ABEOKUTA – Residents of 16 communities under the Ilupeju Bode Olude, Bode Olude, Abusi Edumare and Harmony Community Development Councils (CDCs) in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State have appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, to urgently intervene in the rehabilitation of their deplorable roads.
The residents said the poor condition of the roads had made movement difficult, increased transportation costs and negatively affected economic activities, particularly farming and the movement of agricultural produce.
Speaking on the situation, a former CDC Chairman in Bode-Olude, Mogaji Ayoola Taiwo, described the condition of the road as extremely bad and appealed to the government to come to the aid of the affected communities.
According to him, although the state government has done a lot of good work in the areas, the road has remained in a deplorable state for many years despite repeated appeals and promises of rehabilitation by successive administrations.
He said “We are clamouring for our road because it is highly, highly bad. We will appreciate it very much if the government can come to our aid and rehabilitate the road for us,” Taiwo said.
“The road connects almost 17 Community Development Associations and Community Development Councils. We have communities such as Olode Central, Harmony CDC and several others, and we are all connected by this road.
“The road has been in this condition for many years. Even when the former governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, promised that the road would be rehabilitated, unfortunately, nothing was done,” Taiwo said.
He added that the communities had also approached the present administration and written several letters to relevant government ministries, but their requests had yet to yield the desired result.
Taiwo therefore appealed to Senator Yayi, who represents Ogun West Senatorial District, to intervene and help draw the attention of the appropriate authorities to the condition of the road.
“We also appealed to the present administration under Governor Dapo Abiodun and wrote several letters to the relevant ministries, but nothing has been done so far.
“We are now appealing to our Senator representing Ogun West, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, to come to our aid. We have seen many interventions he has carried out in different communities, CDAs and CDCs, and we are appealing to him to extend such intervention to our community and help us rehabilitate this road.”
The former CDC chairman said the poor road had affected virtually every aspect of life in the communities, particularly transportation and economic activities.
Taiwo also lamented the sharp increase in transportation fares, saying residents were now paying significantly more for journeys that would ordinarily cost much less.
He said residents had been forced to rely mainly on solar power and generators, but noted that the cost of alternative power sources was beyond the reach of many households.
“Transport fares have also increased drastically. What should ordinarily cost about N300 can now cost as much as N3,000 because of the condition of the road,” he said.
Beyond the road problem, Taiwo raised concerns over the poor electricity supply in the communities, saying residents had been without electricity for almost three months.
“We are also facing a serious electricity problem. As I am speaking to you, we have been without electricity for almost three months,” he said.
“We now depend mainly on solar power and generators. But how many people can afford to spend about N2 million to install a solar power system? Many residents cannot afford it,” Taiwo said.
He added that the high cost of petrol had further compounded the hardship being experienced by residents who depend on generators for electricity.
Taiwo urged the government at all levels to pay urgent attention to the plight of the affected communities, stressing that the residents deserved access to basic infrastructure.
“We are citizens of this country, and we deserve government attention.
“We are appealing to the relevant authorities, particularly our senator, Senator Yayi, to come to our aid and help us address these challenges.” Taiwo said.
