Ogbomoso Indigenes Protest Abandoning Of Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway

MICHAEL AKINOLA

After many pleas by the residents of Ogbomoso and its environs in Oyo State appealing to the Federal Government to expedite action on the completion of the 33-kilometre Oyo-Ogbomoso Section of the Ilorin-Ibadan Expressway, the people have resolved to embark on a peaceful protest to demand for immediate response.

In a statement on Tuesday jointly signed by Messrs Akinwole Akinwale and Sola Fajobi on behalf of the community, the people frowned at the continue neglect of the expressway leaving them to ply the old Oyo-Ogbomoso road that has since become a death trap.

According to the community, the old road has continues to claim innocent lives in nearly daily needless ghastly motor accidents and thus called on the Minister of Power, Work and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN to look into how contractors will be ordered back to site and complete the abandoned road.

“The situation of Ogbomoso-Oyo road has become the shabby of it pride and embarrassment to the Nation,” part of the statement reads.

“Setting the record straight, the road that ought to be an altruistic route has turned to a deathtrap where many lives are loss on daily basis. Without been extravagant with words hardly will a day pass without recording one accident or the other.

“As we all know that good roads are good for all; they improve safety, reduce cost, increase economic activity and enhance economic development, all to effectively create and sustain private-sector jobs. But what happened if we have a bad road?” the community asked.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the leadership of Ogbomoso North Local Government has thrown in their support for the plan protest.

The Secretary of the council, while appealing to the Federal Government  to hearken to the plea of the people of Ogbomoso, urged the organisers of the protest to be very careful and caution them to be civil and not allow the protest hijacked by the hoodlums.

Residents and visitors to Ogbomoso have repeatedly complained about the unsafe condition of the road whose contract was awarded 18 years ago.

The completion of the road, which connects the south-west to the northern part of the country, they say would save the lives of thousands of Nigerians who ply it daily.

Traditional leaders, security chiefs and other residents of the town addressed the issue at a press conference held in the town in June.

In 2016, Fashola visited and inspected the section of the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway following the official flag-Off of resumption of work after he claimed that a N6 billion budgeted for resumption of work in the 2016 budget had been released.

The minister said the project was abandoned without budget for over 5 years before then.