It is not an easy moment for residents of Ibadan presently as a result of ongoing roads repair and abandoned/slow works on some major roads in the city, just as the state government says all is for the interest of the people. BAYO AGBOOLA reports.
For residents in some parts of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, it is not yet uhuru as far as the present conditions of many roads in the ancient city are concerned. This is because it is leaving them worried in view of their deplorable states, months after Gov Seyi Makinde promised to restore the health of major and access roads in the state capital. Observers are of the views that inner roads are in terrible states across Ibadan under the watch of the state governor whose second term electoral victory was unprecedented in terms of the votes given to him by the people and residents of Ibadan.
Residents angst
While the governor delivered five roads in Ido local government, latest being the recently commissioned re-construction of 9.23km Omi Adio -Ido Road, residents believe the contractors handling some other major roads have not done enough to meet the deadline set for the completion of roads under their care such as Olorunsogo-Akanran road in Ona Ara local government, Iyaganku GRA access roads in Ibadan South-west local government; some access roads at Bodija in Ibadan North local government and several others in Oluyole, Egbeda, Akinyele and Lagelu local governments to mention but a few.
Residents also cited ongoing but too slow and roads that are far from being completed such as the reconstruction of 37.41km Beere- Olorunsogo-Amuloko-Akanran-Dagbolu road; dualization of the 12.5km Challenge-Odo Ona Elewe-Apata road; Reconstruction of 12km Apete-Awotan-Akufo road into a rigid pavement road and reconstruction of 12km Apete-Awotan-Akufo road into a rigid pavement road. For instance, in Ona Ara, the road from Olorunsogo along Akanran being dualised by the state government has suffered neglect in recent times fueling speculations that the contractor may have lost control of the construction works therein.
According to a resident, Bola Adegoke, the works on the road are too slow and far from meeting the standard and deadline set by the state government, saying, the construction works opposite Bovas Trailer Park; FF Gas in Aba Eku community Ona ara amongst other locations on the main roads have left many residents to wonder when the roads would be restored for free vehicular movements.
Another resident, Prince Musliudeen Adekoya quoted Gov Makinde as saying on May 6, 2022 in response to the people of Akanran’s appeal to him to hasten the project to ease the challenges they are facing as a result of the ongoing constructions that, “These are some of the projects that we thought, by our third year anniversary, would have been completed. Yes, we are pushing and the contractor is also pushing. In terms of quality, we are okay but in terms of the pace, I think they can do better. In three or four months, I believe they should be done with it. The major hold-up on the Ajia-Airport road was the bridge we visited.They already have concrete over it and are waiting for it to keel.The contractors gave us the end of May but we won’t allow them to rest.”
Also, a community leader in Ona Ara, Fola Aderibigbe declared that the road which the governor said would be ready for completion since year 2022 has dragged till the year 2024, with no hope in sight that the project would be completed in this new fiscal year. He therefore pleaded with the governor on behalf of the residents of Ona Ara to either terminate the contract and give it to another contractor or read the riot act to the Ministry of Public Works and the contractor handling the project.
Gov’t offers explanation
The state commissioner for public works and transportation, Professor Dahud Shangodoyin had at a press briefing said while the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) would handle some of the projects, others would be handled by contractors, saying, “OYSROMA would work on roads like U.I Junction to Agbowo linking Ojoo–Iwo road expressway with a spur to Preboye’s World which is 2.3km; Sango-Eleyele road, which is 10.6km; Zion Plaza, Olusoji Avenue linking Alao Akala expressway which is 1.25km; a culvert at Eleyele/Ologuneru road junction; Eleyele roundabout, Water Corporation, Eruwa Garage road which is 0.63km.”
The commissioner stressed, “Also, we considered the brief on the asphaltic improvement/rehabilitation of selected roads in Ibadan. The brief is in two parts – Lot 1 and Lot 2 which have a cumulative of 12 roads. Lot 1 which is 70.45km consists of 10 roads and the council approved the award to Messrs KOPEC Ltd at a contract sum of N24.8bn for 12 months.
“Lot 2 of this road is awarded to RATCON Construction Company. It has 12 roads of 14.30km at a contract sum of N1.88bn for a duration of six months. The summary is that we approved Lot 1 and Lot 2 of 12 roads with a total of 84.75km for Ibadan feeder roads. Lot 1 for Ibadan feeder roads has 10 roads on that axis; Oshuntokun – Housing Corporation – Elewure – Awolowo junction and it is 2.99km. The second road on that Lot 1 is Aare junction-Ashi, along Bodija road, which is 3.48km; Bodija-Oju-Irin-Ashi-Basorun with a spur to Ojoo, which is 3.45km; reconstruction of U.I (Preboye junction)-Bodija market- Secretariat road-Beere roundabout dual carriageway, 15.53km; Government House-NTA junction-Ikolaba-JAMB Office-Officers Mess-Federal Secretariat-Customs Office dual carriageway, 6.13km; Queens Cinema-Dugbe-Sango-Trans Amusement Park Junction and 11.74km dual carriageway.
Others are the construction of Molete (under bridge)-Oke Ado-Oke Bola-Queens Cinema-Dugbe dual carriageway, 9.3km; Iyaganku-7th Day Adventist Church-Oke Bola Junction-Olubadan Stadium Junction-Vale College-NUJ PRESS Centre Junction with spur to Total Filling Station radio, Nigeria-Kobiowu Estate-Akinyemi Junction-Ring road, 3.85km; dualisation of Mile 10-Ring road-Mobil-Challenge Car Park, 8.5km; General Gas junction-Kolapo Ishola-Iyana Church with spur to Dizzengorf, 5.48km. The total length of Lot 1 is 70.45km. For Lot 2, we have two roads which are the reconstruction of Bus Stop-Gate-One-Beer-Jabba-Molete (under bridge) dual carriageway, 10.8km and Oke Adu-Ode Aje- Aremo-Orita Aperin, 3.5km. The total length of Lot 2 is 14.3km.”
We mean well – Makinde
Speaking on Tuesday (January,9) at the 2024 Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service held at the Open Space of the House of Assembly Complex, Secretariat, Ibadan, Gov Seyi Makinde said his administration would continue to make best decisions that would serve the interest of the state and guarantee a secure future for the betterment of its residents as well as build on the good policies and legacies of the past administrations and those implemented during his first term of office.
“Government exists to look after the welfare of the people. While we are looking after ourselves to give us what we can live on, we also have to look at the development of the state. What should we be doing to secure our future? We have to complete the infrastructural projects we have started. We believe our infrastructure must hunt our economy and be in such a way that it must allow us to earn more and create a prosperous state.
“The truth is that we have challenges ahead of us and we have to find means to make sure we keep attending to the welfare of the civil and public servants in Oyo state. We also need to attend to those projects and those things that would make life more meaningful for our people which will unleash creativity in them so that we can have a prosperous state. It cannot be a one-sided thing. So, we have to engage, align and move forward.
“So, labour leaders should not see the challenges as ‘us versus them’. It is ‘us versus us’ to find a workable solution because we are in a very challenging period. I promise you complete openness so that we can take a decision that would serve the best interest of all of us.”
With the emerging signals from the Oyo state government on the provision of infrastructural developments, it will not be out of place to predict that better days are ahead for the groaning Ibadan residents on conditions of roads within and across the metropolis and Oyo state in general.
