Six communities at Iyekogba area of Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State have protested over the abandonment of a road construction contracted awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and the continued deplorable condition of roads leading to the communities.
Residents and indigenes of the communities, comprising Evbowe, Uholor, Utangban, Efionayi, Evbuodia and Ulemon, took to the streets of their communities to protest the abandoned road project that was supposed to link the communities from Iyekogba near Ogba River to Upper Ekenwan road leading to Gelegele.
The project was supposed to provide an alternative route to Gelegele jetty through Airport road but over six years after the contract for the road project was awarded, it is yet to be completed.
Driving through the communities is a nightmare for motorists as even the Upper Ekenwan axis has become worsen. They appeared cut off by the bad roads.
•A bad spot
Besides accessible road, there is no secondary school in the communities and the only two primary schools at Utangban and Evbuodia are far apart and in deplorable conditions.
Pupils in the communities usually trek long distance to attend good primary and secondary across the Ogba River.
Chairman of Ulemon Community, Julius Iredia, said members of the community have been subjected to hardship due to the abandoned road project.
Iredia said the protest was to draw governments’ attention to their plight as the communities have written protest letters to The Presidency, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and the State House of Assembly, all to no avail.
According to him, “The bad condition of the road leading to our communities has brought hardship to us. We have tried our best to meet with the Niger Delta Development Commission in Benin for the completion of the road but nothing has happened since.”This abandoned road project has hampered the social economic activities of the community and we are not going to rest until the government comes to our rescue. We are part and parcel of the country and should begin to reap from the benefits of democracy, which other communities are enjoying to the fullest.”We have been sidelined in the developmental process going on in the country,” he lamented.Investigation by Niger Delta Report at the Upper Ekenwan axis showed that businesses have been paralyzed and social activities are non-existent due to the bad road and lack of electricity for the past five months.When contacted for comments, Edo State Commissioner in the NDDC, Mr. Peter Enogieru, said the road project has been abandoned for over four years because of poor funding.Enogieru said many projects of the NDDC were abandoned not only in Edo State but across the Niger Delta region because of nonpayment of funds to contractors.
According to him, “The contractor has not been paid because of lack of fund. The contractor will work and no payment will be made to them. Many of them have taken bank loans. They cannot go back to work.”When funding improves like we are expecting under the new regime, things will improved. It is not an Edo State issue, it is the entire Niger a Delta region that jobs are amandine because of funds.”However, the office of the NDDC in Edo State that was sealed over non-remittance of Pay As You Earn tax amounting to N97m was yet to be opened as at press time.
The death caused by trailers and tankers has become a worrisome situation which needs to be critically examined. The high rate of road accidents in the country has attracted global concern. It is disheartening to say that Nigerian roads have been adjudged the most dangerous in Africa.
It was a gory scene at Ojuelegba on the 2nd of August 2015 as a container of a truck fell off the bridge and landed on two cars, killing over five people including a couple. I shed tears as I watched the container being lifted off the scene alongside the ambulance that bore the corpses. Less than forty eight hours after the incident, another 40-feet container fell along the Ikorodu-Sagamu Expressway, precisely at Winners bus stop located between Lagos State Polytechnic and Jubilee Estate in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
In the last five years, the spate of fatal road mishaps around the country, especially in Lagos, has made thousands of families bereaved. In retrospect, I can recall with despair how tragedy struck at the Ojota area of Lagos State on 22nd February 2011. A truck carrying a container fell on a Hyundai jeep, crushing the sole occupant to death. On the 23rd of January 2012, a bus coming from Lagos towards Ore in Ondo State killed over nineteen persons as a trailer collided with a commercial bus, leaving several people injured. The same year, a lady was crushed to death at Berger area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by a container after it fell from a moving trailer. On the 19th of November 2013 along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, a tanker knocked off a Spots Utility Van which led to the death of two school pupils who were on the pavement after they had crossed the road. The driver was said to have been drunk.
