Residents of Aiyetoro-Budo and Itele communities in Ado-Odo/ Ota local government area of Ogun state have continued to suffer serious neglect as a result of the abandoned road project in the area for over a decade.
In an efforts to cushion the effects of the bad road and ameliorate the sufferings of the people in the area, the residents of Aiyetoro-Budo and Itele communities have resorted to self help efforts by spending over 50 million naira for the rehabilitation of the abandoned road project, in Aiyetoro-Budo bridge, the boundary between Lagos(Ayobo) and Ogun states and Mopol junction which has continue to cause death trap to the people of the communities.
Our investigations indicate that the portion of the bad road, just 450 metres from Aiyetoro-Budo to Lagos state has remain unpassable for over a decade but yet to be attended to by successive governments in the state.
According to a resident in the communities, Mr Abbas Jimoh who explained that sometimes ago, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, representing Ogun west senatorial district at the upper chamber in Abuja intervened by constructing the drainage in order to resolve the issue of overflowing of water during rainy season in the area but was later abandoned by the senator.
Mr Jimoh stressed further that during the raining season, all the water flow from Itele and Lafenwa communities will converge at the Aiyetoro-Budo junction thereby causing serious pool of water as a result of the blocked drainage due to the abandonment of the road by the government.
He disclosed that the situation was getting worse on daily basis because of the bad road.
Narrating the self help efforts arrangement of the communities to ensure free flow of traffic and movement of people, another resident, Alhaja Mariam Atobatele said that the residents decided to embark on the self help efforts of the portion of the bad road since January this year before the beginning of the raining season in order to forestall another gory incidents when the rain starts.
Alhaja Atobatele stressed that the self help efforts from the communities began with the repairing and clearing of the drainage with scavators, casting of the drainage, filling of the road with over 300 loads of red sand among others which has caused the residents of the communities over 50 million naira.
According to another resident who pleaded anonimity said that the communities have written many letters to the state government as well as the local government which is closer to the people for intervention but all efforts are to no avail, begging the government to come to the aid of the residents of the affected communities with the total reconstruction of the road from the Aiyetoro bridge that serves as boundary between Lagos and Ogun states inward Aiyetoro, Lafenwa and Itele communities.
Mrs Idowu Kalejaiye in her own plea with the government said that the ongoing self help efforts of the residents is just a palliative measure, saying that although government cannot do it alone but stressed that the state government must as a matter of urgency complement the self help efforts of Aiyetoro-Budo and Itele residents by ensuring total reconstruction of the road.
Mrs Kalejaiye pointed out that government should be able to tap on the mineral resources of the area by ensuring that the bad roads are attended to on time so as to enhance free flow of both vehicular and human movement in the area.
