SAM NWAOKO writes on the plight of residents of parts of Ekiti State capital and their failed efforts to get government attention.

Residents of parts of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have had causes to raise their voices over the needs of their communities not met by both the state government and the Ado Ekiti Local Government. The cause of their agitation is mainly what they see as the inadequacy of facilities and amenities in their areas including perceived insensitivity of the relevant authorities to their demands.

For instance, on December 12 last year, the youths of 132KVA - Omisanjana Road area of Ado Ekiti barricaded the road and caused a major breach, over what they said was the neglect of the road by the Ekiti State government as well as the Ado Ekiti council.

As early as 6a.m on that Monday, the youths blocked the road with logs and stood in groups, preventing school children and other residents of the community from moving in or out of the street for about three hours.

The angry residents had taken the step following what they claimed was “the indecision of the government on the road and its neglect.” They claimed that the state government under Dr. Kayode Fayemi awarded the road to contractors in November 2010 shortly after it assumed office and wondered why it had remained far from being completed over a year after.

According to some of the residents, their anger stemmed from what they said was “the frequent changing of the contractors handling the road,” saying this had delayed its completion  and created hardship for residents.

A landlord in the area, who wants to remain anonymous, said “in November 2010, a contractor moved in and started work. Since then, the road had been uncompleted and there are no signs of completion in the near future because of the pace of work and frequent changing of the contractors.”

He claimed that “heavy dust has been afflicting the residents of the community and accidents are now a frequent occurrence due to poor vision on the part of vehicle operators on the road,” adding that “motorcycles and other vehicles now dread to come to the area following the condition of the road.” The landlord said further that: “we are also at the risk of ailments such as catarrh and asthma because of the enormity of the dust.”

The angry landlord tried to justify the early morning disruption of life in the area of the state capital when he said “the protest was consequent upon the okada and car accidents, as well as the health risks the residents faced.”

He said despite the fact that “they blocked the road at about 6a.m and remained there for about four to five hours,” no officials of the company currently working on the road came, or state government officials visited the place?

He contended that despite the fact that the young people blocked the road and stood there, thereby disrupting peoples’ activities, “the protest was peaceful “and did not warrant the deployment of policemen.”

About two months before the protest in 32KVA area of Omisanjana in Ado Ekiti, residents of Olorunsogo Quarters of Opopogboro area of Ado Ekiti had written a letter to the Ado Ekiti Local Government authorities, in which they lamented the lack of basic infrastructure in their community.

In the letter, written in October last year,  they listed amenities that they said were non-existent in the area. These include motorable road, electricity, water and a health centre, among others.

Their spokesperson, Mr. Amos Ariyo, said following the neglect of the area, the residents of the community would not welcome political parties and campaigners in the coming local government elections in the state to the area which they claimed had not seen any sign of government’s presence. He said politicians should not bother to come to their community to campaign for votes in the local government elections scheduled to hold in Ekiti State on January 21.

The residents did not stage a street protest, but they lamented in their letter that since Ado Ekiti Local Government and the state government had abandoned them to their fate and allegedly refused to look into their several requests for the repair of the collapsed bridge in their community and the link road, they would not be willing to receive any team of politicians that would come to campaign in the area.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, General Chairman of Olorunsogo Landlords and Tenants Association, Mr. Amos Ariyo, lamented that the bridge that links their community to other parts of Ado Ekiti was washed away during the rains, saying the residents had written several letters to relevant government organs for help to no avail. According to Ariyo, the road to Olorunsogo is “so bad that we can’t drive home and so, we often don’t take our cars home.”

Ariyo said the association had written to the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe; the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; immediate past chairman of Ado Ekiti Local Government Area and the candidate of the ACN in the coming local government elections in the state, Mr. Sunday Ibitoye and the general manager of the state electricity board as well as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He said members of the community resorted to self help and had contributed money with which they bought all necessary materials needed to build another bridge.

“When the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adejugbe, saw how much we had been able to do on our own, he donated N50,000 during our community development launch to support us,”  Ariyo stated. He, however, alleged that Ibitoye, the candidate of the ACN in the council election, reneged on his earlier promise to support them.

In the letter addressed to Governor Fayemi, dated October 17, 2011, signed by Ariyo and General Secretary of the landlords and tenants association of the community, Mr. S.Y. Anjorin, entitled: “Request for Government Presence in Olorunsogo Community,” the association listed the construction of a bridge, provision of transformer, drainage and grading of roads as their major challenges.

The landlords, however, did not say if they had taken steps to see how much the Ekiti State Community Development Authority (EKSIDA) could do for them. EKSIDA is the state government’s statutory body set up by the state government to see to such problems, especially when the communities had paid 10 per cent of the cost of their projects.

Another area of Ado Ekiti crying for government presence is Obisesan Street in Basiri community of Ado Ekiti Local Government Area. The residents of the area recently cried out over the poor state of the road and called on the authorities of the council area to urgently do something about the road and other non-existent amenities.

The Women Leader of the ACN in Ekiti State, Chief (Mrs.) Ronle Okusanya, lives on the street which runs through Ilamoji area of the community, connects the Secretariat Road as well as the new CBN and other federal concerns in the state capital. Apart from the Federal Government agencies, prominent churches and several other businesses also abound in the community and the repair of the road would obviously aid the decongestion of Iyin Road in the state capital.

However, the residents said the condition of the road had made life miserable for them, pointing out that last year’s rains made it even worse because the road has no asphalt overlay. “Commercial motorcyclists lack the courage to ply this road and it is, perhaps, the easiest way to get to the Secretariat from this part of town,” lamented a resident, Mr. Olayinka Ojo, who is also a trader in the area.

According to Ojo, “the road has never been attended to by successive governments in the state,” adding that “they only use it as a campaign issue.”

He said “asphalt overlay of the road would end the perennial problem it causes for the people of this area. But for now, we implore them to just grade it and make it passable.”

Members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), (Jesus Embassy), Gospel Faith Mission International, as well as St. Silas Anglican Church all on the street also want the local government authorities to help bring the road to a status where it could be passable.