Ogun community seeks repair of deplorable road

Residents of Oke Sefu community, a rural settlement in the Ibafo area of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, have appealed to the state government to rehabilitate their deplorable access road, saying its poor condition has disrupted movement and affected their livelihoods.

The residents, including business owners and commercial motorcycle operators, told PUNCH Metro that the road had become particularly difficult to use during the rainy season because of flooding, potholes and slippery portions.

They appealed to the government to urgently intervene, saying the condition of the road had made transport difficult and increased the cost and time of movement in the community.

Our correspondent, who visited the area on Sunday, observed that motorcyclists struggled to navigate some portions of the road, while some passengers were seen disembarking at different points to avoid possible accidents.

A resident, Abigail Damilola, said the road had become almost impassable whenever it rained.

She said, “Concerning our Sefu Road, the road is very bad. There is too much galloping, especially during the rainy season. Once it starts raining, everywhere becomes messed up, and there is water all over the road.

The road becomes very difficult to pass through.

“We are pleading with our governor to help us renovate this road because people are really suffering. Even for a pregnant woman, passing through this road is very uncomfortable because of the excessive galloping. It can cause serious body pain and make the journey very stressful.

“It is especially difficult for those of us who work around this area. Transport is very poor, and even taking a bike from where we live to this area is uncomfortable and inconvenient.”

A motorcycle rider, Usman Sanni, said the condition of the road had made their work more difficult and exposed riders and passengers to risks, particularly during the rainy season.

Sanni said, “We, Okada riders, are suffering because of this road, especially the road from Sefu to Ibafo. Whenever it rains, we suffer a lot. When you carry passengers, they complain from the point where you pick them up to where you drop them because there is no good road.

“Look at the condition of the road. Everywhere is filled with potholes. Some areas are very slippery, and you can easily fall, especially when you are carrying something or a passenger. Even if you are trekking, you will still suffer. So, imagine when you are riding a motorcycle and carrying somebody.

“We have been complaining about this road for a long time, but there has not been any response or action to address the problem. We are really suffering.”

Another rider, who identified himself simply as Adeola, said the bad condition of the road had increased the time and cost of transport.

He said, “The road is so bad, and the water that gathers on it during the rainy season damages our bike engines. Because of this, we have to take another, longer route to avoid the waterlogged parts of the road.

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“A journey that normally takes about seven to 10 minutes now takes between 10 and 15 minutes because of the bad condition of the road.

“The condition of the road is really affecting us as Okada riders because we have to spend more time and fuel using the longer route just to avoid the bad portions of the road.”

Another resident, Folasade Anike, urged the government to combine the road rehabilitation with improvements to electricity supply in the community.

She said, “The road is really affecting us, especially during the rainy season. We don’t enjoy using the road during the rainy season.

“We also have bad light in our area. Our electricity supply is unstable. It is not stable at all. So, we want the government to please help us with both the road and electricity.”

However, the Ogun State Government said it could not rehabilitate all the roads in the state simultaneously because of limited resources.

When contacted on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the government was aware of the condition of roads across the state and had continued to prioritise road projects based on available revenue.

He said the government had also embarked on road projects in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area.

Akinmade said, “When you look at where the local government is, we’ve done a lot of roads. We’ve done some roads in Ibafo itself, some in Mowe and many other areas.

“There is no government that can complete all the roads in a state in its lifetime. If successive governments had done that, some of these places would not have remained the way they are today.

“This road has been bad for a long time. What government does is to ensure that, based on available resources, we put roads in the budget. This is based on the revenue available to the state government.

“You will recall that even about a week or two ago, the State Executive Council approved some roads, including roads in that local government. There are also other areas in Lagos and across the state that require attention.”

The commissioner said the Dapo Abiodun government had recorded progress in road construction and rehabilitation since it came into office but acknowledged that more work remained to be done.

He said, “There is no way the government can complete all the decay of several decades in just seven years. But the people should be assured that their concern is noted and it will be addressed in due course.”