Abiodun: Building Trust through Road Constructions

Femi Ogbonnikan

The just concluded Ogun State council poll which produced 20 local government chairmen and 236 councilors could best be described as a grand norm that has put democracy to test. The election of all the candidates of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), into the 20 local government offices wasn’t the basis for excitement, but the generally acceptable campaign train of the Governor Dapo Abiodun, into all the council areas during the two-week electioneering campaign. This lent credence to the fact that, with the attendant jubilation and excitement that greeted the inspection of the various completed and ongoing projects, the dividends of democracy had actually been taken to the doorsteps of the people of the state.

Like Oliver Twist, it was another rare occasion that afforded Mr. Governor the opportunity to meet with the people, listen to their complaints and requests and his subsequent interventions, with more laudable projects to ameliorate their living conditions in their respective communities.

Fast forward, in the last two years, it is a living testimony, quite glaring that, an era of half-truths, lies and deceit had given way for a more dedicated and committed administration that sees the entire state as a family unit for even development, with respect to the interest to the principles of equity, justice and fair play.

Reminiscent of his inaugural speech on May 29, 2019, an emphasis on the priority to immediately look into how to upgrade, rehabilitate, repair and restructure both township and rural roads that are of economic benefits underscores the importance the current administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun attaches to infrastructure. In comparison, the administration is not sectional in its approach to qualitative and balanced governance and with the current reality on ground; it has demonstrated fairness in equitable distribution of resources, across the three senatorial districts (Ogun West, Ogun Central and Ogun East) that make up the state.

Only a blind person would feign ignorance of the giant strides the administration had made in various developmental projects that have impacted positively on the lives of the people. As a promise -keeping administration that has lived up to its billings, the last seven months (January 2021 to June) under review, the execution of 54 road projects across the state, with Ogun Central taking the lion share of 29, Ogun West 10 and Ogun East 15, shows the commitment of the government to ensure that no section or part of the state will be developed at the expense of others.

It is only the cynics and pessimists who see nothing good in the various lofty programmes and projects the current administration is initiating and executing would be economical with the truth. Without mincing words, Abiodun has built trust through good road networks across the state to enhance socio-economic growth and development.

However, from the outcome of the “Report of the Contract Review Committee” chaired by Mr. Adekunle Mokuolu and submitted to Prince Abiodun, on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, it showed that the current administration would need more than N218 billion to complete all the abandoned projects spread across the three senatorial districts, resulting from the various contracts the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel (between 2009 and 2011) and his successor in office, Senator Ibikunle Amosun awarded between 2011 and 2019.

As a clear departure from the old practice of deceit, pretense and lies that characterised the polity, the government is not missing in action in making good its electoral promises in the various completed projects which include Raypower, Navy-Osi-Ikola roads (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA), Fajol-Ajegunle-America Junction-Alogi road and American Junction-Unity Estate road, which cut across Abeokuta South and Odeda Local Government Areas, and as well, Ejirin-Mobalufon- Oluwalogbon road (Ijebu-Ode LGA) and Ilaro-Owode road (Yewa South LGA).

Not left out, Joju road (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA), Lantoro-Elite-Idi-Aba road (Abeokuta South LGA), beautification of NNPC Mega Station road (Abeokuta South LGA), Somorin-Kemta-Idi Aba Road (Odeda LGA), Imasayi-Igan Okoto-Ayetoro Road (Yewa North LGA), sectional rehabilitation of Papalanto-Ilaro road (Ewekoro LGA), the asphalting of Lafenwa-Rounder road (Abeokuta North LGA), palliative works along Sango junction-Ojuore road (Ado-Odo/Ota LGA) and the construction of City Gate monument at Sagamu Interchange (Obafemi-Owode LGA), construction of Journalists’ Estate, Arepo (Obafemi Owode LGA), the construction of an internal road linking Ifo General Hospital and renovation of Ifo Fire Station, rehabilitation of both Olowomore-Sanni and Olowomore-Brewery roads (both in Abeokuta North LGA), among others.

From findings, it needs to be pointed out that, more money is being spent in the Ogun Central district than the two others, Ogun West and Ogun East. The demand for speed brakers and light-up project of all the nooks and crannies, stretching from the Gateway City Gate/Sagamu Interchange to Abeokuta, also reinforced the confidence reposed in the administration to give a befitting status on the state capital.

Despite the huge amount of money the immediate past administration claimed it expended on all the much-touted “legacy projects”, between 2011 and 2019, the Ogun Central took 80 per cent share, yet it couldn’t account for, and complete them before it exited office on May 29, 2019. It was a good tiding that it took the courage, listening ears and kindness of Abiodun to take up the responsibility of the completion of the abandoned link road between NNPC flyover and Kuto flyover when the contractors vacated the site. The same gesture was replicated in the completion of resurfacing and expansion of the link road that connects Alaba Lawson School/CBN/MTD, Ibara.

