The Oyo State government, under Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, claims to have provided motorable roads for the people of the state. Femi Olukunle and Dapo Falade travelled to the nooks and crannies of the state to authenticate the claim. This is their report.

GOVERNANCE is an act that is very important for the development of human society. It is a phenomenon that regulates human behaviour in order to maintain orderliness, fairness and equity. This is why it is very vital that those who pilot government at any level should make service delivery their guiding principle.

There are various types of methods by which people are governed, but the one that seems to enjoy the pleasure of the citizens of the world is democracy, which allows the people being governed to be part of government through representation. It is in democracy that the people can query those who govern them and since those in government are aware of this, they too strive to deliver good governance through what has been known as the delivery of the dividends of democracy.

Politics is a game of wit especially in Nigeria, where the opponents do not give fair assessment of the activities of government. It is, therefore, incumbent on a government that is worth its salt to showcase all it has done for the people with the people’s resources that is put under its care, in order to assure them that the confidence reposed in those voted for to govern them is justified.

The administration of the Oyo State government of Nigeria under the leadership of Governor Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala is aware that the political power is with the people and that the government is accountable to them. Since the people are being fed with conflicting accounts of government activities, the administration decided to invite an independent arbiter to assess its activities in order to justify or debunk its claims that it has, within its over three years in the saddle, delivered dividends of democracy to the people.

Nigerian Tribune was among the select media that the government invited to visit the various sites where it has executed development projects in all the geopolitical zones of the state. The first projects to be inspected were roads.

Prior to the coming of the Alao-Akala administration in Oyo State, the state’s motorways were embellished with dangerous potholes which made motoring an herculean task. The story is better told by the drivers and the commuters who daily travelled on the bad roads.

Mrs Sidikatu Hameed, a yam tuber merchant, told the Nigerian Tribune that, “travelling on Eruwa/Ibadan road was hellish. Many of my colleagues lost their goods to road accidents that also got them maimed while some even lost their lives. Aside from the accidents, some of us were attacked by armed robbers who cashed on the bad condition of the road to attack us.

“But we thank the government of Alao-Akala that remembered us. We are happy that he helped us to rehabilitate the roads,” she said. Chief Ezekiel Ojebisi is the Baale Agbe (the coordinator of farmers) in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State. He told the Nigerian Tribune that, “former administrations in the state tried their best for us but we never had it so good as it is now under the Alao-Akala administration. Our roads in the past were in terrible state of disrepair which made us to pay exorbitant fares to drivers before they would help us transport our products from the farm to the urban centres where we sold them. This robbed us of the good profits we would have made from the sweat of our labour.”

Aside from this, the Baale Agbe also corroborated the claim of Mrs Hameed that the bad state of the road made hoodlums to have unchallenged effrontery to attack the traders who were transporting farm produce to the cities. “But we thank Akala for helping us to rehabilitate the road. He has done so well for us and we promise not to disappoint him,” he concluded.

Mr Sunday Ojediran, the chairman of Eruwa motor park was full of praises to God, “for giving us governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, because we had been praying to Him to give us a responsive and responsible governor who would help us to repair the road.

“When Alao-Akala became the governor, we called on him, as we did to his predecessors in office, to have mercy on us for the road to be rehabilitated, and from Eleyele down to Eruwa, the governor reconstructed the road.”

Mr Ojediran informed that vehicle owners and drivers in the area had incurred losses because the road before its rehabilitation had caused a lot of damages to their vehicles. “Then, we lost money to frequent repairs and even men of the underworld had a field day as they usually stayed at bad portions of the road to rob motorists of their valuables. In fact, what we lost then in terms of money and life cannot be quantified.”

He expressed gratitude to Governor Alao-Akala for the rehabilitation of the road, saying, “it was a terribly bad situation for about seven years but now, our economic activities, particularly transportation business have improved since last year when the road was done.”

