Little by little, damaged portions disappear, as contractor completes fixing of road at Caretaker, other areas
Femi OGUNLANA
Three years ago most of the trunk A road that connects the southwest Nigeria to the north through Ogbomoso, was in a state of disrepair; huge craters at many portions within the metropolis made the important road a nightmare to drive on.
At places like Isale-General, Sabo, Apake/Ori-Oke, Oju Odo Apake, Takie, Bowen, Seminary, Caretaker, Olopemarun and Idioro, the dilapidation was very visible, provoking people to yearn for governments’ intervention.
This is because, the potholes nay craters, made vehicles especially articulated vehicles, very prone to accidents most times inflicting catastrophic consequences on smaller vehicles, motorcycles and pedestrians, like the gory one that happened last Sunday at NTA area when a container fell off a trailer on a commercial bus due to the uneveness that characterizes the road leaving some people dead and several injured.
But thank God today, the road is wearing a new look as these damaged portions are being rehabilitated.
In fact, almost all the damaged portions within the metropolis have been fixed making people to be heaving sigh of relief even though those earlier executed have started to show evidence of strains implying their degradation had started again.
However, the latest to be completed are those of Caretaker, Olopemarun and Idioro areas and the development has become a thing of joy to the people.
So bad was the condition of the road that last year a leading youth group Ogbomoso Community Youth Forum (OCYF) mobilized people in the community to undertake repair of the road’s damaged portions which soon caved in again as the craters were only filled with stones and laterites.
“We appreciate the federal government and whoever influenced it for the effort,” a resident, Kehinde Kolapo, said.
“It used to be hellish driving through the areas mentioned because of the poor conditions of the road in the areas but thank God the condition has improved through government’s interventions,” Mr. Kolapo added.
Governor Seyi Makinde first directed the Oju Odo Apake to Apake/Ori-Oke Baptist Church to be rehabilitated. This was expressly executed.
But hardly had work completed on this when the federal government rolled in equipment too to effect expansion, put drainage and re-lay the road with asphalt.
The length covered by the federal government was also extended as Ojatuntun junction-Sabo-LAUTECH Teaching Hospital-Isale General stretch was captured.
“It’s commendable, we were relieved,” a commercial cab operator Jamiu Akanni remarked, while also speaking with ogbomosoinsightonline.com.
Rev’d Peter Olaleye, president of OCYF, additionally stated, “We commend the federal government for the interventions and also the state government, which kickstarted the process.
“When the Caretaker, Olopemarun and Idioro ends became unbearable, we did the little we could as an organization to effect repair of the damaged areas through communal efforts.
“I want to recall that while doing this some unscrupulous, brutish soldiers descended on us, ranting we were responsible for the resulting gridlock even though we were trying to permanently remove gridlocks by fixing damaged portions of the road.
“I was a victim of their brutality too but thank God people’s sacrifices have yielded fruits.
“We now call on government to improve on our culture of maintenance by promptly fixing damaged portions.
“Early this year, the Bowen – Seminary stretch was repaired but l want to tell you some of the portions have started caving in again. May God deliver us from this menace, whether to heap the blame on contractors for shoddy execution or the peculiar nature of our soil.
“Go to the front of Antioch Baptist Church and Seminary, potholes have started emerging. May this not be the beginning of another cycle of nightmarish dilapidation and long unheeded rehabilitation. But this can be averted if the damages are regularly attended to.
“OCYF thus wants to call on FERMA or whoever to attend to this in time,” Rev’d Olaleye said.
