By Niyi Soyebo
Viral videos of residents of Emily-Macauly and commercial bus-drivers dragging Lagos state Government and Igbogbo-baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) executives over terrible condition of Obafemi Awolowo (Baiyeku) road on Wednesday, 2 August, 2023 is one too many. This is a viral wave across the LCDA that calls for huge concern due to road infrastructure deficit within the LCDA. They may not tell you!
A deep seated resentment is on the rise in Baiyeku and its environs, an hitherto APC dominated Community Development Area (CDA) of Igbogbo-baiyeku LCDA against the ruling party and if not nip in the bud with swift measures, it may snowball and implode on the chances of our party; APC in the future. They may not tell you this!
Most politicians like me out there, non-politicians, technocrats, and civil servants who invested their sweats, resources, time and integrity to deliver victory for the party in past elections, and most recently were ridiculed and embarrassed frequently by displeased residents in the court of public opinion and during offline discourse. They may not tell you.
Condition of the 2nd phase of roads and crude methods of road construction on first phase of Baiyeku road by its handler, Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) is a shame to behold. It’s a bad precedence for the future of the party where only two local ancient concrete mixers are used for a 7.5km road stretch. One from Odofin-A.U.D junction to ojubode igbogbo, another shameful one concrete mixer with just one medium size 750litre water tank from Ojubode to Fashola Estate where first leg of the road ends. That stretch alone is more than 7km with just one concrete, Haba! When will rehabilitation respite reach residents in those axis. Baiyeku road being a significant road of such magnitude is not a road LSPWC can use to test and experiment with their capacity. They may not tell you.
The discourse centred around roads construction in the entire Ikorodu division is king in town and more often took centre stage in almost every facet of social interactions in clubs, bars, saloons, keke Napep, commercial buses, youth bases, political gatherings, and events among others. It draws sharp pains and regrets into the bone marrow of any living politicians in these points of contact. They may not tell you.
Since approved by the State government for a new facelift and remodelling, the popular Obafemi Awolowo road, over a whole year out of 22 months deadline duration had been uselessly expended on the project, yet, snail is faster than the speed of the project leaving behind nothing but pains and lamentations. They may not tell you.
The percentage of completion for the first phase of the ongoing Baiyeku road construction is abysmal and lacked a modern approach to building a standard road anywhere in the world. They may not tell you.
Mr. Governor recall that in June 2022, you gave a tall order that LSPWC should move to site for the first phase of reconstruction of Obafemi Awolowo (Baiyeku) road covering Odofin street to Fasola Estate (Prince Ogunleye Estate) with a duration of 22 months of completion.
Thirteen months after commencement of the project with nine months left the LSPWC as at the time of filing this piece is yet to cover 25% spread of the project. They may not tell you.
Residents and commercial vehicle owners in Baiyeku whose high hopes were dependent on the speedy completion of the first phase of the approved road had their hopes dashed as the second phase of the extant road had degenerated into a shameful dilapidated infrastructure deficit where over 47 CDAs had regrettably left their fate to God, after being cut off from Igbogbo main town more than three times by failed portion of the road occasioned by dungeons like pits of hell.
I make bold to say that most car owners have become passengers, and landlords have become tenants to save time and live a decent life. Just take a breather and imagine what the residents face on daily basis on this road. The situation is terrible. They may not tell you.
Regular commuters along this road corridor (from Igbogbo to baiyeku) when it rains pay as much as N1200, when they are not in travelling belt time from Baiyeku to Maryland or Ojota. When it is dry season, the passengers still cough out as much as N500 fare everyday on the same route because the damage on that road is severe. Now imagine, Your Excellency, how much spend to and fro on daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
And the numbers of victims occasioned by this infrastructure decay on this road keep touching the sky, businesses too are crumbling on a daily basis.
