Ogun communities lament abandoned road construction

Residents of Atan and Lusada communities in the Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have expressed their displeasure over the slow pace of reconstruction works embarked upon by the state government, stressing that the abandoned construction has subjected them to hardship.

The residents who spoke with PUNCH Online on Sunday noted that the bad state of the road has affected their daily movement and health.

They also noted that their businesses have been affected by the poor condition of the road.

Our correspondent who visited some parts of the long stretch of the road that connects Ogun and Lagos State via the Agbara Industrial Area route and which hosts one of the state-owned tertiary institutions, observed that reconstruction had been done on some parts of the road while major parts are in a deplorable condition.

A resident, Adekunle Kabir, bemoaned the abandonment of the road which he said has shown the nonchalant attitude of the government to the plight of residents of the community.

“Every day on this road is like going through hell. All roads leading to our area are bad. From Sango to Agbara to Owode, the roads are not good at all,” Kabir lamented.

A commercial motorcyclist identified simply as Rahman, who plies the Atan to Lusada areas of the road, said the road had contributed to the deterioration of his health due to the daily stress he encountered and his motorcycle had also worn out quickly because of the bad road.

“If you pass through the road from Atan to Lusada, only a few parts have been done, the rest is so bad that everywhere is filled with potholes and mud, which often result in body pains when I return home from work. I often find it difficult to get up for work the next day,” Rahman said.

A trader in the Lusada community simply identified as Iya Ibeji, said the bad state of the road had crumbled business activities in the area because people were not migrating to the community in a way that could have helped the socioeconomic development of the community.

She said, “This road is a commercial road that if constructed can open up businesses and generate revenue for the state. The reconstruction being done on this road has been abandoned and the workers just come once in a while.

“We can only appeal to the government to speed up the completion of the road so that our businesses can improve.”

When contacted for reactions, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, did not respond to messages and calls made to his line as of the time of filing this report.