Unending agony, frustration as travellers, motorists ply Sango-Idiroko road

The federal roads in Ogun State, especially Sango-Ota-Owode-Idiroko and Lagos-Sango-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, are in utter disrepair. Our correspondent captures the hardship, pains and frustration residents and road users are facing. “Our biggest industrial hub in this country is the Agbara Industrial Estate. “There’s a road that goes from Agbara to Lusada to Atan. Travellers want patrols […]

The federal roads in Ogun State, especially Sango-Ota-Owode-Idiroko and Lagos-Sango-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, are in utter disrepair.

Our correspondent captures the hardship, pains and frustration residents and road users are facing.

“Our biggest industrial hub in this country is the Agbara Industrial Estate.

“There’s a road that goes from Agbara to Lusada to Atan.

• Travellers want patrols as robbers infest Maiduguri-Monguno road
• Motorists beg Buhari over stalled Numan-Gombe road project

“That road is the road that leads to this Agbara Industrial Estate.

“That road is in such a deplorable state that trailers coming from the port, have been involved in accidents and delays to the point that some of the multinationals have threatened to leave Nigeria for other countries.

 

“This road has continued to be an embarrassment, not just to us in Ogun State, but to the entire country.”

Those were the words of Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, in lamenting the sorry state of the roads in the state, especially in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area, where there is high concentration of industries.

He spoke last month with journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, where he submitted a letter seeking for a transfer of the dilapidated Lagos-Abeokuta Road to both Ogun and Lagos states, for reconstruction.

According to him, if the request is granted, both Lagos and Ogun states will commercialise the road and take the burden of reconstruction off the federal government.

“I also shared with him the pains on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road as well.

“I came with a letter that I have written earlier on and pictures, to show him the deplorable state of this road.

“The Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road is probably the second busiest road in this country.

“This road is in such a deplorable condition and we understand that the federal government cannot afford to build all the roads at the same time, but as a state government, Lagos State government and I have written to Mr. President, asking him to transfer that road to us.

“It’s a commercial road and we’ll commercialise it so that we can take that burden off the federal government,” Abiodun said.

To say almost all the Federal roads in the Ogun State are in deplorable state, goes without saying. They are dotted with potholes and craters, and have over the years turned into death traps for the hapless road users.

Worst hit are the Sango-Ota-Idiroko Road and the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The Sango – Ota – Idiroko road links Nigeria to neighbouring countries such Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana among others.

From Sango-under bridge axis, Ojuore, frontage of Iganmode Grammar School, frontage of General Hospital Ota, and a stretch at Owode, Yewa axis among others, the road is dotted with failed portions, endlessly waiting for repairs.

Journeying through the route, for commuters and motorists, comes with harrowing experiences and tales of agony, pains and frustrations.

Men of the underworld equally take advantage of failed portion of the roads to carry out their robbery activities, Daily Trust learnt.

• Rain exposed deplorable state of roads

When it rains, the hitherto deplorable roads are left compounded, most times rendered impassable.

On Sango-Ota -Idiroko road, gullies have taken over many portions.

Road users often resort to driving against the traffic in many areas in order to escape the failed portions.

And on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, right from the Lagos axis, at sections such as U-turn, Ahmadiya, Kola, Salolo, Alakuko, Ajegunle and tollgate, to the Ogun axis – Sango, Joju, Owode, Papalanto, frontage of Lafarge and Itori among others, all have failed.

Last year, lawyers under the aegis of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ota Branch, abandoned the courtroom and protested against the deplorable condition of roads in the state.

The placard-carrying lawyers expressed concerns that the poor state of the roads has led to the loss of lives and caused bodily injuries on commuters.

They specifically cited Sango-Ota-Owode-Idiroko expressway, Atan-Agbara expressway and the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, among others that have been causing major accidents in the state.

According to them, the bad condition of the roads has contributed to the incidents of robbery, kidnapping, sexual molestation and accidents.

Speaking with Daily Trust, motorists and commuters plying the roads bemoaned the unending traffic logjam on the routes as a result of the state of the roads.

The motorists said the development creates serious hardship and affects socioeconomic activities.

