• Residents lament bad roads, accuse govt of neglect
By Lukman Olabiyi
Residents of some communities in Ifo Local Government, Ogun State, are groaning over the deplorable state of their roads. The approaching rainy season is also a major source of concern for other stakeholders and road users.
The affected communities include in Ifo state constituency 2, comprising Ijoko, Akute, Agbado, Oke Aro, Alagbole and Lambe, all in Ifo State Constituency 2. They shared substantial boundary with Lagos State.
Due to the state of these roads, residents are having hectic time accessing their homes. They claimed that both the state and federal governments had forgotten about the areas, as if they didn’t exist. They alleged that government, especially, the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has not offered them any dividend of democracy “except for pain, anguish, horror and sufferings.
“It will amount to understatement to regard the area as theatre of bad roads. Many roads, both major and inner roads have been washed away by gully erosion and bridges are collapsing thereby frustrating our economic and social activities.”
They renewed their call on Abiodun to have pity on them by addressing the issue. A member of the governor’s political party, All Progressive Congress (APC) and resident of the area, Amb. Olayemi Paul, berated Abiodun for neglecting people in the axis.
He lamented that virtually all the roads that lead to schools, markets, hospitals, business outlets and residential areas have become impassable:
“We are subjected to untold hardship and pains daily because the roads are in pitiable and near impassable state that do not befit even a village setting talk more of a constituency that connects Lagos and Ogun states together.
“I pity APC members in this axis, including myself who worked tirelessly towards Abiodun’s victory for the second term. We have no shortcut to prevent ourselves also for passing these roads, meaning that we are together in it. It also pleased my heart that roads have no regard for the political party leaders, appointees and political officeholders, it won’t exempt them from its excruciating pains, dangers and unnecessary delays.
“If we can have our almighty political party leaders and officeholders passing the same road with joy without challenging the government, it is as if we are on our own without anyone caring for us at the centre.
“I wonder what Abiodun has in mind for us as our governor. He promised to get back to us in three weeks. That his engineers would swing into action during the campaign period. It has been almost a year or more without any sign that you even care about the agonies and pains of the masses of Ifo State Constituency 2.”