Roads: Ogun await Dapo Abiodun

 The expansive yard of Ogun State Public Works Agency (OGPWA) is situated along Quarry Road, Abeokuta. However, the adjoining roads of this maintenance agency, few metres away, are filled with all shapes and sizes of potholes and craters.

The failed portions on nearby Agbeloba, Kuforiji-Olubi and Oriyanrin roads are just a tip of the iceberg, anyway.

In fact, bad roads are fast taking over the length and breadth of Abeokuta. With the season of rains yet to subside, residents have continued to experience excruciating pains as they seek their means of livelihood daily on these roads.

Apart from Abeokuta, the state capital, it has been tales of anguish and lamentation for people in other parts of Ogun State, notably Akute, Magboro, Ibafo, Aseese, Arepo, Mowe, Ofada, Sango-Ota, Agbara, Atan, Ilaro, Owode, Ilogbo, Papalanto, Sagamu, Simawa, Ogijo, Ijebu-Ode, Odogbolu, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo. Many of the roads in these areas are filled with numerous dangerous potholes and during heavy rains, they usually become impassable for commuters.

Only articulated vehicles and heavy-duty trucks dare navigate these bad roads. Private cars and commercial buses that attempt to brace the challenge rarely emerge unscathed. The situation often results in serious gridlock in many areas. Even motorcyclists reputed for their ability to maneuver through traffic congestion and difficult terrains find the roads hard most times.

It is an understatement to say the deplorable condition of roads has adversely affected businesses and investments. Transportation costs have also soared. Sadly, in addition, many productive hours have been lost to the attendant terrible traffic snarl on these roads.

Although the immediate past governor, Ibikunle Amosun awarded several road contracts during his eight-year administration, most of which somewhat transformed the landscape of Abeokuta metropolis, the reality on ground shows that wide gap still exists in critical infrastructure within the state.

Some of the road projects awarded during Amosun’s tenure included Ilo-Awela road in Ota; Moshood Abiola Way, Ojere/Adatan/Asero road and Lafenwa/Aiyetoro/Ajebo road in Abeokuta; Sagamu-Benin Express/Oba Erinwole junction road in Sagamu; Ilara/Ijoun/Egua/Oja-Odan/Ilase road in Ipokia; Ilishan/Ago-Iwoye road; Ikangba-Ilese road; Ejinrin/Mobalufon/Ibadan road in Ijebu-Ode, Ofada/Mowe/Ibafo roads; and Sango/Ijoko/Oke Aro/Ojodu Abiodun road. These roads, which spanned across the three senatorial districts of the state, were handled by different construction firms.

In addition, the Amosun administration also constructed several flyovers which, though added to beauty and aesthetics, came under criticism for being exorbitant and misplaced.

However, some of the roads constructed by the immediate past administration are already showing signs of fatigue and cracking. Some others were abandoned and not completed till Amosun left office as governor. Thus, the euphoria and excitement that once greeted the roads revolution in the state appeared to have fizzled out.

“It has never been this bad in this country to have a total breakdown of all infrastructural facilities,” Yomi Ogunsanu remarked about the deplorable condition of roads. Ogunsanu, a resident of Abeokuta, stressed the need for government to declare a state of emergency on roads situation in the state.

He added: “It will be very unfair to restrict this to Ogun State because bad roads are not peculiar to Ogun State; it’s all over the country.

“Talk about Sango-Ota-Abeokuta road, talk about Sango-Idiroko-Owode road, everywhere is collapsed. Talk about Ewekoro-Itori road, talk about the Sagamu-Mokoloki-Papalanto road, I don’t know what government is doing. It is not peculiar to states; the Federal Government also has its share. I think a state of emergency needs to be declared on roads situation in Nigeria.”

Another resident, Taiwo Adeleke, said relevant authorities must urgently rise to the occasion and save the people of deteriorating infrastructure. The civil servant lamented that poor roads have almost demobilised his vehicle, which he often takes to work every day.

“The situation of roads in the state is alarming and horrible. My car now develops fault frequently due to bad roads. In fact, I have become a regular face at mechanic workshop to repair my car because of terrible state of roads. We cannot continue like this,” Adeleke said.

For Mrs Bosede Ajayi, a trader at one of the major markets in Abeokuta, the bad roads have contributed to rising cost of goods. According to her, commercial transporters usually capitalise on the road situation to charge market women and traders.

But the incumbent governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, seems to have taken up the gauntlet. He recently ordered palliative measures to be carried out on some failing roads not only to alleviate the suffering of the people, but also as a stop gap to give room for proper planning and execution of major road projects. As a result, various gangs of the OGPWA have swung into action.

Already, the governor’s intervention has been seen in major towns and highways of the state. And, interestingly, the reactions of residents of the affected localities have been positive and they are asking the government to extend the gesture to other areas in dire straits. Abiodun had promised, during electioneering, to reinvigorate the Ogun State Road Maintenance Agency (OGROMA). He followed up with an enabling bill to the state House of Assembly upon assumption of office, and the OGPWA was berthed.

The governor has also vowed to ensure that taxpayers’ money is judiciously expended in the execution of capital projects, saying: “in order to maximize the full benefits of government spending on infrastructure, we shall ensure adequate planning, evaluation and preparation before infrastructure projects are embarked upon.”

