Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State governor has given the contractor handling Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road to ensure the project is complete within two weeks.
The governor also said work would soon begin on the Alagbole-Ajuwon Road and Akute-Ajuwon Road in Ifo local government area.
Other road for which contracts to be awarded soon are Hercules Giwa (Oke Aro Rd), some sections of Akute-Ijoko road, and the road leading to Yakoyo.
The Governor disclosed this during an on-the-spot assessment of roads in the local government. He also assured residents that his administration would also construct a new primary healthcare centre for them.
The governor said construction of the Denro-Ishashi-Akute Road started almost three years ago, adding that the contractor must mobilise to the site immediately and ensure the completion of the project in two weeks.
He recalled his promise to ensure equitable infrastructure provision across the state, adding that this was being followed religiously.
The social media was awash last week with pictures of the bad roads in Ogun State, with residents calling on the governor to embark on massive rehabilitation.
Abiodun recalled his promise to ensure equitable provision of infrastructure across the state, adding that his administration ensured that road construction was evenly spread across the 20 local government areas in the state.
“I have come here today to see things for myself. Two roads are considerably important to our people.
“First of all, the Denro-Ishashi-Akute road, I have given the contractor a marching order that the road must be completed in the next two weeks, asphalt and the bridge.
“I want to assure you all that it is your time now. It is your right. You voted for us. I am a promise-keeping governor. I will not make empty promises.
“Now, within the next two weeks, a maximum of three weeks, active construction will start on Alagbole-Ajuwon and Akute-Ajuwon roads,” he said.
Speaking further, the governor said, “Here, we’ve reconstructed Olusegun Osoba-Toyin Street, Denro-Ishashi-Akute is under construction. We have so many other roads we’ve constructed but because there is so much deficit in the infrastructural development in this area, at times, it appears as if we are not reconstructing them as fast as they want us to.
“The Primary Health Care Centre here, I will reconstruct it. I have told Hon. Fola Salami and the commissioner (health) to look for land for me here because I will build a new one for you. I want to build a new Primary Healthcare Centre befitting for Ajuwon-Alagbole-Akute.”
The governor said the deficit he met on assumption of office made him wonder what the previous administrations were doing on road construction.
He lamented why projects were abandoned after structures had been demolished and single-carriageways turned into dual-carriageways.
“When I assumed office on the 29th of May, 2019, the deficit that we met was such that we began to wonder what the previous administration was doing.
“In some instances, they appear to have good intentions, they go to the roads, they demolished houses, roads that should not be more than a single carriageway, they turned them into a dual carriageway. By so doing, they removed all the asphalt that was there serving the people and abandoned these roads.
“We inherited quite a lot of these roads. Some of those roads are federal roads, and you know our people cannot differentiate between federal and state. They will geo-locate their pains where and when they are feeling it,” he said.
The governor said his administration had to draw up a priority list, taking into consideration vehicular traffic and the economic impact of some of the roads it had embarked upon to date.
“Let me give you an example of the road that goes from Agbara-Atan-Lusada road. When I assumed office, trailers carrying containers were falling off on that road. That is the road that leads to the biggest industrial estate, not just in Nigeria but one of the biggest in Africa.
“It is a road that counts for hundreds of thousands of employees and employers. So, it is important for us in Ogun State. I had to prioritise it, although it is a federal road.
“So, we have to draw up a priority list and the priority list amongst others factored in the vehicular traffic, the economic impact.
“Ijebu-Ode-Epe road is a road that evacuates people from the Lekki corridor to the Eastern flank of Nigeria. That road was non-existent. I had to prioritise that road. Sagamu-Abeokuta Road, the road leading to the state capital, was not good. People were dying. I had to prioritise that road, another federal road, and so many other roads.
“Today, we can brag and say not only have we constructed 600 kilometres of highway or roads, inter-state, intra-state, inner-city roads, but, I beat my chest that there is no local government in Ogun State today that does not have at least one or two roads that we have reconstructed in the last five years and that is in line with being equitable and fair,” he said.