“This has been the recurring pains we go through every year. It’s unfortunate we keep battling this bad road every year, especially when it rains.

“Government should fix it once and for all,” a driver plying Sango-Ota-Idiroko route, who simply identified himself as Mr Adesola told our correspondent.

A commuter, Kazeem Lawal, said “The Joju axis of the road always experience heavy gridlock especially on Monday morning and Friday evening.

“Also, when it rains, the Cairo market axis in Sango is always flooded and it affects free flow of traffic outward Abeokuta.

“Though, there are signs of palliatives around Ewekoro to Papa axis but when it rains, the palliatives are washed away,” he said.

Some motorists equally lamented over the slow pace the ongoing rehabilitation of road, especially at the Owode/Ijako axis.

They particularly blamed it on slow pace of work on the expressway by the construction company, Julius Berger PLC.

The Federal Executive Council in April 2018 approved an upward review of the contract awarded for the reconstruction of the 81-kilometre Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway.

The contract cost was put at N56.7bn, following its upward review by N22bn.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Raji Fashola, said the contract cost was reviewed upward to mobilize the contractor back to site to complete the project.

The minister explained that the contract for the road which was awarded to Julius Berger in 2000 was abandoned due to financial problems.

The Oloto of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, told Daily Trust that failed road infrastructures have adversely affected business in the area.

“As I speak to you, I am in the traffic going to the palace.

“I have spent more than one hour in a journey which should not take me more than five minutes,” the first-class monarch lamented.

Obalanlege, a professor of Mass Communication, called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to immediately declare state of emergency on the roads in the area.

“Businesses can longer operate freely within the industrial hub of Nigeria and the situation is really despicable, particularly when we have a government that is business friendly.

“I am appealing to Governor Dapo Abiodun to please declare state of emergency on our roads,” he said.

While lamenting the effect of the road on his health, the monarch said “I have to use panadol every two days.”

The traditional ruler described as a misnomer, the idea that the affected roads are federal roads.

“We have problems in this country, especially among the politicians at the federal level.

“It does not make sense to put all the administration of these roads in the hands of the federal government.

“So, when there are problems, how do you get to Abuja from Ota? They have to domesticate these roads.

“It does not make sense. It is not done anywhere in the world except in Nigeria.

“I have travelled widely and I have worked in severally countries in Europe.

“It does not go that way. You collect tax and at the end, you don’t spend it on our roads.

“If you want to administer a road, you should leave it with the state government.

“If it is federal roads, let it domicile with the state government, fund the state government and let them in return take care of these roads.

“All these pointing of accusing fingers from the state to the federal is the fault of the federal government.

“I have spoken with the Minister of Works, Raji Fashola, he said they have the responsibility to get it done.

“He even sent people to inspect it, but he said they don’t have fund.”

Recently, the Speaker Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, called on private sector operators along Lagos-Abeokuta road, especially Sango-Ota motor park to emulate their colleagues along Papalanto-Ewekoro road by contributing their quota in the provision of palliatives through corporate social responsibility.

The Speaker said this was in a bid to ensure more seamless human and vehicular movements along the axis.

The Speaker equally urged the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure as well as the State Public Works Agency to put palliative measures on the failed portions of Lagos- Abeokuta road.

Oluomo made the request at the plenary while responding to the submission of the Majority Leader and a member representing Ado-Odo/Ota I State Constituency, Yusuf Sheriff.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government said it has mobilised resources to carry out palliative works on the Ota/Sango/Oju Ore axis of the busy Ota-Idiroko expressway bordering Benin Republic.

The State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr Ade Akinsanya, said after the drainage had been fixed, asphalt would be laid on the failed portions of the road.

Akinsanya said drainage was being constructed to channel water off the road, thereby addressing the issue of flooding, which he said, had repeatedly damaged portions close to the Olomore and Brewery roundabouts.

“When the drainage works are completed, earth work will commence immediately and will be followed by the laying of asphalt.” Akinsanya assured.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to the development of road infrastructure across the three Senatorial districts of the state, towards bringing the dividends of good governance to the people.