There is a Yoruba proverb that says: “Ti a bá ṣètò ṣáájú, a kì í f’ọwọ́ mú ọwọ́” — when we plan ahead, we do not scramble in crisis. Sadly, Lagos has become a city that scrambles, not because we lack engineers or funds, but because we refuse to maintain.
The Mobolaji Bank Anthony Manhole
Just days ago, a gaping manhole on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way near Maryland Junction became a silent trap for motorists. Tyres and refuse had piled up inside it, and vehicles risked plunging in at any moment.
Journalist Deji Bademosi decided he could not look away. He designed a poster, mounted it on wood, and placed it inside the manhole as a warning sign. His video went viral, and within 24 hours, the state government acted: the manhole was covered and cleared.
We must commend such civic spirit. But should it always get to this point before action is taken? Must a manhole become a trending topic before government moves? Predictive maintenance would have secured that cover long before it became a death trap.
A takeaway from this is citizen action. As stakeholders, we must transit from only complaining to taking selfless action — as exemplified by Deji Bademosi.
We should also begin to design our manhole covers in such a manner that it cannot be easily removed by miscreants and also engage in serious orientation against stealing or vandalizing public amenities.
The Ojota Flood
I experienced this failure firsthand only a few days earlier. For three hours I stood on the same spot at Ojota Road, trapped in traffic. Why? Because the Odo Iyalaro Bridge had become a lake. Every drain point was blocked, the rain fell hard, and the bridge flooded.
Cars stalled. Buses swerved. Motorists panicked. A bridge designed to carry people became a barrier, all because the drains were not cleared. This has become a yearly pattern, and it is a real shame.
Right underneath the Iya Alaro Bridge is a new link bridge, yet to be commissioned, leading to Opebi — a beautiful piece of engineering in form, design, and execution. Why not ring-fence the maintenance with the contractor for the next ten years? That could spark a culture shift in how we maintain infrastructure.
The Oworonshoki Repairs
The expansion joints on the Oworonshoki Bridge are now under emergency repair. Anyone who drives across the Mainland knows the gridlock this has caused, spilling into Third Mainland Bridge, Gbagada, and Maryland.
Bridges, by their nature, are high-maintenance structures. Joints are meant to be inspected and replaced regularly. Instead, we wait until they fail, and then rush to patch them while millions of commuters pay the price in wasted time.
Predictive and Preventive Maintenance
There are two kinds of maintenance:
Reactive or emergency maintenance waits until something breaks, then scrambles to fix it.
Predictive and preventive maintenance anticipates problems, inspects regularly, and fixes quietly before crisis strikes.
The difference is simple: foresight versus firefighting.
Lagos has chosen firefighting. That is why we have flooded bridges, missing manhole covers, and failing joints. But firefighting is always more expensive. A clogged drain cleared in ten minutes saves a bridge from collapse. A manhole secured in advance saves lives. An expansion joint replaced on schedule avoids gridlock.
The Role of Local Government
Who should take responsibility? Yes, the state has a role. But this is precisely where local government councils must step up. They are closest to the drains, kerbs, manholes, and sidewalks. They receive allocations, yet their presence is invisible.
Maintenance of basic infrastructure — drain clearing, kerb cleaning, securing manholes, should be their daily bread. Instead, they chase new projects while ignoring existing assets. Councils that fail to maintain are councils that fail democracy.
We must challenge them. Democracy is not just about elections every four years; it is about daily service, visible care, and accountability in the small things that matter most.
The Cost of Neglect
The cost of neglect is not abstract.
It is the ambulance trapped on Ojota Bridge, causing avoidable death.
It is the student arriving late for an exam.
It is the business deal lost because a client sat in traffic for hours.
It is the tyres destroyed by an uncovered manhole.
Neglect is paid for by citizens, day after day.
Conclusion
Lagos must stop waiting for breakdowns before acting. We must stop relying on viral videos before moving. Predictive and preventive maintenance is not rocket science. It is discipline. It is foresight.
If drains are cleared before the rains, if expansion joints are serviced before they snap, if manholes are secured before they vanish, Lagos will flow again. But if we keep scrambling, the city will keep choking.
Maintenance is not charity. It is governance. It is duty. Until Lagos embraces it, we will remain a city trapped by its own neglect.
🔖 #PredictiveMaintenance #PreventiveCare #LagosInBloom #MOLD2025 #MaintenanceCulture
Gbenga Onabanjo
GO-FORTE FOUNDATION
RCL — Environment Committee
11 September 2025
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