Trending news on social media such as Twitter now X, Facebook, and TikTok, among other social media platforms, indicate that Ogun State is regarded by Public Opinion as the worst among the Southwest States in terms of the presence of bad and less motorable roads.

Some citizens and residents of the State who posted various messages on social media that the Sunrise Daily reported on Channels Television on Wednesday mentioned Alagbole, Akure, Ogijo, Sango-Ota, Ifo, Ewekoro, among others as different portions of bad roads which dotted all the three Senatorial Districts of the State.

Statements like “#DapofixOgunroads: Nigerians call on Dapo Abiodun to suspend ‘steeze lifestyle’, focus on government”, and “This is Sango-Ota in Ogun State. Mr Governor has done nothing to fix the floods in that area”, among others, came to the fore on Wednesday on both social media and during Sunrise Daily aired on Channels Television.

According to some people, this is putting more hardship on the residents, especially those living around the border towns such as Ojudu, Alagbole, Akure, Sango-Ota, Ogijo, and Magboro.

Adewunmi Adenekan, a resident of Alagbole, told BusinessDay that he had to abandon his car at home and travel to Lagos daily to work. “Having seen the impassable condition of our roads in Alagbole, Akute and Ojodu, I usually go to Lagos on public transport daily”, Adenekan said.

Another resident, Oluwole Adigun, who rides a motorcycle for a living said, “It’s very terrible here in Gasline, Sango-Ota since we don’t have good roads here and Government is not doing anything. Now, we have to increase our fares because there is no time that we plight all these roads that we will not fix one or two things in motorcycles and of course, for buses and cars, they more than what you think. Therefore, our fare has increased by 100%.

Speaking to BusinessDay on behalf of Governor Dapo Abiodun on the trending news on social media as regards bad roads in the State, Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media said, “Tending news on social media about Ogun State having bad roads is politically motivated and it was orchestrated by the enemies of our Government and our State.

“We all know that it’s raining and there is flood everywhere in the world and we can’t isolate Ogun State. Besides those fringes that were mentioned on social media there are bad roads, I can tell you that Ogun State has little or no record of people living there.

“People are just moving into border areas without informing the Government of their presence. Government is not rocket science, it’s about planning and budgeting and it will be very difficult for the Government to have proper developmental planning for such areas where the influx of people was not properly done.

“These people just come into Ogun State without proper planning. Many people who are living on the fringes of our State are working and paying their taxes to Lagos State and by so doing it will be difficult for the Government to plan for development.

“Let me tell you that there are no local government areas in Ogun State that Governor Dapo Abiodun and Ogun State Government have not constructed a minimum of two roads each the last five years.

“The bridges of Alagbole, Akure and other areas they are talking about are not needed, they are a waste of resources, if those resources were spent on roads by the past Administration, it would be a different story by now. Besides, those roads have been paid for by the past Administration; they were paid for upfront by the past Administration.”

In Ondo, residents attributed the bad roads in some areas of the State, especially rural areas as the factors leading to foodstuffs hike.

The majority of the people, who spoke with BusinessDay on the current state of the roads in the State, however, said this had affected the economy of the State as the prices of foodstuffs had increased by more than 100% due to the high cost of vehicles conveying food crops from various farms to the market.

BusinessDay reports that torrential rainfall has washed away some roads in Akoko land, in the Northern senatorial district and some parts of the Southern senatorial district of the state thereby making them impassable for vehicles.

Other notable roads that gully erosions have consumed are Irun-Ojeka, Eshe-Afin, Ikun-Ipe Akoko, Ajowa-Igasi, Eriti, Olu-Akinkunmi Ogbe, Oja-Baale, Gbogi, Olowo, Ludaha, Olu-Foam, Danjuma, Ajipowo along Ondo road, Aule and some parts of Oke-Aro road presently abandoned by the Federal Interventionist Agency, Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC) and the Agbaluku-Imo-Arigidi deplorable portion.

BusinessDay reports that a bunch of plantain which was selling at around N1,500 before, is now N3,500, while a plastic of garri is now 1,600 from N700 – N800; 5 litres of palm oil is now N6000 from N3,500. This, the residents said, was due to the increasing cost of conveyance.

Bisi Longe, a resident of Olu-Foam in Akure South Local Government Area of the State, attributed the horrible position of the road, linking Ikere-Ekiti, where lots of farm produce could be found to a total neglect by the Government particularly the local governments which are responsible for opening up rural roads and their maintenances.

For Oyo, dilapidated roads no doubt dot the landscape of the State and are begging for the Government’s attention, posing enormous concerns to road users.

The bad roads whichh are feasible in Ibadan, the State capital, Oke Ogun and Ibarapa zones have gone so bad and practically impassable for motorists. With the rainy season, motorists groan and have harrowing experiences, plying a number of the roads.

To this end, the bad road menace has caused scores of accidents and deaths in many areas within the State. Apart from hindering the free flow of traffic, the bad roads also have security and economic implications.

