Ogbomoso-Oyo highway: ‘This is impressive,’ residents hail contractor as construction takes off excitingly (PHOTOS)
Jeremiah OYELEKE
Advertisement
“This is impressive, it is exciting,” that is how residents at the site of the construction of the new Ogbomoso-Oyo highway described their feeling as work commences at the Federal Government College/NTA end of the road.
Mr. Olugbemiga Siyanbade a.k.a. Turaka, who lives in the Washingtonia area, beyond Olomi, disclosed work fully began Monday, expressed joy and prayed the government would not starve the contractors of funds.
Mr. Siyanbade said Ogbomoso and travellers generally had suffered for long because of the non-completion of the road just as he disclosed residents of the area will now be saved from criminals like ritualists, armed robbers and so on who had turned the thick forests growing on the road section into dens of crimes. Fulani herdsmen also converted the areas into camps and they insisted the areas belong to the federal government and we could not drive them away, making the area infested with tsetse flies.
“We are happy for this development. The road has fully taken off and we beg the federal government not to starve the company of funds so it can be completed in earnest. It started in 2001, So, I urge our people to cooperate with the workers handling the project.”
Similarly, Mr. Peter Olaleye, a.k.a. Omo to Lokan, reflected the joy of the people when he remarked, “If they continue at this rate they will soon finish the construction, the equipment they brought are exceptional. Owners of houses marked for demolition but who had thought the road would not be completed despite being paid compensations are now swiftly evacuating whatever could be salvaged, so, we thank government,” as he corroborated the incidence of men of the underworld hibernating and committing “ritual killings, and other atrocious activities in the bushes that took over the road.”
The federal government recently re-awarded the contract for the remaining 7km of the road to JRB Construction Company Ltd at the cost of N147.98b after it terminated the contract of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) previously handling the project. The project falls within the Ogbomoso-Oyo section of the Ibadan-Ilorin new highway project. While the Ogbomoso-Ilorin and Oyo-Ibadan sections had long been completed and opened for use, that of the Ogbomoso-Oyo had dragged on, until the recent commitment by the federal government. Incidentally, the road remains only about seven kilometers, whihc falls within the Ogbomoso metropolis/axis i.e. Arinkinkin to NTA areas. Bridges over streams/rivers, underpasses, overhead bridges, interchanges etc will be part of what will be constructed. Also, pockets of uncompleted portions beyond this axis will also be attended to.
Advertisement
If completed, it will be a big relief as the old road has claimed many lives through several fatal accidents, and leaving thousands of maimed victims, largely because of the swarms of articulated vehicles that ply the road regularly and because of its many sharp bends and its bad condition. It will also reduce traffic within the present Ogbomoso city centre as many of these trailers in transit will now drive through the new highway with its advantage of two lanes.
ogbomosoinsightonline.com also visited the Arinkinkin end and JRB equipment are sighted there working on the project too.
“Kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and incumbent Minister of Works David Umahi, for this project,” another resident, Mr. Kehinde Adeleke, enthused, as he however charged the contractor on executing a quality job, “Let them give us a durable road that will stand the test of time, they should factor in the number of heavy trailers often ladened with heavy loads plying the road. It will be disastrous if the road starts to cave in or fail after construction, let them have the fear of God o.”