On the 5th of April 2015, a truck coming from Tin-Can Island, was entering the service lane at Berger Yard bus stop on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway when the driver lost control and the container fell off a truck and killed a woman, leaving some people seriously injured. On the 7th of June 2015, a container fell off a truck and landed on an Eko Meat van along the Agege Motor Road, Ikeja, Lagos, leading to the death of an unsuspecting male passer-by identified as a manager in Slot Nigeria. One cannot forget the horrific death of twelve Olabisi Onabanjo University students which occurred on the 26th of June 2015. The students were crushed to death by a container which fell from the truck along Lagos-Benin expressway as the load tipped and dropped freely atop the roof of the bus, pinning the bus to the ground.
Several reports by different agencies have been published on thousands of deaths that have occurred on Nigerian roads. One question we need to answer is whether we should keep counting the deaths or to look at the remote causes with a view to proffering solutions.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) came up with a report on road safety, stating that Nigeria accounts for the highest fatalities with 33.7 percent per 100,000 population every year in Africa. It added that road accident is the third leading cause of death in Nigeria. According to world ranking, Nigeria is still rated second globally on road accidents, despite the increasing efforts by government agencies aimed at ensuring that crashes are reduced on our highways and safety principles such as speed limit and obedience to traffic rules are strictly adhered to. Many a times when these accidents occur, all we do is wail at the pathetic narrative until another one strikes. With these statistics, is it wise to keep siting and wallow in bemoaning the tragic fate of the nation on road mishaps? Nigeria should not keep ranking number one in all negative statistics: corruption, crime, terrorism, accident and so on. This is the time for swift action to stem the tide.
It is evident that the rate of truck and trailer accidents can be linked to excessive speeding, driving against traffic, disobedience to traffic regulations and rickety nature of most vehicles on the road. Most of these trucks are usually in a state of disrepair, with malfunctioning brakes, incomplete head light, and others who are not even road-worthy. Many of them are not conversant with the traffic rules. From their behaviours, it is clear that most of them need to undergo psychiatric evaluation to ensure they are in their right frame of minds before driving entering the road. Most of them indulge in high alcohol consumption, making their minds unstable with blurred vision in the face of dilapidated roads in the country.
According to personal investigations, no single driver or trailer owner has been prosecuted for criminal negligence and gross dereliction of responsibility. It won’t be wrong to say that corruption is also a factor behind these mishaps. There is need for gross examination and enlightenment campaigns on containing accident rates in the country to reduce the avoidable loss of lives. There should be adequate surveillance of our highways by road safety officials.
There is need to pay utmost attention to roads where heartrending deaths have been recorded in recent times. There is need for renewed strategies in regulatory frameworks to ensure the seamless operation of motorists and curtail the excesses of truck drivers to reduce road accidents.
I urge that, together with the security agencies on ground, the government should double its effort in ensuring that relevant laws are implemented and drastic measure to call defaulters to book are instituted. A body could be set up to regulate the conditions and inanities of truck drivers on our roads. With these, Nigeria could be on its way to reversing the ugly trend of road mishaps in the country.
As a metaphor for the journey of life, the road is both interesting and intriguing. Two notable writers were fascinated enough to focus on the road: Nigerian Nobelist Wole Soyinka created a 1965 drama titled “The Road”, while American novelist Jack Kerouac produced a 1957 novel titled “On The Road”.
Between August 19 and 22, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway occupied my thoughts. I found myself thinking about the long road on my way from Lagos to Osogbo, Osun State, to eyewitness the celebration of Susanne Wenger’s centenary, the Osun-Osogbo Grove’s 10th anniversary as a World Heritage Site and the finale of the Osun-Osogbo Festival. On my way back to my base, after a stopover at Gbongan to take part in a celebration of the departed parents of a literary mentor, I used the same long road.
The ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway complicated my journey to and fro, which set me thinking about this important road and its complications. It is two years since the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan in July 2013 rearranged the reconstruction, following a N167 billion contract, awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited. Under the new arrangement, two sections of the expressway will be reconstructed: Section I (Lagos to Sagamu Interchange) and Section II (Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan).
