Gov Makinde, please, include the 4km Idi-Araba - Ayede Road

Gov Makinde, please, include the 4km Idi-Araba – Ayede Road

Ben GEORGE

I applaud His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde over his approval of twenty-two inner roads in Ogbomoso, Oyo state. Though we have suffered bad roads for long, but like they say, it’s better late than never. The passion demonstrated by the governor while unveiling the projects gave us assurance the promise would be actualized. We are not oblivious to the fact that such intracity roads should have been executed by local governments but yes the world is changing.

Meanwhile, it is unsettling that only Ogbomoso North and South are beneficiaries in the zone, the three other local governments are not captured. This is bad. These are the areas foods are produced, and good road networks would ensure foods are supplied promptly and at reduced prices. Neglecting them is unbecoming. Thus, we urge Your Excellency to take a look at this, even if it is ten-ten kilometre roads in each of the three other local governments. There are vital roads there as well. We don’t want Your Excellency to etch an unenviable record of spending eight years in office without rehabilitating or constructing any rural roads in these local governments, it will be unsavoury. And when we consider that these councils also contribute financially to the Oyo state’s pool of wealth through their Federal allocations then it is regrettable.

I thus appeal to you, our governor, to allocate road projects to these council areas too so they can also claim to have enjoyed the good of democracy during your tenure.

More particularly, the construction of the four-kilometre Idi-Araba – Ayede road is very crucial. Ayede is now a polytechnic town hosting a federal polytechnic. It currently uses a temporary site at Iresapa in another local government – Surulere. Interestingly however, the permanent site has witnessed appreciable construction of buildings and structures, adequate for use and take off of activities at the site. However, lack of good access road to the location has been preventing the relocation. Several roads lead to Ayede but all are in bad condition. Idi-Araba – Ayede Road is likely most direct and safest route from Ogbomoso and from the temporary site. And it is about four kilometres, and a state road. Likewise, there is a direct route from Ajaawa, the headquarters of Ogo-Oluwa local government, this should also be constructed.

If this opportunity slips, movement to the permanent site will be stalled and delayed unnecessarily because we don’t know when road infrastructure from the state government will come the way of Ogbomoso zone again. We appeal to Your Excellency to address this, particularly if other rural roads will not be. Doing this, you would have written a good history.

Relocation to the permanent site will open up Ogo-Oluwa local government area in all ramifications and will stimulate economic growth and development. Facilities are becoming inadequate at the temporary site, thus, the time to relocate is now.

Let it happen in your time Your Excellency.

George is a communist with The Insight newspaper and ogbomosoinsightonline.com.