SIR: Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, has been a screaming metaphor of governmental failure since the return of civil rule in 1999. The state capital has been on the wrong side of the developmental chart ever since.
A good number of those who held sway as governor and public office-holders in the state during the locust era of the military, and under civil rule did not do more than pay lip service to the gnawing problem of development and the rot in the city. The result is that the city is languishing under the heavy yoke of bad roads and the twin problem of flood and erosion.
What would have passed as an average effort by the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel to address this sore in the heart of one of Nigeria’s foremost cities ended in a fiasco, as people who were said to have been mobilized for major contracts in the city simply took a walk after collecting full payment for the jobs.
Officials had always explained the failure of the government to address the plight of the city on the premise that Abeokuta is an ancient town whose plan is lacking in adequate implementation.
However, the story is changing. At the inception of his administration last May 2011, Governor Ibikunle Amosun promised the people of Ogun that his administration would give attention to the challenges of wresting Abeokuta from infrastructural decay, flooding and erosion identified as the loudest sources of misery to the inhabitants of the city.
He restated his resolve to ensure a holistic implementation of the Abeokuta masterplan, reputed to be one of the most badly mauled plans in the country. He was shocked that the residents of the city, who complained about the menace of flooding and erosion had constructed structures, kiosks and containers to block the natural drains constructed by the founders of the city. During one of the visits, the governor promised that all illegal structures blocking the drains would be pulled down.
Although few people believed the governor then, he has commenced a process in earnest to remove the shameful scar of rot from the city. He has also taken some practical steps to fulfill his promise to recreate the exploits of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State in Ogun. He seems to be drawing his inspiration from transforming effect of creative governance in Lagos as shown by the conversion of Oshodi from a centre of filth and crime to a welcoming centre.
In the past 10 months, Abeokuta residents have witnessed the noticeable impacts of governmental presence.
For the first time in Abeokuta, several people who had exploited the weakness of previous administrations to encroach on the right of way including the commercial Bank in the city, got the message and decided to embark on the expected corrective step of vacating the area and relocated. Those illegal structures built without government approval were sealed off by the State special Task Force on Bureau of Urban and Physical Planning (BUPP) under the programmes “Build Right.”
Across the city, landlords of such structures deemed illegal by the government have taken the initiative to embark on the demolition themselves. Those who have certificate of occupancy got their compensation from the state government for the demolitions. Even as the exercise continues a good number of roads, especially the major ones and streets would be stripped off in due course for roads reconstructions and expansions.
With the first phase of demolition and the additional space added to the major roads like, Sokori/Ita-Eko/Totoro road and others, Abeokuta is like a bride waiting to be decked in colors of gold when the contractors complete the work at the site at the end of the rainy season.
• Ademola Orunbon
Abeokuta, Ogun State