Kudos to zonal CDC Chairmen and their excos on that corridor, more importantly from Zone 2 to 4 who had at different times provided leadership capacity with laudable self-help succour for the people by digging drainage channels and patching the deep potholes with boulder stones and not ignoring the recent road palliatives effort by Igbogbo Baiyeku local government authority with another set of boulders stones, but this second phase of Obafemi Awolowo(Baiyeku Road) kept growing from bad to worse. Not too long a distance, the CDC Zone 4 leadership already dropped a save-our-soul letter to your office.
This second phase road l can confirm to you Your Excellency leads to over 47 CDAs harbouring 12 polling units with huge electoral values, one of which is my polling unit, Community Secondary School, Macauly Baiyeku that delivered the highest number of votes in 2019 for your first term in office in the whole of Igbogbo Baiyeku LCDA, the highest at ward level (Ward C3) in the just concluded 2023 election, and third highest votes in the whole of Igbogbo-Baiyeku LCDA. They may not tell you.
About four portions of these dungeons are closer to the aforementioned polling unit and other viable election points. This same road leads to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ward collation centre for every election. They may not tell you.
I want to personally appreciate all loyal politicians, leaders and die-hard fans of APC in this axis who often times braved the odds to stand firm and campaign vigorously for the party, even when situations as regards this road arises and become a hard sell. You have at different times like many of your counterparts within Ikorodu division dodged and bite the bullets for the party. You are acknowledged.
The time has come to drop party psychophancy and demand rewards for those who stood and supported us during and after the election. The election is over. Time for good governance is now. And it is incumbent on us to remind and demand what is due to the people from both our leaders and authorities in power.
Mr. Governor sir, l am not here to sugarcoat a bitter truth. The residents who are faced with this hardship on daily basis can no longer bear the hellish lifestyle on the second phase of Baiyeku road and other state roads within the LCDA, hence calling on the attention of your government to swiftly bring succour to second phase of Baiyeku road, and other adjoining state roads yearning for the attention of your office.
H.E, as a second termer, you’ve got nothing to lose, but your inability to fix Obafemi Awolowo Baiyeku road, Tinubu-Igbe road, Agric Ishawo road, Agura-Gberigbe and other state roads on time, with emphasis on ‘time’ will grossly erode the confidence and trust people hold for our party and accolades that should be attributed to your legacy as two term governor. They may not tell you.
Mr. Governor, l can authoritatively affirmed to you that your office and our party still enjoy a good support base, but sustaining this unsolicited genuine love from tens of communities largely depend on your pro-activeness in revisiting the road project handled by LSPWC in Baiyeku, and other contractors in Ikorodu division. They may not tell you.
Need l say that just as Baiyeku road is groaning in pains, Offin, Oretà roads equally as a matter of urgency need undivided attention of the state government not only on roads and drainages but also basic amenities of life.
H.E l give accolades to your giants strides in education as my Governor with new schools being built, new remodelling ideas of all existing schools being born, what a laudable idea, it may interest you to know that in my ward, and my zone (Baiyeku) which has over 47CDAs, only one public primary school exists there; as big as Offin is, it can only boasts of one public school, Oreta also has one too. These are areas whose population assets increase sporadically day in day out, wide enough to be separate Local Government. They may not tell you.
‘Permit me sir’, Ikorodu is a goldmine for your administration to shine and write your name in gold by mobilizing the contractors with required funds and checkmating them with a monitoring committee that reports to your office with weekly updates on these roads. Other primary social amenities and intervention should be critically reviewed and mobilized.
For the ongoing Obafemi Awolowo (Baiyeku) road, l would rather recommend that you support LSPWC with additional construction partner or withdraw them back to the office. Their unprofessional arrogant display of lack of capacity is quite worrisome and shameful.
Your Excellency, only your office can swiftly come to our rescue with these needed succour we yearning for. This is a ink of opportunity H.E for your administration to write her name in gold in the mind of Ikorodu division. That is the truth many who are close to you may never told. Ire o!
