Ogbomoso – Oyo road: Traffic gridlock eases as transport workers fill craters on road with hard cores
Jeremiah OYELEKE
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Traffic situation on the major trunk road in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, that links the southwestern and northern parts of the country, began to improve Wednesday as commercial drivers under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Park Manager System (PMS) leaders in the city began to patch the badly damaged portions with hard cores (large stones) and other materials.
The road has become a national embarrassment with its persistent bad condition which made it deplorably unmotorable and causing incessant falling of articulated vehicles otherwise known as trailers. This deplorable condition of the road has ensured that in recent times these trailers spend up to four days held up within the city.
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The many calls by indigenes to both the Oyo state and federal governments for its urgent repairs have regrettably gone unheeded thus people began to look inward for solutions.
“We embarked on this repair project when we discovered the traffic gridlock has become excessive and unbearable. Trailers line the road stretching to Oyo town and they are now diverting into the township roads, damaging those roads too, we also discovered not less than 3 vehicles had fallen here in the last two weeks which claimed several precious lives, so the park managers invited us to carry out the repairs together that we can’t be looking while the town is thrown into chaos,” Comrade Atilade Ajala, a leader of NARTO told ogbomosoinsightonline.com at a repair site at Emaayo/Seminary area, where a heavy duty vehicle fell last week killing four persons and injuring several others.
Continuing, “Baba Shallow” as he is popularly called, said, “So, we started contributing to get the materials – gravel, stone base and others needed for the repairs. And we paid people to set the stones. Nothing less than 8 people have lost their lives at that particular location, we can’t continue waiting for government while we suffer. “
He added that they heard a delegation of the Senate would do an on-spot assessment but faulted the date fixed for the exercise noting a lot of damage could occur before then. “We heard some delegation would come from Abuja next month to assess the damage but we can’t wait any longer, what do we know will happen tomorrow! That is why we tasked ourselves.”
Baba Shallow regretted roads in southwest part of the country are in such deplorable state lamenting a road started over twenty years ago is uncompleted but government recently awarded the multi-billion naira Lagos – Calabar road.
“It is unfortunate Yorubaland suffers bad roads as this one. They just neglect us, things like these can’t be happening elsewhere, this road is neglected, unattended to despite several appeals. Can you imagine they recently approved the construction of Lagos – Calabar road. Look at the Ibadan – Oyo – Ogbomoso – Ilorin expressway started over 20 years ago, it is uncompleted, the contractor has abandoned site again. We appeal to government complete the new Ibadan – Ilorin expressway and repair the old one.”
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He noted their effort has started yielding result, “There is freer flow of traffic now,” while castigating politicians representing the constituency for their “ineptitude and non-chalant attitude.” He stressed, “They are not effective, they are not representing us well. How can they be talking of fixing date for assessment of the damage on the road and after that they will be talking of repair, for how long shall will be waiting? Things will go worse.”
He asserted the road is of economic value not only to Nigeria but the whole of West Africa. “This road is very important to the economic well-being of Nigeria and in fact the whole of West Africa. It’s a road used to connect many West African countries – Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and so on, it is used by many categories of people to boost trade and aid human movement. It is a road that should not be left in such deplorable condition,” Comrade Ajala noted, while informing their repair effort will cover other damaged portions at Bowen University Teaching Hospital/Antioch Baptist Church area and the express interchange at Isale-General.
