By Femi Ogbonnikan
The residents of the Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute axis in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State are pained and angry. So also are their counterparts along the Agbara-Lusada-Atan corridor in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area. They are all aggrieved over the reckless abandonment of their roads. The immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Abiodun did. He did it with impunity and a lack of empathy for the suffering of the common people.
It is not unusual for a government to leave behind an uncompleted project in the face of dwindling resources. Just like life itself, the unexpected can happen. But there is a reasonable level such projects will reach without causing more hardship than envisaged for the community concerned.
Willy-nilly, former governor Amosun awarded the contract for the construction of these roads and ordered the demolition of houses along the corridor only for the contractor to disappear into thin air midway into the project. Since then, life has remained miserable for the hapless residents as every onset of the rainy season always comes with a nightmare.
Recently, borne out of frustration, some social media freaks took on the matter with a pinch of salt, directing their rightful indignation at the incumbent Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
However, he took the scathing criticism of his administration in good faith and immediately swung into action. This week, he took time out of his busy schedule to visit the sites for the an on-the-spot assessment of the projects. There and then, he promised that relief would soon come their way and the untold hardship would be a thing of the past. It’s a horrific site to behold, indeed. Only the individuals with stone hearts can leave the scene with dry cheeks. It’s better imagined than experienced.
There is nothing impunity cannot do. And it’s the bane of governance in this country. In most cases, leaders capitalize on people’s lack of indignation capacity to do things haphazardly and get away with them.
As Governor Abiodun is one person who does not believe in the blame game, he has promised to take on the challenge of the infrastructure deficit he inherited from his predecessors for the ultimate realization of his transformation agenda for the good of all and sundry.
On Monday, precisely July 8, 2024, he gave a matching order to the contractor handling the construction of the Denro-Ishashi-Akute road to ensure the completion of the project within two weeks.
The Governor also disclosed that work would soon begin on the Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute-Ajuwon roads in the Ifo Local Government Area of the state. He noted that the construction of the Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road started almost three years ago, directing the contractor to mobilise to the site immediately and ensure the completion of the project in two weeks.
He further reiterated his promise to ensure equitable provision of infrastructures across the state, adding that this is being followed religiously. He said his administration had kept faith with his promise to ensure that road construction is evenly spread across the 20 local governments in the state.
Hear him: “My pledge is that I have come here today to see things for myself. There are two roads that are considerably important to our people.
“First of all, the Denro-Ishashi-Akute road, I have given the contractor a matching order that the road must be completed in the next two weeks, asphalt and the bridge.
“I want to assure you all that it is your time now. It is your right. You voted for us. I am a promise-keeping governor. I will not make empty promises.
“Now, within the next two weeks, a maximum of three weeks, active construction will start on Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute-Ajuwon roads.
“Today, here, we’ve reconstructed Olusegun Osoba-Toyin Street, Denro-Ishashi-Akute is under construction. We have so many other roads we’ve constructed here. But because there is so many deficits in the infrastructural development in this area, at times, it appears as if we are not reconstructing them as fast as they want us to.
Assuring the community of his administration’s commitment to ensure equitable infrastructure development, Abiodun explained that the deficit he met on the assumption of office had made him wonder what the previous administrations were doing.
He said although the past administration had good intentions for the people of the state, he decried the reckless manner in which the project had been abandoned after structures had been demolished and single carriageways turned into dual carriageways.
“When I assumed office on the 29th of May, 2019, the deficit that we met on assumption of office was such that we began to wonder what the previous administration was doing.
“In some instances, they appear to have good intentions, they go to the roads, they demolished houses, roads that should not be more than a single carriageway, they turned them to dual carriageway By so doing, they removed all the asphalt that was there serving the people and abandoned these roads.
“We inherited quite a lot of these roads. Some of those roads are federal roads, and you know our people cannot differentiate between federal and state. They will geo-locate their pains where and when they are feeling it,” Governor Abiodun lamented.
In keeping with his promise to give every section of the State a true sense of belonging, he listed other roads that had been penciled down for construction including Hercules-Giwa (Oke Aro Rd), some section of Akute- Ijoko road, and the road leading to Yakoyo. He stated that his administration had to draw up the priority list taking into consideration vehicular traffic and the economic impact of some of the roads it had embarked upon to date, adding that his administration would continue to put the people first.
He went on: “Let me give you an example of the road that goes from Agbara-Atan-Lusada road. When I assumed office, trailers carrying containers were falling off on that road. That is the road that leads to the biggest industrial estate not just in Nigeria but one of the biggest in Africa.