For a reminder, Lafenwa-Olorunda-Aiyetoro road that was awarded to contractors for reconstruction in 2012 was abandoned; ditto Mowe-Ofada-Ibafo road covered about four kilometres was subsequently abandoned in 2018 for no just cause. To enhance traffic flow, Mr. Governor directed stoppage of work on the inherited concept the administration of Amosun initiated on account that it didn’t conform with the reality on ground and subsequently approved the erection of a flyover at Lafenwa across the railway line to ease flow. The government also undertook the relocation of powerline at Odeda in order to pave way for the railway line that passed through the state to connect Ibadan.

Other abandoned road projects, including Mowe-Ofada-Ibafo (Obafemi-Owode LGA), Adatan-Saje (Abeokuta South LGA), it was gathered that the Governor had given an express approval for their reconstruction and rehabilitation, pending the availability of funds to execute them. Local Governments that were expected to enjoy financial autonomy were all castrated. The deductions made from the Joint Account and were expected to be expended to touch projects in these various local councils were converted solely for the development of the state capital, Abeokuta. To this end, its aftermath brought an untold hardship on the finances of these local governments who had to depend solely on what they were handed.
Above all, the mindset of every Nigerian politician is rooted in the use of the electorates whenever they are needed and soon afterwards, dump them, having realised their dreams. And this is a betrayal of the trust reposed in them as a result of their failed leadership by example.
This unsavoury development cuts across all political parties, irrespective of their ideologies or leanings.

Thus, the situation remained ‘ab initio’ when the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun boasted and promised sometime in March 2019 that, it would not abandon ongoing projects in the state and that, he would work till the last day in office to ensure the completion of the projects. The helmsman got applauded.

Like some of his (Amosun) ilks, little did the good people of Ogun State realise that the promise would subsequently turn out to be a mirage.
Thereafter, the roads not only remained uncompleted when he left office on May 29, 2019, but were totally abandoned by the contractors who had not been adequately mobilised for the jobs, contrary to what the people had been made to believe.

• Ogbonnikan wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun state capital

It also came to be publicly known that the claims of full payment for the roads construction and rehabilitation didn’t follow due process, which the projects were neither properly initiated nor passed through the appropriate quarters.

By tradition, at the formative stage, the immediate past administration had dispatched a letter to the Ogun State House of Assembly in September 2012, just a year in office, requesting to be granted permission to obtain a N7.5 billion loan from five banks.

The facility, tagged “internal loan” was to be used to financing the construction of 11 major roads across the state.

The request was granted, without any hiccup after it was debated by the House members in a motion tagged “House Resolution 114/2012.

Action was simulated and a round tour of the state purported to inspect the roads, needing rehabilitation and reconstruction, especially the roads that required proper drainage was embarked upon.

Despite all this, however, the administration of Prince Abiodun, which succeeded the past administration in office on May 29, 2019, met deplorable state of the roads across the state, indicating that the approved N7.5 billion loan had not been properly utilised.

Obviously, overwhelmed by the deplorable condition of the roads, but unperturbed nonetheless, Mr. Governor pledged his administration’s best efforts to complete all the abandoned road projects inherited from his predecessor, despite the financial strain.

He said the decision of his administration was informed by the fact that leaving the abandoned roads would not only amount to a waste of the tax payers’ funds, but would also be detrimental to the economic growth and development of the state.

In addition to the burden of the deplorable state of the roads, Abiodun also asked each of the state’s local governments to submit a list of rural roads that was of priority to their economy for immediate rehabilitation.

It is worthy of note that the Sagamu-Isiun-Abeokuta road, including light-up project was re-awarded by the current administration through a direct labour at a sum of N20 billion to Strabic Limited where all the materials and labour are sourced locally through local suppliers, thereby creating employment opportunities for an army of jobless teeming youths in the state.

Yet, a couple of years ago, the same trunk ‘A’ road, meant for reconstruction, was awarded by the past administration at a prohibitive cost of N60 billion to Chinese companies until the firm removed its equipment and abandoned the site, shortly after the expiration in office of the Administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun on May 29, 2019.

Curious enough, the pains and pangs residents and travelers along Ofada-Mowe Road, in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area that have been made to pass through will soon become a thing of the past. The contracting firm, CSCC, which began the project in 2012, but abruptly abandoned the site in 2018, following the failure of the immediate past Administration to defray a sum of N500 million debt owed it, Governor Abiodun has ordered the firm to return to the site and complete the reconstruction of the eight-kilometre road, stretching from Ofada Roundabout to Mowe Junction, linking the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. This is a sigh of relief after several years of insensitivity that was paid to the plight of the residents and travelers of the affected area.

The beauty of democracy is at best when tax payers’ funds are judiciously and prudently expended on programmes and projects that the people see and touch their lives.

Ogbonnikan wrote from Abeokuta, Ogun state capital