Therefore, in the quest to strike a balance between ensuring proper planning and making sure the people are not made to suffer unnecessarily, the state government started palliative on some roads in the state. The palliative projects are being handled by the OGPWA.

One of the roads in which extensive rehabilitation has begun is the 32kilometer Sango-Ojodu-Abiodun road awarded and abandoned by the Amosun administration. The road, which cuts across some border communities between Ogun and Lagos states, had been in deplorable condition before the emergence of the present administration.

The joy of residents, who have almost lost hope, especially with the political bickering between the former and current governors, however, knew no bounds as Abiodun ordered immediate palliative works on the abandoned road.

Abiodun recently declared that rain or no rain, his administration would stop at nothing to fix the intra and inter-city roads in the state.

To this end, he directed the OGPWA to step up its game because he wouldn’t brook any excuses about rain.

The governor’s Consultant on Works and Infrastructure, Engr Ade Akinsanya, acknowledged the pressure being mounted on the OGPWA to ensure that people have roads to go about their business as a matter of right.

“Indeed, he challenged us to reverse the public infrastructure deficit in the state within the next few months – rain or no rain,” Akinsanya was quoted as saying recently.

“What we have done is to segment the works into phases. There are some that could be done in the rain. These ones, we are doing straightaway. The ones that cannot be done in the rain will have to wait till the rainy season is over. But the governor is pushing us hard to deliver on public works and infrastructure,” he added.

Akinsanya pointed out that besides the road construction and rehabilitation, the state government had also begun the redesigning and proper channeling of drainage in different parts of the state to avert man-made and natural disasters.

Speaking with our correspondent on efforts by the state government to address the plight of the people, the governor’s Consultant on Public Works Agency, Engr Gbenga Akintola, said the OGPWA has adequate equipment and manpower to carry out interventions on roads.

Akintola explained that the agency has been divided into six zones – namely Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta, Ifo, Ilaro and Ota – to make it more functional and responsive towards meeting the infrastructural needs of the people.

He, however, warned against practices that undermine the integrity and lifespan of roads, especially the asphalted ones.

“Each of these zones has zonal engineers that are dedicated to be in charge of scoping of the roads that have issues or problems. And under each of these zonal engineers, we have internal gangs that will be deployed to carry out repairs and to make the road motorable to the good people of our dear state,” he said.

Akintola pointed out that the agency had embarked on several initiatives to sensitize and enlighten residents “with respect to jurisdiction of roads.”

He said: “There are three major categories of road. We have the Trunk A roads which are mainly federal roads and these are roads connecting cities to each other. We have Trunk B roads which are state roads. These are roads that connect one area in a town to the other. We have the Trunk C, which are in the majority. These are local government roads.

“So, when people do come for assessment of their roads, we need to understand this jurisdiction whereby if you have a situation on a federal road, the agency to call is the FERMA. If you are in a state road, then you should call OGPWA and if it is local government road, then it should be the local government.

“However, the governor has mandated us that irrespective of the jurisdiction on these roads, so long as the people ply these roads and it becomes a threat to life and limbs, then we can go there to offer palliative so that at least, we would get the road safe for people to use before we now talk of long term repairs.

“While we are trying to carry out these works, we want to make the people of our great state to know that government hasn’t got the resources to take 100% care of the road infrastructure. Even if you multiply the total income coming to the state by 20, it is not enough to fix the road infrastructure.

“Don’t forget that we have other sectors of the economy – education, health, environment, etc that also require attention. Our governor has been very clever in a way to making sure our presence is felt on some of our roads that are very strategic while there is long term plan to make sure that the other roads are captured for future intervention.

“And also, it is important to let our people know that there are things that they need to do. There are some habits that we have inculcated over a long period of time which are negative. These habits are such that they are affecting the lifespan of our roads. And one of these habits is the dumping of refuse in drainage channel. “Secondly, there is this issue of indiscriminate cutting and digging of roads. You see people just dig or cut roads without going through the proper channel which is to get approval from the ministry of works and infrastructure before they cut or dig these roads. Because when they cut or dig this road, they don’t bring them back to their original state in which they were and what normally happens is that when you do that, the integrity of that road is compromised.

“Thirdly, we have the issue of excessive vehicle load. These roads are designed to carry a particular weight but most of the vehicles that ply our roads are in excess of what the road is allowed to carry. You can imagine putting three bags of cement on someone’s head. You know what is going to happen to that neck! That is exactly what is happening to our roads when we ply with excessive vehicle load. “And also we have the issue of people that have turned our roads to their mechanic workshop where they pour petroleum and allied products like grease, engine oil, brake oil and what have you and the moment they do that, that section of the road, the integrity is compromised and it weakens in no distant future.

“And also we have the issue of people that cook on roads. The road is not meant for cooking because when you subject the asphalt which is made up of bitumen and aggregates, to heat, it’s going to disintegrate and then there would be a hole inside the asphalt, water gets in and that is the end of that road.

“And we have the issue of people that like to burn tyre on roads. This is the kind of advocacy that we want to propagate to our people. We should not be burning tyre on roads because when you do that, that section of the road, the integrity is compromised and it will go bad in no time.

“So, while the government is trying to do the best they can within the limited resources available, the people that use these roads as well must look at these roads as our collective heritage that must be protected at all times. If we do that the roads will stand the test of time.”