Again, Osun Community Calls For Gov’t Intervention Over Life-Threatening Erosion

 

Kazeem Badmus

RESIDENTS of the Koju Foam area of Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun, have frowned at the effect of what they described as poor job carried out on the drainage connecting the community to the Osogbo-Ikirun road.

According to the residents, the erosion coming from the drainage to the community is life-threatening.

Members of the community had through a Non-Governmental Organisation, Urban Alert, requested the State Ministry of Works and Transport and Ministry of Environment to come to their aid and direct the contractor to rehabilitate the drainage.

They complained that the contractor, in executing the contract for the Osogbo-Ikirun road, did not properly construct the drainage; thereby diverting erosion to their community from the road.

They also claimed that officials from the Ministry of Works had paid multiple visits to the community, with none translating to any meaningful step.

But the ministry, in a letter addressed to the State Coordinator, Urban Alert, said efforts were in top gear at resolving the issue as soon as the finances of the government improve.

The letter, which was signed by Engr. L.O. Onilearo, for the Coordinating Director, reads in part: “I am directed to refer to your letter dated 24th May, 2021 on the above subject and to inform you that the Ministry is not unaware of the problem being faced by the KojuFoam Community and efforts are in top gear at resolving the issue as soon as the finances of the government improve.

“I am to inform you that the Ministry Engineers had visited the community more than three times to proffer solutions to the issue of flooding. This is to show that the government is not abandoning the community with their problems.

“I am further directed to inform you that the Ministry frowns at substandard work and will not even allow any substandard work from any contractor. If the work was poorly constructed, it would have been washed away since, but if you are talking about inadequate capacity of the drains provided, that is understandable, please.”

Reacting to the letter, the Associate Programme Officer of Urban Alert, Mr. Oluwatobi Ayodele, said the Ministry’s claim that the road was in no way built below standard had been proven wrong by the collapsed drains that can be visibly seen.

Ayodele said: “The Ministry’s claim that the road was in no way built below standard has been proven wrong by the collapsed drains that can be visibly seen to have been constructed below average and its effect on the Koju Foam Access Road that has remained impassable by residents. Hence, we stand by the fact that the job was poorly done”. 

“Unfortunately, the Osun State Ministry of Works could not assure residents of Koju Foam Community of when the life-threatening situation will be dealt with, despite the media reports that affirmed that the state had received a refund on the Osogbo-Ikirun-Kwara Boundary Road Project that led to this problem.