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which dates back to 1978, is 127.6-km-long, connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, and Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic capital. Importantly, the road is not only a main link to the northern, southern and eastern regions of the country; it is the busiest inter-state road.
Understandably, its connective capacity has implications for road improvement and development, which explains public concern about its state. The news that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc will resume major repair work on the expressway by the end of September, after a worrying break that lasted some months, raised more questions than answers. The pause was caused by financial difficulties allegedly connected with the Federal Government’s funding performance. It is unclear whether the problematic funding issues have been resolved and how, considering that a new central administration under President Muhammadu Buhari is in charge.
It is noteworthy that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been a road of controversy, especially following the Jonathan administration’s 2012 termination of a concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highways Services Limited (BCHSL), which was supposed to reconstruct and manage the toll road. The past government alleged that the company failed to make progress on actualising the objective of the concession four years after the agreement signed with a preceding administration.
According to Bi-Courtney, “We are in court because the alleged cancellation of the concession did not follow due process. Apart from that, the so-called contract involving the two new companies handling the project was awarded arbitrarily without a bidding process.” The company said: “BCHSL won the concession to reconstruct and manage the toll road for 25 years. It’s a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) arrangement. According to the concession agreement, the road will be expanded to 10 lanes from Lagos to Sagamu and six lanes from Sagamu to Ibadan. Because of this expansion, structures that fall within 60.35 metres from the median on both sides of the road will be demolished, and government will compensate owners of the affected properties.” The company proudly argued that it rebuilt the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2) in Lagos “against all odds”. “It is the first airport in Africa to be owned by a private company on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, the first of its kind in Nigeria, and it was delivered far ahead of schedule,” Bi-Courtney said.
The company’s response to the allegation of non-performance blamed work delay on the Jonathan administration. In the period of three years and six months that the company had the concession, it was slowed down for two years and 10 months. According to the company, the design process which was expected to be completed within four months took 18 months as a result of bureaucratic bottlenecks at the Ministry of Works. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) corroborated Bi-Courtney’s position.
To cut a long story short, it would appear that the announced cancellation of the concession by the Ministry of Works on November 19, 2012, was the culmination of a chain of untidy and unprogressive manoeuvres that suggested behind-the-scenes influence. While the delay lasted, Bi-Courtney said, “We were advised by the ministry not to do any serious works on the road other than palliatives”. Before the concession was terminated, the company claimed it “had completed the patching and overlaying of bad portions of the highway, preparatory to full-scale reconstruction”.
It is interesting to note that the ongoing contract involving Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited is fundamentally different in nature and not a concession as was the case with Bi-Courtney. The implication is that the federal government is expected to fund the road rehabilitation and operate the toll road.
Of course, it is open to debate whether adopting the concession model for the rehabilitation of the expressway promises greater socio-economic benefits than the old way of doing things. However, the attraction of the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) approach, which the concession concept represents, cannot be reasonably discounted in a modern economy, considering reported examples in Western Europe and the U.S. where private investors are involved in infrastructure development based on concession agreements.
The PPP appeal is interestingly reinforced by a recent report: “Contractors handling over 184 federal road projects have abandoned the various sites due to lack of funding from the Federal Government and the huge debt owed them by the Federal Ministry of Works.” The Lagos-Ibadan dual carriageway was listed among the roads affected by the funding problem. According to the report, “The contractors said they were owed over N600bn, adding that although part of the sum was owed by state and local governments, over 80 per cent of the amount was owed by the Federal Government.”
This kind of abandonment seems less likely under a concession arrangement that requires the concessionaire to raise funds for the concerned project, rather than wait for government funding that may make a mess of the project, particularly in the context of dwindling government revenue. Certainly, there is a price to be paid. But if PPP works for infrastructure development, the socio-economic benefits may well be worth the price.
Communities once renowned for large-scale rice and palm oil production lie in ruins, their businesses comatose. Blame bad road, OKODILI NDIDI reports
It once felt good to hail from communities fringing the Nnewi-Arondizogu-Okigwe-Enugu Road in Imo State. Residents happily tilled the land, producing such cash crops as rice.
