By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

Football -loving youths on Saturday converted major roads in many parts of Lagos to soccer pitches as the state?s council election was ongoing, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

A NAN correspondent covering the election sighted no fewer than 14 pitches on Agege Motor Road, Alimosho Road in Iyana-Ipaja and Lagos- Abeokuta Expressway.

The correspondent, who was on the entourage of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) Chairman, Retired Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, and other commissioners, noted that the convoy was forced to stop at different points to allow the youths to remove their makeshift goal posts before proceeding with the monitoring.

Between Mushin and Oshodi Bus-Stop, no fewer than four pitches were seen while no fewer than five were also sighted between Oshodi Bus-Stop and Bolade-Oshodi area.

Similarly, between Dopemu Bus-Stop and Iyana-Ipaja Bus-Stop on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, there were no fewer than six football pitches.

NAN reports that some of the pitches at Oshodi were mounted very close to military checkpoints.

NAN also observed that no fewer than 60 youths were playing football at Oyewole High School at Orile-Agege LCDA, which has three polling units.

Only 21 had voted at two of the polling units, with a total 1,240 registered voters, as at 11.30 a.m.

Also, only 65 out the 742 registered voters had voted at PU 014, located at Oyewole Alaagba in Orile-Agege.

The polling unit was directly opposite the Constituency Office of the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa.

The LASIEC Chairman had on Thursday said that the commission had done a lot to sensitise residents on the need to turn out for the exercise.

To further sensitise residents to vote, LASIEC on Saturday released balloon aircraft ,with inscriptions urging voter turnout, into the air from its headquarters in Sabo, Yaba. (NAN)

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