Ogun State Government yesterday reiterated its commitment to rehabilitating major roads in Ota axis.
It assured residents that rebuilding would soon begin on critical routes.
The government restated this position during a meeting with the leadership of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ota branch, who paid a visit to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN).
Speaking on behalf of the government, Ogungbade said six major roads—Joju, Koro Otun, Navy, Isikola, Ilo Awela and Oju Ore—had been awarded to a reputable construction firm, Craneburg, with mobilisation to site expected shortly.
He said additional road projects within the corridor had been segmented into four phases: Itele–Ayobo link road to Lagos (5.3km); Ayobo Mopol–Lafenwa Junction boundary road; Koro Otun phase; and Itele–Lafenwa Junction.
The commissioner said work on the first and second phases would begin immediately.
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He acknowledged the concerns that led to the NBA’s peaceful protest on October 25 and noted that the Bar’s agitation would receive a positive response.
He encouraged the lawyers to utilise their privileged access to government for faster and more effective engagement, saying the Governor Dapo Abiodun administration had built or rehabilitated over 1,500 kilometres of road across the state, many of which were in Ota.
The government team, which included the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusegun Olaotan; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Oladimeji Yusuf; and the Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, said several of the roads under public scrutiny were federal roads.
They said repairs on the roads were delayed for years because the Federal Government restricted the state from intervening until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the rehabilitation, now ongoing.
Akinmade praised the NBA delegation for engaging constructively, but urged them to be wary of political adversaries attempting to hijack the genuine concerns of residents for self-serving motives.
He said such actors had been hiring individuals to spotlight bad roads and malign the government, even when the affected roads fell under federal jurisdiction.
NBA Ota branch Chairperson, Mrs. Kelubia Ajose, and a senior advocate and elder of the branch, Mr. Sola Ojutalayo, SAN, said the protest was driven by widespread frustration among Ota residents.
They said the Bar had taken steps to prevent external forces from hijacking its initiative and highlighted human activities that contributed to rapid road deterioration in the area.
The government, however, reaffirmed its openness to continued dialogue with stakeholders and disclosed that besides the ongoing works, 11 new road projects were approved this month.
It assured the public that while temporary discomforts might persist, a lasting transformation of Ota roads was underway.