They also milled palm oil and made a fortune for their efforts. From Lagos, Enugu, Cross River states and the north, many flocked to the Farm Produce Market in Arondizogu in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state to buy their produce. The people prospered and so did the settlements. Life was good.
Not anymore.
Why not?
The 19km Trunk-A road on which patrons trooped to the communities has since failed and along with it, the booming industry.
But today what reminds the indigenes of those good old days of prosperity and abundance, are abandoned rice farms, failed cottage industries and sad remains of what used to be beautiful travelers’ guest houses and whether –beaten gigantic roofs of filling stations and factories.
The communities are almost completely deserted, save for some adamant indigenes who are managing to eke a living out of their peasant farming, hoping that one day their plight will draw the attention of the Federal Government.
Today, the few travellers who still brave the road have tales of horror in the hands of daredevil armed robbers who have turned the once busy highway into a den of terror.
Now described as one of the worst Trunk-A roads in the country, the Nnewi-Arondizogu-Okigwe-Enugu Road was awarded to different contractors in the past, Doliz Brown Group, who abandoned the project shortly after mobilising to site, dashing the hope of the people each time.
At different points along the now snaky road, heavy duty equipments belonging to the absconded firms litter the road.
After years of fruitless hope for intervention, the communities have once again brought their plight to the knowledge of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari.
The traditional ruler of Ihieme-Izuogu, Eze Cosmos Ndubuisi Kanu lamented that the state of the road has brought untold economic hardship on the people.
He said, “We have managed this terrible situation for over fifteen years. Everything in this community has been at a standstill. We can’t take our farm produce to the market because of the road. Most of the people have abandoned their rice farms and gone to the cities to search for nonexistent jobs.
“We have 12 autonomous communities along this road that are affected and terrible accidents happen on this road always. It has brought economic and social services to a halt, the few industries and hotels that were flourishing when the road was still good have all closed down. The contractors handling the road in the past have all abandoned it but we are not apportioning blame but we are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to come to our aid and fix this road, given its importance”.
He continued that, “We are agrarian communities and we cultivate rice in commercial quantities but since the road collapsed, we are no longer cultivating that much because we don’t have road to take them to the market. This important Trunk-A road connects six states in the Southeast and Southsouth geopolitical zones”.
Another indigene, Mr. Uche Ohia, a legal practitioner and rice farmer, called for urgent and drastic intervention on the road, stating that the state of the road has forced out young farmers who could have been contributing to providing the food need of the nation.
A portion of the road washed away by erosion
He said, “we have lost millions of naira to the collapse of this road, the level of impoverishment among the people is very high because no business can thrive under the present situation. The economy of the communities has totally collapsed, it is indeed a terrible situation.
“This situation is not encouraging most of us who returned home to invest in agriculture. For instance I have a large palm plantation and for almost last two weeks now I have been looking for means to transport the harvest fruits to the market and they are beginning to get bad.
“One other major problem created by bad road, is the increase in criminal activities. There is high rate of vandalization of electrical installations by vandals who operate unchallenged at night because no one dare move out once it is night. It gets even worse any day it rains. We are appealing to the Federal Government to order the contractors handling the road to return to site or revoke it and award it to a more committed firm”.
Another angry indigene and a banker, Dr Ikenna Uche, noted that the contractors handling the road contributed to its present state, adding that, “the contractors destroyed the road totally by abandoning it after excavating deep boroughs on the road and this has resulted in flooding and serious erosion. This road used to be the shortest route to Lagos but our people now travel to Onitsha or Owerri before going to Lagos.
“Our people don’t come back home anymore because of the bad road. Those of us that manage to come leave our cars in Owerri and ride on okada, which is very dangerous. We are appealing to the relevant authorities to come to our aid and I can assure you that once this road fixed the economy will bounce back and all the collapsed industries will be revived because our people are willing to invest at home.
The abandoned federal road
“Another area of serious concern is that the total collapse of the road has also affected the state of other social infrastructure like school, market, health centers, electricity and pipe borne water. All these have either ceased to exist or are in very poor state because the communities are cut off by the bad road”.
