, it was allegedly abandoned and in no time, the layer and mounds of sandy and clay soil heaped on the road turned monstrous, subjecting Obayomi and others who live nearby to serious respiratory challenges and other associated health issues.
Obayomi disclosed that in October 2023, she started to cough persistently and had a runny nose that refused to dry up despite taking several medications.
According to her, at first, she did not think much of it, but as time went on, her symptoms became severe and in November, she woke up in the middle of the night and found herself coughing out blood and mucus.
She was horrified and immediately sought medical help.
Her doctor diagnosed her with severe respiratory problems, likely caused by the dust and debris from the alleged abandoned road construction in front of her house.
She was told that the constant exposure to dust and pollution had damaged her lungs and made her susceptible to respiratory infections.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, Obayomi lamented that she had spent a significant amount of money on over-the-counter medications to help manage her symptoms.
She added that her doctor recommended that she stay indoors as much as possible and to keep her windows closed.
The woman said keeping her windows shut does not keep the dust away as it still finds its way into the nook and crannies of her apartment.
Despite having a small shop in front of her home, Obayomi said she always spends more time inside to clean, so as to reduce the amount of dust she inhales.
Speaking with our correspondent and displaying the drugs she had spent so much to buy, Obayomi poured out her frustrations, lamenting that the abandoned road project had caused her and others so much pain and suffering.
“I used to love sitting outside my shop, talking to people, and selling my wares. But now, I am trapped inside, and it is killing me. My business has practically shut down and my health is suffering. This road is a curse on our community.
“I have spent so much money on medication and trying to manage my health condition. I know a lot of people experiencing the same thing. We’re all stuck in this situation, and we don’t know how to get out of it. Something has to be done about this road before it kills us all,” Obayomi said in an emotion-laden voice.
Hope dashes, the project stalled midway
Many people have similar stories to tell about how the dust and pollution from the abandoned road has resulted to them battling health issues.
While speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, they expressed their frustration, stressing that the road has become a symbol of broken promises and dashed hopes.
In July 2022, the Lagos State government began the rehabilitation of the Igbogbo-Bayeku Road after residents protested severally over the terrible state it was in.
A board erected at Fashola Estate Road, which has details of the project showed that the rehabilitation is expected to commence from Odofin Street to Igbogbo-Baiyeku IIB Housing Estate.
PUNCH Healthwise reliably gathered that the road rehabilitation, handled by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, is expected to have drainages on both sides and street lights.
The road rehabilitation, according to residents, was scheduled to be completed within 22 months.
However, PUNCH Healthwise gathered that 17 months after the commencement, and just four months before the scheduled completion date of the project, work was stopped.
Our correspondent, who plied the stretch of the road from the Igbogbo bus stop to Fashola Estate junction on February 7, 2024, discovered that the road was not near completion, while drainage channels were constructed haphazardly.
Two caterpillars coated in dust were parked at the entrance of the Igbogbe-Bayeku LCDA, where the road rehabilitation started.
It was reliably gathered from residents that construction on the road stopped in December 2023 and that no one has seen any of the government officials operating the caterpillars since then.
For the five hours that our correspondent was in the area, he observed that dust clouds loomed menacingly, casting a shadow over houses.
Shops and many businesses, PUNCH Healthwise learnt, have shut down due to hazards posed by the dust, while residents keep relocating from the area.
Every building, tree and vegetation is covered in thick layers of dust, while the road itself is riddled with potholes filled with dirt and becomes impassable during the rainy season.
Residents stuck in a health crisis
Speaking on the present state of the road and how it has made the dry season worse for them, the residents lamented that they have been treating chest pain, cough, and catarrh that have defied medications.
More than 15 residents from different communities within the Igbogbo-Bayeku Road complained of persistent cough and itchy eyes.
A community leader, who simply identified himself as Baba Olowo, said the situation has become so dire that some residents resorted to wearing masks even inside their homes.
He, however, called on the state government to take action by completing the road rehabilitation.
“We were told that the road would be completed within 22 months and we are going to see a new era of development in our community. But instead, we’re left with a pile of dirt and broken dreams.
“Cough, chest pain and catarrh have become common ailments in Igbogbo and I am not sure there is anyone here who is not experiencing this.
“I used to love walking around our community, but now, I can’t even go outside without feeling like I am choking to death.
“I have been having constant chest pain and can’t seem to get rid of it. It’s not just me, so many people are suffering from these respiratory problems.
“Our kids can’t even play outside anymore. They keep coughing all the time and it’s breaking my heart. We used to have such a beautiful, healthy community, and now it’s like we’re living in a war zone,” the community leader lamented.
