Amid the ongoing barrage of criticism over the deplorable roads in Ogun State, the state Commissioner for Works, Ade Akinsanya, on Wednesday, finally broke his silence over the trend.
Our correspondent reports that there has been outrage over the deplorable conditions of several roads in the state.
Daily Trust reports that social media, especially X (formerly twitter) on Tuesday was awashed with pictures and videos of bad roads across the state.
The users knocked Governor Dapo Abiodun for failing to provide ‘motorable’ roads in the state.
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The state has been trending for the second day running on social media over the state of roads.
Some of the communities bordering Lagos State are worst hit by the deplorable roads. Commuters plying roads from Yakoyo to Alagbole, Akute, Ajuwon, Lambe, Oke Aro, always lament the poor condition of the road network.
A number of roads in Ota axis of Ado Odo-Ota Local Government Area, Obafemi-Owode and Abeokuta South LGAs, are equally affected.
Daily Trust reports that before the wet season, a number of the affected roads were in bad shape, but now worsened by the flood.
@yeankhar said, “ROAD OF NOTE: The road leading to the Wole Soyinka Train Station in Abeokuta South is not motorable.
“If you are passing through Idi Aba via Olokuta to get there, you can literally lose your senses. Abeokuta, a state capital, has some of the worst roads ever.
@tundealuko described the people accusing the Abiodun government of failure to fix roads as ungrateful.
He wrote, “Very ungrateful people I tell you. Look at the state of their roads in 2022, I took these photos myself, these roads are almost not motorable today. It’s indeed a paid PR war, they are crying out after everything excellent Dapo Abiodun has done for them.”
A former governorship aspirant in the state, Segun Showunmi, described the development as appalling.
“I believe it is time to declare a road emergency in Ogun State and the federal government needs to stop being an obstacle to our desire to fix our roads under the guise of a terminology called federal roads,” he wrote on his facebook page.
On Tuesday, the State House of Assembly urged the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, to intensify efforts on road reconstruction and rehabilitation across the state.
But the Commissioner of Works on Wednesday disclosed that the Abiodun-led administration had embarked on massive rehabilitation and reconstruction of many roads across the state.
The rehabilitation, according to Akinsanya, will be prioritised, based on fund availability and the economic viability of those roads.
He said that 120 roads, spread across the 20 local government areas in the state, were submitted by stakeholders.
Akinsanya said the move was in line with the avowed commitment of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration to make Ogun more attractive to both local and foreign investors.
He noted that to make the exercise have the desired impact on the people, the governor mandated stakeholders, including royal fathers, lawmakers at both state and federal levels, local government chairmen, community leaders, religious leaders, among others to submit critical roads that require immediate attention in their domains.
Akinsanya said rehabilitation works had commenced on some of the roads, while contractors would move to the remaining ones soon.
Akinsanya said Governor Abiodun had also secured the collaboration of the Federal Government for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of additional 14 roads.
He noted that the roads to be jointly rehabilitated with the cooperation of the Federal Ministry of Works, include Laderin-Train Station (Phase 1), (ongoing); Adesanolu road, Mowe (ongoing); Liberty road, Oru Ijebu (ongoing); Babcock road via Ilisan market road; Ayegbami road, Iperu; Safetedo Street, Iperu (ongoing); Odo-Egbe Junction/Ereko/Ondo Road Junction (ongoing); Major Thompson Road, Sagamu (ongoing); Methodist Church, Iperu; Awokoya Street, Ijebu Ode; Kanga Lagos-Ilese road, Lots 1 (ongoing), Lots11, 111 amongst others.
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