Aside from this, Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala mandated each of the 33 local government areas in the state to construct five-kilometre road in its domain in order to give a boost to the economic activities of each local government area through good motorways. The Otun Olu of Igboora, Chief Gabriel Onilado, while speaking on the road project in the Ibarapa Central Local Government area said, “the road has been constructed in our community. The administration of Honourable Ademola Ojo did a good job, starting the road from Apata Adeyanju and terminating it at Iresa Osi at Oke Oyinbo. The road is motorable and people are enjoying it.

“We the people of Igboora thank Governor Alao-Akala for remembering us. The government is doing well and I call on every sons and daughters of this area to support the governor and his government  because it is by so doing that we can attract more development to our community.”

The Onidere of Idereland, Oba Kingsley Oyekola, JP, could not hide his joy when he received the Nigerian Tribune in his palace after the inspection of the once dreaded Ofiki river which was crossed only by a deadly narrow bridge. The bridge had earned itself the alias “Ofiki domo nu teru teru” meaning  Ofiki, the bridge that upturns those who travel on it along with their luggage into the dreaded Ofiki river, for a long time, due to the frequent motor accidents that occurred there and which always claimed lives and property, has now given way to a new, modern and very wide bridge, courtesy of the government of Adebayo Alao-Akala administration.

Expressing his joy, the Onidere of Idereland told the Nigerian Tribune that, “before the advent of this administration, we had tabled the problem of the Ofiki bridge before successive administrations in the state. Akala’s government is the fourth that had received our complaint on the dreaded bridge. We are very happy in this community for what the government has done for us.

“Our fathers, since 1958, through communal efforts, tried to rehabilitate the bridge but their feeble financial strength could not pilot the project to a good success. Now, Alao-Akala has done what Napoleon could not do; this shows that for once, we have a listening government in Oyo State that is masses-oriented, whose concern is to spread the dividends of democracy to all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Oba Oyekola described his community as an orphan in Oyo State because, “ we don’t have anybody in government at local, state or federal level like some other communities that have commissioners, board members, ministers, lawmakers, etc. But the government looked upon us with pity and helped us. God has chosen him to take care of us and we thank him”.

The monarch, who disclosed that the bridge links about 85 villages, as well as Oyo State to Benin Republic, said that it would give respite to farmers while transporting their produce to urban centres, consequently giving a boost to the economy of the area in particular and Oyo State in general.

“If Akala could do this now, I believe that he will do much more when he comes back. My prayer is that God should spare our lives. We should allow his works to speak for him,” he averred.

A community leader in Alaga  in Itesiwaju Local  Government Area of Oyo State, Elder Elijah Oluwayemi, told the Nigerian Tribune that the community had suffered untold hardship through bad roads. “We have suffered a lot of neglect in this area, and no government had cared to listene to our plea for help since the beginning of the present civilian administration in 1999.

“But the Alao-Akala administration came to our rescue and gave us a smooth and motorable road. This road, before now, was a haven for robbers due to its bad state; but now, it has been done, motorists have been enjoying a smooth ride. We appreciate all the government has done for us in Oke-Ogun here as we had been neglected by successive administrations in Oyo State until God sent Alao-Akala to us. My prayer is that God will continue to bless and give him the wisdom to govern the state and do more for us.

“He has fulfilled his promise by giving us good roads in Oke-Ogun, we too are praying to God to give him another term to rule us, so that we can enjoy him more. In fact, we are hopeful about it. Our prayer is that God should spare our lives till then.”

Raji Oyeleke, another community leader in Alalga, joined elder Oluwayemi in offering prayers to God to grant Governor Alao-Akala victory at the polls in 2011, “so that he will attend to other needs that we have in this community.”

Chief Ashafa Idowu is the Baale (traditional head) of Baasi community. While speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, he said that Governor Alao-Akala had done wonders for the people of the community.

“Travelling on this Alaga\Ipapo road used to be traumatic, but this man has fixed the road for us, among other things. For doing this for us, we too will surely not disappoint him,” he concluded.

