On Tuesday morning, some motorists were stuck in a traffic holdup along the Murtala Mohammed Local Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, while the convoy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was moving into the airport.
Tinubu arrived in Lagos on Friday for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration and departed Lagos on Tuesday, the second day declared a public holiday for the Islamic festive season.
aso.rocks investigates visited the airport road in Lagos to speak with motorists who had been stuck in traffic while the president’s convoy was passing, with a visibly angry motorist lamenting: “It is not right to keep people in traffic just because you want to move.”
When this reporter arrived at the place, the holdup had eased and the road was free for motorists.
A motorist who identified himself as Johnson told aso.rocks investigates that he was stuck in traffic at the time.
A section of the Lagos airport road after Tinubu’s convoy had passed
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Tinubu Falls in June 12 Parade Vehicle
A section of the Lagos airport road after Tinubu’s convoy had passed
“I was there when his convoy was moving. Both sides of the roads were blocked. They had to stop vehicles from moving so the president and his convoy could pass,” said Johnson.
When aso.rocks investigates asked how he felt about his movement being hindered because of the president’s convoy, he said he had no choice but to abide because the president was involved.
“He is our president. We have no choice, and there is nothing we can do about it,” he added.
Another driver told aso.rocks investigates that he was not caught in the holdup for so long and that it was not serious.
“I was not stuck in traffic for long. I was only delayed for about 10 minutes at the roundabout,” he said.
This reporter also overheard a conversation between a driver and his passenger, who felt the president was doing too much by causing a holdup and hindering the movement of passengers.
“Why is the president causing a holdup? Things like this should not be happening. It is not right to keep people in traffic just because you want to move. Thank God, there is no traffic anymore,” the passenger said to the driver.
A motorist was earlier seen in a video shared on X (previously Twitter) lamenting the delay caused by the president’s convoy.
“How can Tinubu’s passing be causing us dealy?” He asked. “Like this now, we cannot meet up our target for the day. Is that good? This is not the way Nigeria is supposed to be.”
‘How can Tinubu’s passing delay our own personal business?,’ angry Lagos driver protests, queries temporary blockage of Airport Road for presidential access. pic.twitter.com/anbyw5pqIY
— Marcel Mbamalu, Ph.D (@marcelmbamalu) June 18, 2024
This was not the first time Tinubu’s convoy caused a traffic holdup in Lagos. In June 2023, the president was accompanied by a convoy of over 100 vehicles. He was heavily criticised by Nigerians over the large size of his convoy.
The post ‘This Is Not Right’, Lagos Motorists Kept in Traffic by Tinubu’s Convoy Groan appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.