Motorists and commuters plying the Ibadan-Abeokuta road through Bakatari, Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun, have appealed to the Federal as well as Ogun and Oyo state governments to fix the deplorable state of the road.

Motorists and commuters, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, decried the situation of the road, describing driving on it as harrowing and a death trap.

Respondents blamed long abandonment of the road by the federal and the two concerned states government and its agencies as the reason for the total collapse of the road connecting Oyo and Ogun states.

But the Federal Controller of Works in Oyo State, Mr Victor Aina, when contacted, said that the federal government awarded the rehabilitation of the road to KOPEK Construction Company few years ago.

Aina said that efforts were ongoing to ensure that the contractor returned to the site, while assuring motorists plying the road that work would soon commence on the remaining bad sections of the road.

Motorists, however, blamed the neglect of the road by government for its present sorry state, asserting that there had been no rehabilitation of the road for the past five years

They urged the federal and state governments to save the lives of commuters who daily ply the Ibadan-Abeokuta road corridor.
Also, some residents of Omi-Adio, Aba-Nla, Lade and Bako, which are some of the towns along the Ibadan-Abeokuta axis, recounted the daily hardship experienced on the road.

An inter-state commercial driver, Isiaka Adigun, decried the situation of the road, saying that the portion of the road at Lade had become so bad that motorists experience hardship plying it.

Adigun said that if nothing is done now, it could result in the road being cut into two, thus preventing easy passage for travellers plying the road.

He appealed to the federal and concerned states government to help in the reconstruction of the road, The commercial driver said, “though, it’s an old road built in 1978 by the former Olusegun Obasanjo regime, but currently fast becoming a death trap to motorists.

Another respondent, a commercial motorcyclist, Mr Godfrey Sunday, said the gridlock being experienced is gradually becoming unbearable for passersby and motorists.

He said that the gridlock also affects motorcycles, as their passengers have to disembark to enable people assist them carry their motorcycles across the bad portion to the other side before continuing on their journey again.
Also, Mr Kayode Adesokan, a civil servant, lamented time wasted on the road because of its deplorable state.

He said that situation adversely affects workers, traders, and business owners on the route with manpower wasted on gridlock no matter how early one goes out.

Another respondent, Mr Ganiyu Alarape, a resident of Omi-Adio, said the road was so bad that even commercial motorcyclists have increased their fare.

The Bale of Bako town, Chief Abdulfatai Musbaudeen, said that aside the bad road, commuters also worry whenever there was an overflow of Jamoje rivers anytime it rains.

The community leader said, “the Jamoje river is another major problem whenever it overflows across the Ibadan-Abeokuta road, it prevents commuters, and motorists from passing.”

According Musbaudeen, most motorists park and wait until the flow subsides to prevent being washed away by the tide.
He appealed to the federal, Oyo and Ogun states government to help those plying the roads by reconstructing it to a dual carriageway to ameliorate sufferings of the people living along the Ibadan-Abeokuta roads.

(NAN)