“It is a road that counts for hundreds of thousands of employees and employers. So, it is important for us in Ogun State. I had to prioritize it, and it is a federal road.
“So, we have to draw up a priority list and the priority list amongst others factored in the vehicular traffic, the economic impact.
“Ijebu-Ode-Epe road is a road that evacuates people from the Lekki corridor to the Eastern flank of Nigeria. That road was non-existent. I had to prioritize that road. Sagamu-Abeokuta Road, the road leading to the state capital, was not good. People were dying. I had to prioritize that road, another federal road, and so many other roads.
“Today we can brag and say not only have we constructed 600 kilometers of highways or roads, both inter-state, intra-state, inner-city roads, but, I beat my chest that there is no local government in Ogun State today that does not have at least one or two roads that we have reconstructed in the last five years and that is in line with been equitable and fair,” he said.
The Governor’s inspection tour did not leave out the 20-kilometre Agbara-Lusada-Atan in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area which has been in a deplorable condition. On Wednesday, precisely July 10, 2024 while speaking to newsmen on his action plan for the project, he promised that the ongoing construction work on the road would be completed in September. He also stressed the importance not only to the economic well-being of the State but the nation as a whole.
Recalling the meeting he had with industrialists in the area before his assumption of office, he promised to put the road in a better shape soon. According to him, the road was in a terrible condition, leading to trailers and other articulated vehicles falling on their sides. However, concerned with the plight of the residents, he said his administration decided not to wait for the Federal Government before commencing its reconstruction.
Governor Abiodun expressed optimism that the road would revive businesses and the socio-economic development of the area on completion. He said he was on the road to see the level of work done so far and assured that it would be dualised from the Lagos-Badagry road end to the Agbara Industrial Estate gate, while a single lane would be constructed to Atan to aid movement.
Unveiling the glad tiding, he said: “I am here today to have an on-the-spot assessment of how the contractor is doing. I have given them certain timelines, and I want to ensure that they are working in tandem to ensure they meet those timelines.
“I have said to them that they must ensure that from the Lagos-Badagry end, the dual carriageway is completed to the entrance of the industrial estate, the OPIC entrance so that trucks and trailers that coming from the port can enjoy the dual carriageway easily going in and out effortlessly so we can increase productivity and enhance their operations.
“We will now focus on one lane beyond the OPIC entrance all the way to Atan first. Let’s finish that so our people can enjoy the driving pleasure all the way from Lagos-Badagry to Atan on one side.
“One side is 4.75 wide. It will take at least four vehicles. Let’s finish that because this road has cost us so much.
“You can imagine a few months ago, you award a contract. Before the ink dries up on that contract, the cost of asphalt has increased three times in one day. So I said, let’s finish this because we are committed to it. We are a promise-keeping administration. We only make promises that we can keep.”
Similarly, the hardship being encountered by motorists plying the Lagos-Abeokuta Express Way will soon be a thing of the past, as Governor Abiodun and his Lagos State counterpart, Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu have received the approval of the Federal Government to commence reconstruction of the ever-busy road. Recounting the bureaucratic bottled neck experienced in their failed attempts under the previous administration of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari to take over the road, he disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had graciously approved the transfer of the road to the state. Despite the transfer, he explains, the state still faces stiff opposition from some federal officials, forcing his government to formally award the contract in May, with or without the necessary transfer papers.
He narrated his awful experience arising from undue obstinacy of the federal officials: “The Lagos-Sango- Abeokuta road is a federal government road and has been in a very bad shape for long. Because of the suffering our people pass through on the road, I and my counterpart in Lagos jointly wrote a letter, using a single letterhead to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), seeking for the transfer of that road for us to reconstruct.
“After waiting for a month without a reply, we wrote a reminder. That road was not handed over to us until the present federal government came on board. The contract for the road has since been awarded since May this year.”
Governor Abiodun, therefore, described the sponsored attacks on his administration on social media by some faceless individuals as unwarranted, saying he would not be distracted by propaganda but remain focused on serving the people who entrusted their mandates to him.
“My attention was drawn to various sponsored media attacks on my person and my administration. These media attacks are focusing on roads by attempting to disparage me and accuse me of either neglect or not being responsive or being uncaring.
“The only reason I am here as Governor is to serve the good people of Ogun State and that I am irrevocably committed to it,” he stated.
While seeking the cooperation and understanding of residents, the governor threatened legal action against those critics misrepresenting his administration. He promised not to be deterred by the antics of his detractors.
Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital
