Motorists and commuters plying the Ibadan-Abeokuta Road through Bakatari, Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, have appealed to the federal government as well as Ogun and Oyo state governments to fix the deplorable road.
Motorists and commuters, who spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State, decried the situation of the road, saying driving on it was harrowing and a death trap.
They blamed long abandonment of the road by the federal government and the governments of Ogun and Oyo states including their agencies as the reason for the total collapse of the road connecting both states.
But when contacted, the Federal Controller of Works in Oyo State, Victor Aina, said that the federal government awarded the rehabilitation of the road to KOPEK Construction Company a few years ago.
Mr Aina said that efforts were ongoing to ensure that the contractor returned to the site, assuring motorists plying the road that work would soon commence on the remaining bad sections of the road.
Motorists, however, blamed the neglect of the road by government for its present sorry state, adding that there had been no rehabilitation of the road for the past five years
They urged the federal and state governments to save the lives of commuters who daily ply the Ibadan-Abeokuta road.
Also, some residents of Omi-Adio, Aba-Nla, Lade and Bako, which are some of the towns along the Ibadan-Abeokuta axis, recounted the daily hardship experienced on the road.
An inter-state commercial driver, Isiaka Adigun, decried the situation of the road, saying that the portion of the road at Lade had become so bad that motorists experienced hardship plying it.
Mr Adigun said that if nothing was done now, it could result in the road being cut into two, thus preventing easy passage for travellers plying the road.
He appealed to the federal and concerned states government to help in the reconstruction of the road,
The commercial driver said, “though, it’s an old road built in 1978 by former Olusegun Obasanjo regime, but currently fast becoming a death trap to motorists.’’
Another respondent, a commercial motorcyclist, Godfrey Sunday, said the gridlock being experienced was gradually becoming unbearable for passersby and motorists.
He said that the gridlock also affects motorcycles, as their passengers have to disembark to enable people to assist them to carry their motorcycles across the bad portion to the other side before continuing their journey again.
Also, a civil servant, Kayode Adesokan, lamented time wasted on the road because of its deplorable state.
He said that the situation adversely affects workers, traders, and business owners on the route with manpower wasted on gridlock no matter how early one goes out.
Another respondent and resident of Omi-Adio, Ganiyu Alarape, said the road was so bad that even commercial motorcyclists had to increase their fares.
The Baale of Bako town, Abdulfatai Musbaudeen, said that apart from the bad road, commuters also worry whenever there is an overflow of Jamoje river anytime it rains.
The community leader said, “the Jamoje river is another major problem whenever it overflows across the Ibadan-Abeokuta road, it prevents commuters, and motorists from passing.”
According to Mr Musbaudeen, most motorists park and wait until the flow subsides to prevent being washed away by the tide.
He appealed to the federal government including the governments of Oyo and Ogun states to help those plying the roads by reconstructing it to a dual carriageway to ameliorate sufferings of the people living along the Ibadan-Abeokuta roads.
(NAN)
