Ogbomoso cratered road: Stranded northern traders sell livestock, perishable goods at rock bottom prices
Yinka ADETUNJI
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Trapped by bad Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso-Ilorin federal road within Ogbomoso metropolis, northern traders have resorted to selling off their perishable goods at ridiculously low prices to avert total losses, ogbomosoinsightonline.com has learnt.
“Livestock like goat, sheep and even cattle as well as other perishable goods like pepper, tomato etc are being disposed off by traders transporting them from the northern part of the country at reduced prices to residents of Ogbomoso,” a man, Mr. Adebowale Akindele, who disclosed he purchased goat at a very low price from a stranded truck conveying livestock down south, said.
He added, “Many others are taking advantage of the situation. The animals may be affected by stress, lack of food and water due to the unnecessary delay caused by the gridlock resulting from the Ogbomoso damaged road. Instead of losing the animals the Hausa traders resort to slashing their prices to attract buyers.”
The need to salvage whatever can be has led to this. “A big he-goat whose market price ranges from N35, 000 to N40, 000, is sold for as low as N10, 000 and so on,” it’s learnt.
A northern trader, who gave his name as Abdulahi from Sokoto, speaking to Ogbomoso Insight in Hausa, lamented, “We have to be selling the animals at so low prices because they are distressed. The long travelling and the unexpected hold up in Ogbomoso cause heavy strain on the animals making them to be dying so we have to dispose some of them off.”
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The trunk A road within Ogbomoso metropolis has become so degraded that travelling through it has become a herculean task for all categories of vehicles leading to unbearable traffic holdup with articulated vehicles stretching as long as 65km on either sides.
What could have been the alternative route, the new expressway between Ibadan and Ilorin whose construction started in 2001 is ridiculously still uncompleted though less than 10 kilometers to finish the project. A diversion to the newly completed Ogbomoso – Iseyin road undertaken by the Oyo state government has also been aborted with the order of the state government for fear the new road could be damaged as its specification cannot bear the weight of such heavy duty trucks.
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This is as the other intracity roads that could be taken to bypass the seriously damaged 500m Bowen University Teaching Hospital – Caretaker section of the road and the Apake section, are blocked off by residents to protect them from deterioration. “About three years ago a similar thing happened when these heavy duty trucks took the township roads to avoid these damaged portions on the trunk A road, which resulted in severe damage to the intracity roads. They are still un-rehabilitated; in spite of several appeals to FERMA; they have left the city poorer,” a resident, Kayode Owolabi, threw light on the stern resistance against using the roads by the inhabitants.
“There is only one solution,” Mr. Owolabi posited, “Let them rehabilitate urgently the less than 500m damaged stretch of the road in the city and other bad portions between Ogbomoso and Oyo. Then, let the 5kilometers remaining on the new expressway incidentally also within the Ogbomoso axis be completed. This will put the nightmare behind us.”