Apart from this particular road, other Federal roads in the state have equally collapsed. The Owerri-Port Harcourt and the Owerri-Umuahia roads have also been abandoned and are currently in a terrible state of disrepair.
Speaking on the development, the Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government House, Chief Uche Nwosu, decried the state of the roads, adding that in the last four years, the state government has spent huge sum of money carrying out palliative repairs on all the Federal Government roads in the state.
He however assured that the situation will not remain the same under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, noting that, “the situation of the Federal Government roads in the state will not remain the same because the Governor has already taken it up with the President but that does not mean the state will not continue to maintain the roads because the common road users does not know the difference”.
Proffering solution to the problem, Nwosu suggested that all Federal Government roads in every state should be managed by the state but financed by the Federal Government.
SIR: The Umuahia – Uzuakoli- Ohafia- Arochukwu federal road constructed by the then PTF about 1996 was by the influence of two prominent Arochukwu sons who were in very high-ranking positions in that organization. They were late Prof. Chimere Ikoku, an executive member of the PTF Board and Dr. Ochi Achinivu who served PTF as Director of Programmes. The pain Arochukwu is passing through today is that these Aro sons did not commence the project from Arochukwu and proceeded towards Umuahia. They were not selfish. They commenced the project from the state capital, Umuahia, moved to Uzuakoli through Isuikwuato, Igbere, Abiriba by-pass to Ohafia. Unfortunately for Arochukwu, the PTF was disbanded just the moment the road construction project was to progress from Ohafia to Arochukwu, its final destination. The pain we suffer today is that the 27 kilometres portion of that project that could not be done by the PTF has remained abandoned since 1998. Unknown to many, the worst part of the road is even found in Ohafia axis. But one needs to pass through Ohafia to progress to Arochukwu where the fate of indigenes who must use the road currently hang in the balance.
In November 2012, the Jonathan administration awarded a contract for reconstruction of the road to one indigenous company, BEKS KIMSE Nigeria Ltd, at the cost of about N4.8 billion. The project was expected to be completed within a period of 24 months. We in Arochukwu, Ihechiowa, Ututu, Isu, part of Ohafia, went into jubilation believing that a “Daniel had finally come to judgment”. Unfortunately, Beks Kimse Nigeria Ltd failed to deliver. They demonstrated clear incompetence and insensitivity to our plight. They were only able to do less than a kilometre after two years on the site. We have no idea what the problem of the company was. Were they not paid or was it budgetary provision or sheer incompetence? The company also did not communicate with anyone. Latest reports indicate that the company has abandoned the job after creating more problems on the road than they were invited to solve.
To worsen our situation, there appears to be some conspiracy of silence around this project. All those who should speak out have chosen to keep quiet while Arochukwu, and other benefitting communities suffer greatly on that road daily. The only hope left now is on the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Arochukwu is appealing to President Buhari’s administration to institute a full investigation into circumstances that has led to this failed project. We are also appealing to President Buhari to consider the engagement of a competent contractor to take over the Arochukwu – Ohafia road project supported with good budgetary provision. And this is not difficult, because the project is only 27 kilometres without any obstacles like bridges or difficult terrain. We also appeal to the Abia State Governor, Dr Ikpeazu to come to our rescue. The state government needs to come to terms with the reality that the era where states look the other way on the excuse that a road in their domain belongs to federal government has gone. Many states have gone beyond that. We expect Abia under the regime of Dr Ikpeazu to embrace this approach, do things differently and assist Arochukwu. At the moment, an urgent intervention by FERMA and the Federal Ministry of Works is needed to make the road passable. Until this is done, Arochukwu, a historical community in South Eastern Nigeria, is currently cut off from the rest of humanity. The condition of Ohafia – Arochukwu road remains the worst in Nigeria today. It has become a state and national shame.
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Abuja, member of the National Executive Committee of NzukoArochukwu.