Travelling on these roads especially, during the rainy season, you see vehicles break down, heavy-duty trucks overturn or get stuck in the mud while motorists disembark at such horrible spots to push crippled vehicles.

Recently, residents of Oyo State from across 11 Local Governments in Ibadan land tasked Governor Seyi Makinde to hasten the commencement of the road repairs he promised them recently.

A resident of Ibadan said virtually all roads in Ibadan whether State or Local Government access roads had gone seriously bad while calling on the government to provide palliatives on those roads if the 100km road repairs promised by the governor would take time before its contract awards.

Other roads that needed government attention are the 16.7km Aawe-Apaara-Apetu-Emi Abata- Oba river- Iwo ate/ Ife Odan road.

The bad state of Ayegun-Oleyo Road, off Akala Express, Ibadan cannot be overemphasised

Also, the deplorable condition of the 3.5km Wofun-Kute-Jenriyin road likewise needed urgent intervention.

The road serves not less than 17 communities and it leads to Olorunda-Abaa and to Yawiri, in Akobo.

Makinde government needed to fix the Iresaapa-Iresaadu phase 2 road, Mowolowo-Iwo Ate phase 1 road and Ipeba to the Ajaawa road construction site.

Residents of Orisunmibare Community in Oluyole Local Government (ward 10), Ibadan, recently appealed to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde to as a matter of urgency address the decay in school and road infrastructure in the community.

Elenusonso Community likewise expressed serious concern over the deplorable condition of the roads from Kolobo-Ayedade Road, Adejumo Road, Adejumo Road, Alawoye-Abese Road, Agoro Road, Gegelose Road, Oke-Elenusonso, Elenusonso road, Odufemi-via Olorombo road, Mowunmi-Ajobiare-Ojuka road, Akotipopo-odo Eleranko road, Odemi to Ido local.

They said that the condition of the roads has made commuting a daily struggle for residents, contributing to vehicle damage, increased travel times, and heightened safety risks.

“Our roads are virtually impassable, turning daily commutes into a nightmare for our residents. The potholes and crevices are damaging our vehicles and creating dangerous driving conditions. Something must be done to address this situation before it becomes a full-blown disaster.”

Those plying Mokola-Iyaganku GRA-Ring road-Challenge road, residents of Eniosa off Arulogun-Igbo-Elerin road bemoaned the harrowing experience on the road.

Also, Mokola-Sango Road especially in the Uncle Joe area “is an eyesore and this area yearns for repairs.

On Monatan-Iyana Church road, a motorist described the Iyana-Church axis as the worst of all, maintaining that the State Government should order its repair without further delay.

Reacting, Dotun Oyelade, Commissioner for information, said the State Government had completed 180 kilometres of roads across the State in four years, adding that it had awarded 38 roads, equalling 800 km across the State, out of which, 458 km were ongoing.

He also stated that the Oyo State Government had earmarked N26.68 billion for the rehabilitation and asphaltic improvement of 12 Ibadan township roads. According to Dotun Oyelade, the 12 roads which summed up to 84.75 kilometres in length were under contract.

In Osun, residents of some communities in the State called on the State Government to consider their roads for construction.

The people, who were unhappy over the poor state of the roads, lamented the deplorable state and thus sought Government intervention.

A resident of Oke-Baale, Osogbo, Timothy Agbor, who spoke with our Correspondent, said the road had been in a deplorable state for years and that the condition became worse during the rainy season due to flooding.

“The road is narrow and ridden with pot-holes. This sad reality has been endangering the lives of residents of my area, especially pedestrians. Motorists and motorcyclists, while attempting to dodge the potholes almost hit pedestrians. Many accidents have been recorded in the road in that area and to a large extent, due to its bad state.

“About two different bridges in the area, especially those close to Asiri junction have been very old and no longer sizeable for the level of water that passes through the drainage. Every year, flood is recorded in my area owing to the horrible condition of the bridges and the inability of the State Government to widen them.

“Very close to these bridges is a portion of a road that has caved in and posing great danger to users. To worsen the matter, the bad state of this road has been hampering businesses. Many shops that are close to these bridges record low sales in the rainy season because traders have to store less of goods and wares because of fear of flood. In the past years, property and goods with millions of naira have been destroyed.”

A resident of Ejigbo In the Ejigbo Local Government area of the State has also decried the poor state of their roads.

Also speaking, a resident simply identified as Ismail, said that the poor condition of the road forced the road users who are travelling to Cote de Ivoire, Togo and Ghana to abandon the shortest route from Ejigbo, Ilawo, Ajagba, Bode to Iwo area of the State.

He said that the road had been abandoned for close to 20 years, calling on the government and Governor Ademola Adeleke to help them fix the road.

At the time of filling this report, efforts to get reactions from the Government proved abortive as calls and texts were unanswered. (BusinessDay)

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