Another resident, Awawu Rasaq, said she has been suffering from a persistent cough for months but was recently diagnosed with dust-induced bronchitis after several trips to the hospital.
A health website, Mayo Clinic described bronchitis as a condition that develops when the airways in the lungs, called bronchial tubes, become inflamed and cause a cough accompanied by mucus.
Speaking further, Rasaq said the doctor explained to her that the particles of dust she was breathing in caused inflammation in her lungs, leading to her coughing bout.
She said an inhaler was prescribed for her, and the doctor warned her to avoid further exposure to dust.
“I never imagined that something like this could happen to me. I had no idea that dust could be so harmful. Now I am stuck inside all the time.
“Many other residents here are also experiencing similar health issues due to this dust issue. People who can afford to move away are doing so, while some of us who can’t are left to suffer the consequences.
“The work pace here is very slow and the construction has taken forever. We just hope the government will come and finish the road soon,” she said with a pained expression.
A shop owner, who introduced herself as Tolani, said she has been suffering from eye problems due to exposure to dust particles.
She said, “Several times in a day, the wind will blow blinding dust into my shop. It is affecting my business and my eyes.
“For more than two months now, my eyes have been itching terribly, and when I went to the hospital, they told me to avoid dust.
“Apart from the health hazards, I used to wash the shoes and bags I sell here more than two times a day because they get covered in dust always.”
Corroborating what the residents told our correspondent, the immediate-past chairman of Exclusives Community Development Association, Teacher’s Quarters, Igbogbo, Akinpelu Atoyebi, said the Igbogbo-Bayeku road links more than 30 communities, stressing that everybody is affected by the situation.
He said, “The issue of this road has affected us terribly because it is a main road that leads to different communities. It is quite unfortunate that the construction on that road has been very slow. We don’t understand what is happening and why it is like that.
“The Public Work Corporation doesn’t have the necessary equipment for that kind of road project. If you see the equipment deployed for the construction, you will agree with me that there is nothing tangible that will come out.
“As I am speaking with you, I also have catarrh and many of us are always on nose masks. The dust is affecting our health and our physical appearance. We don’t find the situation easy or funny.
“There is no possibility that in the next two years, the road will be completed because rain can start any time soon.”
He, however, appealed to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to the aid of the people of the area.
“We are just appealing to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come to our aid in Igbogbo. Generally, we have been marginalised. Several works are going on in other places that are not happening here. The collapse of infrastructure in Igbogbo calls for concern,” he lamented.
Avoidable death
A local drug seller, who did not want her name mentioned, told our correspondent that an electrician, Godwin Okosi, who was an asthma patient, died not long ago due to complications that arose from persistent exposure to the dust.
“Some days before he died, the man came to me complaining that he had been coughing out blood and dust for some time.
“I asked him to go to the hospital and after two days, we heard that he had died. He has been managing his asthma for a long time, but it got worse in December because of the dust and he died.
“He was healthy before the construction started, but the dust and pollution from the project took a toll on his health and that was what led to the complications. We want the government to complete this road.
“We are the ones suffering. A lot of people come to buy cough medicines from me and that is because there is hardly anyone that doesn’t have a cough.”
Exposure to dust can lead to death
A study, published in the journal, Environmental Health, found that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, which is a component of dust, was associated with an increased risk of death from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.
The study revealed that even low levels of exposure to fine particulate matter could have a significant impact on health.
The researchers stressed the importance of reducing exposure to fine particulate matter, particularly for those who are most vulnerable – the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The study discovered that fine particulate matter was associated with an increased risk of low birth weight and premature birth.
It also noted that exposure to fine particulate matter during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of developmental and cognitive problems in children, such as lower IQ, poorer reading and math scores, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Findings from the study made it clear that exposure to fine particulate matter, even at low levels, can have serious and long-term consequences on human health.
Corroborating the study, medical experts warned that exposure to dust can cause a wide range of lung diseases, including cancer.
They noted that there is a high risk associated with breathing in dust, particularly in environments where there is ongoing construction work.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the experts explained that dust can contain a range of hazardous particles, including silica, which can damage the lungs and lead to a range of health problems.
According to them, dust can travel long distances, potentially exposing people living miles away from construction sites to hazardous particles.
They also maintained that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of dust exposure.
A Consultant Pulmonologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Oluwafemi Ojo said persistent exposure to fine particles can lead to an increased risk of chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Describing COPD as a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems, he said it can also lead to interstitial lung disease, increased risk of lung cancer, and decreased growth of lung function in children.