Only God can forgive those who think that Fela Anikulapo Kuti was just a smoker and serial womanizer during his life time. Over the years, the iconic legend of Afrobeat, has remained relevant, not only to Nigerians but to music lovers world over.
Undoubtedly, Fela, who died on August 2, 1997, made an impact on the society during his time.
His unique music has attracted many musicians and individuals. Moreso, his lifestyle and habit made him a brand many people wanted to associate with. Unfortunately for copycats, they found it difficult and failed to get the Fela edge. Nevertheless, Fela wannabes, through emulation, ensure that the icon lives on.
Fela was typically extolled for using his music as a potent weapon to fight injustice, military tyranny and oppression while also advocating for a better Nigeria, nay Africa. He dared the Nigerian government of his time for entrenching corruption and human rights abuses. His view as regards socio-cultural trend was beyond ordinary. Indeed, he was the Abami Eda (The Strange One). In that light, it might not be erroneous if anyone proclaims Fela as a prophet of his time. His words, especially through his music reverberated with prophetic outcomes. Many of what he sang about happened or are still happening, making him very relevant in present times.
While alive, Fela was also known for being on the side of the people. His commune, the Kalakuta Republic in Ikeja, Lagos, which is currently a museum, was home to many. He stood on what he believed to be right without fear, which attests to the fact that he was a brave man, even if he did suffer several beatings by military goons and devious prison terms for maintaining his stance.
And since Fela’s death, his family members, associates and advocates, have been holding his memories and legacies aloft through the annual week-long festival of music tagged Felabration.
Felabration attracts thousands of people from across the world to the New Africa Shrine to keep his legacies alive in grand style. This year’s Felabration would be different – it promises to be a grander celebration of arguably the most iconic multi-instrumentalist ever to come out of Africa.
No fewer than seven people were killed yesterday when a commercial bus and an articulated vehicle ran into each other on the Ogbomoso-Oyo road.
A report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicated that many other occupants of the bus sustained various degrees of injuries in the accident.
A witness, who gave his name as Tayo, told NAN that the accident happened when an Ilorin-bound commercial bus overtook a sport utility vehicle and tried to manoeuvre its way back to its lane but failed.
“When I got to the accident scene some moments after it occurred, people were assisting the accident victims,” he said.
He said that the driver of the bus did not sustain any injury.
NAN gathered that six people died on the spot while another victim died on the way to the hospital.
Spokesman of the Oyo Police Command Mr. Addekunle Ajisebutu said he had not been briefed by the divisional police officers in Oyo town and Ogbomoso.
Also yesterday, a truck laden with 33,000 litres of fuel was said to have somersaulted in the Taki area of Ogbomoso and emptied its contents in a gutter.
According to another witness, who preferred anonymity, many people rushed to the scene to scoop fuel.
Security men were said to have been dispatched to the scene to prevent any casualty.
Three persons were feared dead in a road crash involving six vehicles yesterday on Akure/Ilesa road.
The accident, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved a petrol tanker, a truck, a luxury bus, two cars and two buses coming from different directions on the road.
Witnesses said the carnage was caused by excessive speeding by the tanker driver.
It was gathered that some vehicles coming from Akure end of the road rammed into the tanker while it was attempting to overtake other vehicles coming from the Ilesa end of the road.
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials at the scene of the accident said the victims were rushed to a medical centre before they arrived at the scene.
The FRSC men also confirmed that the accident was caused due to high speed.
They said the vehicles involved in the accident would be impounded.
It was gathered that many of the passengers in the vehicles sustained serious injuries.
The accident led to traffic on the busy road, a situation which gave the FRSC officials hectic time to control.
MOTORISTS and residents have appealed to government to repair the Ndiwu Itumbuzo in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.
The road is described as a death trap characterised by large potholes and gullies.
It leads to Itunmbanuzo in Akwa Ibom State which was last repaired many years ago.
The road was built in the 70s by the government of late Chief Sam Mbakwe under the old Imo state government and currently those using this road are doing so at the risk of their lives with its attendant potholes which are big enough to swallow a car.
