Residents Kick As Road Becomes Death Trap In Osogbo

 

Yusuf Oketola

RESIDENTS of Adetona Street, opposite State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo, has expressed their dissatisfaction over the deplorable state of their road.

The residents accused the state government of several fake promises, saying that successive administrations have refused to attend to the road.

The road which serve as an alternative route for those linking the state hospital from Isale-Osun, Oja-Oba and Sango-Orioke is now in a awful condition.

According to the residents of the area, the road is now a death trap for motorists and motorcyclists plying it, saying that there have been couples of accidents which resulted to loss of lives on the road. 

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that an elderly man fell of the commercial motorcycle conveying him on the road sometimes in November last year and died this year due to the injuries he sustained from the accident.

Economic activities in the area has also paralyzed as many business owners have been forced to close their shops and pursue economic prospect elsewhere due to low patronage.

OSUN DEFENDER visited the area on Wednesday to find out the condition of the road and speak with residents of the area. 

The medium noted that the road has gone bad beyond spot-patching and needs reconstruction.

According to some of the residents of the area who spoke with the medium, the road was constructed during the old Oyo state, adding that no government in Osun has ever rehabilitated it till now. 

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola had visited the road on multiple occasions to inspect levels of damage and promised to reconstruct it.

It was learnt that the Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Hon. Lekan Badmus, also visited the community with a promise that the government would rehabilitate it.

Speaking with the medium, Mr Afeez Hamzah, a resident of the area, said the community has resorted into self-help as successive governments have refused to fulfill all promises made in reconstructing the road.

Hamzah noted that the poor condition of the road may lead to flooding in the area as the raining season approaches.

He said: “Governor Oyetola had visited this road on different occasions to inspect the level of damage and he promised to reconstruct it.  

“Recently, we learnt that a bulldozer was working on a street close to ours and we were hoping that the bulldozer will get to our street but we did not see anything.

“Government official were here four months ago. We also heard that our road was among those approved to be repaired by governor Oyetola but we are not sure of anything until it happens.  We have also made effort to make the road accessible for residents and passerby by filling it with laterite on different occasion. 

“The raining season is around the corner; the road will get worse and it may lead to flooding in this area. The poor condition of the road has also affected business activities in the area. We can only pray the state government remembers us and do the needful”. 

Another resident of the area, Mr Muideen Azeez, accused the Oyetola’s administration of playing politics with the road. 

He said: “The state government has promised us on several occasions that this road will be repaired but nothing has been done till now. Recently, the community had to contribute money and get laterite to fill some portions on the road since the state government is not making any effort to repair it. 

“There is nothing we can do other than to beg the state government to come and rehabilitate the road. This current administration has even been using the reconstruction of this road as a campaign strategy. We can say the government is only deceiving us with fake promises.

“It is now difficult for people to come into their homes because of the condition of the road. Economic activities of the community have also collapsed. Many have locked up their shops because of low patronage. We artisans are also experiencing low patronage. Nobody wants to bring his or her vehicle for repair here again.

“There is nothing we can do, we can’t fight the government. We can only appeal to them to repair the road”.