The Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS), a Human Rights and pro-democracy organisation, has disagreed with the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), for urging the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to dismiss the fundamental right suit filed by human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) on the rehabilitation of the Oshodi-Apapa expressway.
The VOTAS President, Comrade Mashood Erubami, in a statement on Tuesday condemned the failure of the Federal Government to fix and ensure smooth passage of Nigerians on the Oshodi-Apapa expressway.
According to him, Nigerians expect the Minister to use the Falana suit to explain the reasons why the road is yet to be repaired and left in a state of despicable disrepair, seizing the opportunity to apologise to Nigerians with a promise to put through the repair arrangement in the 2019 budget without further prompting.
“The Minister should show that he is in office as servant of the people. It is arguable that every Nigerian has a stake on the Apapa-Oshodi road, when it is a fact that every Nigerian motorists plying the road on daily basis suffered untold discomfiture.
“The failure to put the road on priority list in the past three years is inexplicable, given the time and monetary resources being avoidably wasted on the road. No doubt, the non-repair of the road is a great threat to good business running which fundamentally infringe on the rights of men and women, young and old that ply the road in its state of disrepair.
“The counter-affidavit deposed to by the lawyer from Ministry of Works is unnecessary; instead the lawyer, Ayofele Otedola, should have used his spare time to give legal advice on how the gridlock usually encountered on the road could be avoided, the excuse that the gridlock on the road “is always caused by tanker drivers who normally follow the route to the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) for the purpose of loading and offloading their goods notwithstanding,” Erubami said.
He said that without prejudice Femi Falana in his characteristic-self is right and should be commended for filing his public interest and fundamental right suit, rather than being challenged, as the state of the road constitutes a threat to anybody’s fundamental human rights and free movement on the road.