Aside from the rural roads that have received the attention of the Alao-Akala administration, having been neglected for years, the urban centres in the state have also had their share of attention in terms of road construction.

Ibadan, the state capital, and other major cities like Ogbomoso, Oyo, and others have had most of their township roads rehabilitated courtesy of the state government and the assistance given to the local governments. However, worthy of mention is the dualisation of Molete\Mokola road with street lights that embellishes the long stretch of road at night. And also the New Garrage\Apata dualised road, whose phase one has been completed.

The two roads were inaugurated by president Goodluck Jonathan to mark the 60th birthday of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Speaking on the importance of the road, a landlord at Agara area of the new New Garrage\Apata road, Pastor Adedeji, told the Nigerian Tribune that the road has opened up the area to rapid development. “Before the road was constructed, a plot of land was sold at between N300,000 and N450,000, but now, it goes for a million plus. This is what development of infrastructure can do,” he said.

He expressed the joy that the area, which was like a village, is witnessing an influx of people who are busy erecting structures such as residential buildings, filling stations, churches and mosques, as well as small scale industries.

Mr Ranti Adesola, a textile merchant in Dugbe, thanked Governor Alao-Akala for dualising the Molete\Mokola road, stating that the Dugbe portion of the road was rowdy before as there was always traffic jam while the drivers, traders and passers-by struggled for their fair share of whatever space was left by the careless commercial drivers who parked their vehicles anyhow, and the traders who displayed their goods without consideration for others. All of this, he said, had gone into oblivion, and he thanked the governor for giving the city of Ibadan a face lift.

Comments (3)

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written by Remi Olateju (New York), August 31, 2010

If Alao-Akala is embarking in the developments of both rural and urban areas of oyo states, give him compliments ,if he does not throw him out
Remi Olateju. (new york)

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written by philipsjnr, August 31, 2010

So disturbed that the press is now a tool in the hands of politicians. Upon complete breakdown of all sectors from education, health, security down to the economy that is obvious to the blind, the nIgerian tribune could write this.

What a shame!

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SHAME ON TRIBUNE
written by Olisa, September 05, 2010

it is now very apparent that Nigerian Tribune is now a pro-akala social movement group. How much did dis useless governor (akala) dole out to Nigerian tribune in other to insult the sensibilities of 150million Nigerians. No apologies to be rendered by me for calling him useless, because that is what he is.Firstly, kudos to Nigerian Tribune (Funmi Olukunle & Dapo Falade) for churning out a watery substance in the name of reporting. I doubt if this was ever edited by a professional editor. From their report, the intellectual know how of people granted interview falls into the cadre of those who knows nothing about road construction. (Yam seller, taxi driver, baale, trader & the likes). This is the 21st century my people, the jet age, as such, precinct knowledge is critical. Probably, that the reason why Oyo state, with ibadan as the oldest city has remained the same for decades. when illiterates cum ex-police officer can vie for lofty and exalted positions when elitist abound in great numbers in Oyo State. What does a yam seller know about genuine road construction? why would a professional reporter in this time & age give credence to loose talks from yam sellers 7 taxi drivers? are there no professionals in the academic environment that they would have interviewed to corroborate akala's story? or is University of Ibadan, The poltechnic Ibadan, I.A.R.& T, U.C.H where professionals abound, situated outside Ibadan or outside oyo state? okay, if they were too scared to pay these erudites a visit in other to coirroborate their findings, why not beckon on the Society of Nigerian Enginneers, Standard Organization of Nigeria to determine the quality of these roads in other to ascertain if the above roads will stand d test of time. But, no they wont do that. We all know how broadcasting (print & media) operate these days. They are styled , sponsored and maintained by looted public officers funds, as such, their reportings, which are never incisive, informative and professional are always skewed to suit political officers needs, in other to get more patronage form these office holders. Shame on falade & Olukunle, for toeing these path of dishonour. But, come to think of it, are they to be blamed? No. It is just a Nigerian thing. Nigerian tribune has to survive, and how do they go about surviving? form looted funds. its as simple as A B C.

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