In the past one month, Osun State Government has observed an unusual traffic explosion from Kwara State, especially to Osogbo, the state capital.
Heavy-duty trucks, laden with goods and petroleum products, are now common feature on the road with their attendant effects on other road users and infrastructural facilities. To minimise the danger envisaged, the government issued a restriction order to the vehicles on the Olaiya flyover in Osogbo.
TheTabloid.net gathered that this strange upsurge in Osun traffic is a spillover from the monstrous Oyo-Ogbomoso highway, which has turned an albatross to thousands of road users connecting the Northern part of the country to Lagos through Ibadan.
It has been a tale of sorrow on the lips of travellers who daily suffer horrendous delay, burning unimaginable productive hours, sometimes stretching to days on their journeys to make ends meet in an already chocking economy that makes life miserable to the population.
For the ugly face of the 44-kilometre road, articulated vehicles freely lose control in desperate attempts to dodge killer portions and unwittingly offload their contents on the surface, thereby instantly causing another round of gridlock, which have caused auto-crashes and untimely deaths of many unfortunate victims.
Parents and guardians who attended convocation of their children and wards and passed through that highway two weeks ago returned to their respective families with unpleasant stories that compared Nigeria to a failing country, in terms of the collapse of infrastructural facilities.
Though alive and healthy, a regular user of the road, Mr Remi Oladoye is one of the victims. About 13 years ago, he lost his immediate younger brother in an accident on the the road. Since then, Oladoye has maintained a consistent one-man campaign in which he draws attention of government to the misfortune through visuals and still images he uploaded on social media.
“I am a living witness to this carnage on the road in 2011 when my younger brother, Wale, lost his life through that killer road. Wale died at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. He died with big dreams and vision. So many souls with beautiful plans that could have helped Ogbomoso even Nigeria at large have died on the Ogbomoso-Oyo Oyo road,” He agonised.
Oladoye also confirmed that scarcely would a week pass without a record of blood and tears, arising from accidents.
“Some people believe that some demons are responsible for the fatalities while another school of thought said the poor condition of the road and insensitivity of the government is the major problem,”he reasoned.
Another user of the road, an Ilorin-based Media Consultant, Mr Ayantunde Ayangbayi frontally took on the federal government and<span;> Oyo State Government for allegedly turning a blind eye to the wailings of the commuters and transporters.
Ayangbayi, whose experience on the road in September is still fresh in his memory, according to him, recalled that the road was dead locked during that journey.
He lamented, “Many hours were lost, transporters paid more to buy fuel and commuters paid cut throat fares.”
Ogbomoso township through which the highway passes, is most hit as the town is dressed with many portions of scandalous potholes that are as wide as a Volleyball court size. Takie Square to the facade of the Bowen Hospital stretching to Caretaker-Agric sections are pitiably eyesore and a serious headache to sweating drivers. The paradox of the problem, however, lies in the increasing fortunes of street hawkers who explore the gridlock to sell their wares to the stranded commuters.
It was learnt that the Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road recently commissioned by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde hoped by the frustrated drivers to ease their journey, has become a no-go zone to them.
Apparently in view of a certain fear of also losing the road earlier than expected, vigilant residents of Iseyin and Ogbomoso ends of the very smooth road, have taken a pro-active measure against trucks dream of plying that road to escape the agonies from Oyo to Ogbomoso.
It was further learnt that Ogbomoso township would have been saved the hardships had the expressway constructed from Ibadan to Ilorin, which former President Olusegun Obasanjo flagged off in his first term in office, completed as earlier scheduled.
However, while the Ibadan to Oyo and Ogbomoso to Ilorin sections of the road have since been completed and opened for use over a decade ago by the President Goodluck Jonathan admnistration (2010–2015), the Oyo-Ogbomoso section, expected to be completed by President Muhammadu Buhari admnistration, was abandoned.
Among sustained efforts so far made to tackle the problem, it was learnt, was Senator, representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Senator Abdul-Fatai Buhari’s letter to the then Minister of Transportation, Mr Raji Fashola, updating him on the evil which the road had turned to the road users and seeking the federal government attention to it.
The minister was said to have paid a work visit to the road and personally assessed the quantity of work required to be done. But, no result recorded till May 29, 2023 when the two-term of that admnistration ended.
The succeeding President Bola Tinubu is said to have shown what looked like a human face to the travellers cries; he approved completion of the section. Alas, this also was not to be.
Still unrelenting, Senator Buhari last month took the matter to the Senate floor where he again made a case for the road through a motion of urgent public importance. His motion was unanimously endorsed by his colleagues who summoned Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi to appear before it.
Buhari’s latest action may have been provoked by the disappearance of the RCC Contractor from the site for the past five months. “And the appropriate authorities seem not bothered about why the company left the road. It is important we use the media to appeal to Mr President to look into what is responsible for the delay in completion of the road,” Oladoye submitted.
Also, in a tone suggestive of resignation to fate, Ayangbayi said, “Well, we shall continue to appeal to the government to come and do the needful. Oyo State Government should mobilise its road agency for immediate repairs. <span;>While the federal government should include the road in year 2025 budget for completion of the road contract. The time to act is now.”
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