Over the past decade, this location has repeatedly recorded serious and often fatal crashes, particularly involving articulated trucks and fuel tankers. Many of these vehicles approach the downward slope empty from the northern corridors and return heavily loaded from Lagos ports. The combined effect of gradient, speed buildup, and vehicle mass frequently results in loss of control, with vehicles crashing into the bridge structure and surrounding traffic
Dear Honourable Minister,
RE: URGENT SAFETY CONCERNS ON A RECURRING ACCIDENT HOTSPOT ALONG THE LAGOS–IBADAN EXPRESSWAY (OTEDOLA ESTATE / MOBIL BRIDGE AXIS)
I WRITE on behalf of GO FORTE FOUNDATION as a concerned civic and community-based organisation committed to public safety, responsible infrastructure, and the protection of human life.
We wish to draw your urgent attention to a recurring and highly dangerous stretch of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, located just after the Mobil Filling Station axis near the OTEDOLA ESTATE access tee-off, outbound toward Ibadan. This section slopes significantly downward before rising again toward the bridge, creating a natural acceleration zone for heavy-duty and articulated vehicles.
Over the past decade, this location has repeatedly recorded serious and often fatal crashes, particularly involving articulated trucks and fuel tankers. Many of these vehicles approach the downward slope empty from the northern corridors and return heavily loaded from Lagos ports. The combined effect of gradient, speed buildup, and vehicle mass frequently results in loss of control, with vehicles crashing into the bridge structure and surrounding traffic.
On at least three documented occasions, fuel tankers have ignited following such incidents, resulting in devastating fires. In one particularly tragic event, over fifty vehicles were reportedly destroyed and more than one hundred road users lost their lives. Beyond the human toll, each major incident triggers massive traffic gridlock that reverberates across Lagos, leaving commuters stranded for up to twelve hours and, in many cases, unable to return home until the following day.
Within the last two days alone, trailers ascending the opposing slope have been unable to climb due to load and road geometry, leading to cargo spillage and vehicle overturns that have again paralysed movement on this national corridor.
In advanced road safety systems, locations with such recurring patterns are formally designated as “black spots” and subjected to engineering, regulatory, and enforcement interventions. These typically include measures such as:
– Speed-calming and advance warning systems,
– Heavy-vehicle lane management and escape ramps,
– Gradient re-engineering or resurfacing,
– Weighbridge enforcement and brake-check zones, and
– Enhanced signage, lighting, and surveillance.
We respectfully submit that the persistence and severity of incidents at this location warrant a comprehensive technical audit and the deployment of permanent, engineering-based safety solutions rather than reactive, post-incident responses.
Honourable Minister, this is not merely a local inconvenience; it is a national safety and logistics concern. The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway is a critical economic artery, and repeated closures at this point disrupt commerce, emergency services, and the daily lives of millions. More importantly, each unresolved incident represents lives that could have been saved through proactive intervention.
GO FORTE FOUNDATION humbly requests that your Ministry commission an urgent assessment of this corridor segment and implement a lasting, evidence-based safety solution. We would welcome the opportunity to contribute community-level insights or participate in any stakeholder engagement process that may support this effort.
Thank you for your continued service to the nation and for your attention to this pressing matter. We trust in your leadership to help transform this dangerous stretch into a safer passage for all road users.
Yours faithfully,
Gbenga Onabanjo
For: GO FORTE FOUNDATION, Lagos, Nigeria
24 January 2026.