“I just stood there staring at the smooth road like a mumu” — Man compares Nigeria and Canada road repairs

A man has sparked conversations online after narrating how he was forced to “settle” area boys before fixing a pothole on his street in Egbeda.

Resident shares frustrating experience in Lagos

The man, whose post has since gone viral on social media, explained that he decided to repair the damaged section of the road after becoming frustrated with the condition of the street, which he said was damaging vehicles and causing inconvenience for residents.

According to him, he personally purchased asphalt and hired labourers to carry out the repair work, only to be stopped by local street boys demanding payment before work could begin.

“Nobody sent me. The thing was swallowing tyres and I was tired of it. I bought asphalt, hired labourers and came back the next morning ready to work. Area boys stopped us before we even started. They said, ‘Oga, you wan do work for this street? You need to settle first.’ I was not fixing a government building or tapping electricity. I was filling a hole on a public road with my own money,” he added.

Comparison with Canadian system triggers reactions

The man further compared the experience with a previous incident in Toronto, where he reportedly used the city’s 311 complaint system to report a pothole that was repaired within three days.

His comments generated widespread reactions, with many Nigerians lamenting poor infrastructure management and extortion by street gangs.

In recent years, several residents across Lagos have taken it upon themselves to repair roads within their communities due to delays in government intervention, often documenting the process online to draw attention to worsening infrastructure challenges.

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