The Lagos State Government has said residents’ associations are not empowered by the state’s extant laws to announce traffic diversions.
The Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association in conjunction with Eti-Osa Local Government announced that there would be traffic diversion at the Victoria Garden City intersection of Lekki-Epe Expressway, to aid the reconstruction of the defunct intersection.
She said, “Since when did resident associations begin to announce diversion/closure of major roadway(s) in Lagos? To allow this is to permit anarchy in the metropolis and this is purely an abuse of the process of stakeholder engagement by LESRA.
“The state government nonetheless will be undeterred in sensitising the citizenry and motoring public of our plans particularly when major diversions will need to take place in the process of road construction work.
“The extant laws are clear and only the Ministry of Transport is authorised to do so after a thorough appraisal and sign-off on the traffic management plan(s) forwarded by a client ministry in this case Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.”
However, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, in a statement on Sunday, explained that the state government would announce at the appropriate time when the commencement of diversion for the VGC intersection would take place.