This 7km rural road infrastructure has never been touched by subsequent administrations after it was built years ago, even as the road has economic value with the area being a food basket from the state
A trip from Itzumbuzo to Bende the headquarters of the local government area which usually take less than thirty minutes has now become a journey of one hour due to the poor state of the road and the people need government attention urgently to survive.
Over the years due to lack of maintenance the road has become a pitiable one and intervention from government was not forth coming and need urgent repairs, while cocoa which is abundant from the area has been left to the economic benefit of the people of a neighbouring
state.
Gullies and sizeable potholes have taken over the roads, motorists and okada rider have to meander and manoeuver in order to make their journey and a trip from Itumbuzo to Bende local government area or any other part of the state.
The people are therefore calling on the government to come and help them and mobilise a quick intervention to repair at least the damaged portions of the roads for now because the suffering is becoming unbearable.
One of the motorists who gave his name as Sampson Ibe said that the last they saw a caterpillar in the area was in the 70s when the road was built, “I’m sure that if not for people who travel to the city, some of them may not have seen a caterpillar in their lives”.
Ibe said that government should come to their aid if they want them to have a sense of belonging and save them from untimely deaths because of the poor standard of the road over the years.
An indigene of the place, Abel Kalu decried the poor nature of the road, saying that it has cost them revenue which they would have got from cocoa merchants who have stopped coming to buy from them because of the bad road.
Kalu said that they have waited to no avail for government assistance and intervention on their rural roads, which has taken over twenty years and have decided to embark on a make shift repair and maintenance of the roads.
He said that women and men are made to fill empty cement bags with sands; the girls bring stones while the young men do the road repairs by dumping the materials at the gully part of the road to make the road motor able.
A woman from the area, Mrs Ori Kalu said that government should come to their aid, as many of their people have died because of lack of good road to access health care facility outside the community and called for urgent attention on the road.
Mrs Kalu said that their farm produce are being consumed by them as people who normally come to their place to buy food have stopped coming, “Making us to consume whatever we produce instead of selling them for us to make money”.
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday warned contractors handling various state projects that the state would not accept anything that would make life difficult for the residents.
The governor frowned at the slow pace of work on the reconstruction of some of the road projects.
Speaking during a project inspection tour in Bariga, Alimosho and Oshodi, Ambode reiterated his determination to make life comfortable for the people.
At Somolu/Bariga, he said the reconstruction of the road is so important due to its strategic location and link to other areas.
He mandated the contractor to deliver the work before Christmas, adding that while the work is going on, the contractors should provide palliative measures for the residents so that they can live their normal lives.
At Alimosho, the Governor, who described Alimosho as the most populous Local Government in Lagos, empathised with the people on the untold hardship being experienced daily by commuters and promised to ensure completion of on-going works on the road within the next three months.
“In the course of my campaign, I came to this neighbourhood three times asking you to vote for me, I am back here to let you know that this road that is so important to the economy of this area, we would complete it within the next three months” he said.
Ambode hailed the residents for their perseverance, assuring them that the deplorable condition of the road would soon be a thing of the past.
“I want to appeal to all our people living here. The contractor is going to work day and night and also create palliative for you to be able to use the road while he is working,” he said.
At Oshodi, Ambode, ordered immediate reconstruction of Brown Street, just as he told traders to immediately vacate the right of way to ease free flow of vehicular movement in the area.
The Governor, who walked through the stretch of Brown Street, Oshodi, said the road is germane to economy of the area.
“Nobody should trade on this road henceforth and stop spreading your market on the road. I have seen what you experience on daily basis, that is why I took it upon myself to walk through Brown Street and I can assure you that work would commence within the next seven days,”, Ambode said.
The council’s Executive Secretary, Dawood Adeola Olajobi appealed to the governor to help work on some major roads that needs urgent attention.
Olajobi thanked Ambode for coming to have a firsthand information about the condition of roads in Oshodi, saying that the gesture will go a long way to show that he is a listening Governor.
He pledged the council’s cooperation towards sustainable economic growth of Oshodi.
