Hammed Shittu writes about the deplorable condition of the Ajase-Ipo-Offa-Erinle federal road which is hampering access for commuters and rural communities in Kwara State

The importance of road development in the socio economic growth of any society cannot be over-emphasised.

Apart from the fact that it will assist such society to attain unprecedented status among its contemporaries, it will also create an avenue for the entrepreneurs to come down and establish cottage industries which in turn would create employment opportunities for the unemployed youths in such locality. It will further go a long way in boosting the economic growth of the area.

Roads as Priority
It is on this stand that any successful government, be it local, state or federal, takes it upon itself to ensure that roads development is a major priority in the area of delivery of dividends of democracy to the governed.

Even, in the world standard of economy today, roads development had taken a front-burner status towards the measurement of standard of living of the people as this provision of social needs has gone a long way of moving society forward in the scheme of things.

Setting the Tone
It will be noted that, the immediate past administration of Governor Bukola Saraki's had set a leading example in roads development in its eight-year tenure.

The Saraki-led administration, which came into being between 2003 and 2011, had opened up several rural and state-owned roads in the state. He also took a lead in the opening up of federal owned roads like Kaima-Kosubosu federal road.

The administration had committed a sum of N2.5 billion to the road and up till now the federal government is yet to pay up the cost to the coffer of the state government. Several efforts made to get the money from the federal government were to no avail.

The relevance of the roods to the socio-economic well-being of Kwarans cannot be ignored as the various connected communities that benefited from the opening of the road have continued to laud Saraki's giant stride on this platform.

Current Strides
Also, the present administration led by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has taken a giant stride in the roads development across the length and breadth of the State of Harmony.

This administration has opened up towns and villages in the state, and this development has assisted the rural dwellers to bring their farm produce to the nearby markets which in turn improved the economic landscape of the state.

The administration also embarked on construction of federal roads in the state especially the Kisi-Kaima road. The inhabitants of these affected towns are farmers and every year, bringing their goods and services to the doorsteps of their people and even market was always difficult.

But with the leadership focus of Governor Ahmed's administration, the Kisi- Kaima federal road was flagged-off since last year and the construction work is currently ongoing, which renewed the faith of the people of the beneficiary areas for good in the socio-economic growth of the areas. The administration set aside a sum of over N2billion ?for the project but the federal government is yet to take a stand on how the state would be paid back.

Ajase-Ipo-Erinle Federal Road

However, the most disturbing and worrisome situation in Kwara as of today is the deplorable condition of the Ajase-Ipo-Offa-Erinle road, which is owned by the federal government. The road has become a death trap for the commuters passing through the route, which serves as a quick gate-way to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and other northern states of the federation.

The residents of the area have continued to suffer as a result of the dilapidated road as various entrepreneurs that wanted to establish cottage industries in their areas have been staying away due to the bad situation of the ?road.

The state government had intervened on the road during the first term in office of Governor Ahmed by committing a sum of over N200 million for its rehabilitation but this had not helped the people as the road has become dilapidated to the extent that men of the underworld exploit the deplorable state of the road to perpetrate their nefarious activities both during the day and night.

The deplorable condition of the road gets messier every day and the victims who must ply the roads, as a means of survival spend huge amounts of money to keep their vehicles moving on the roads in order to survive.

Official Concern
Speaking with THISDAY on the Ajase-Ipo-Offa road, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the governor, Dr. Muideen Akorede - also a native of Offa - expressed serious concern over its deplorable condition.

According to him, "The Kwara state government is seriously concerned about the state of Federal government roads such as Offa-Ajase-Ipo and Jebba/Boda Saadu roads and appeal to the federal government for immediate intervention in view of their negative effects on our people and commerce in those affected areas.

Legal Option
Two members of the Kwara state House of Assembly from the concerned area, Hon. Saheed Popoola representing Ojomu Balogun constituency and Hon. Hassan Oyeleke representing Eesa, Shawo and Igboodun Constituency also have their own tales of woes to tell.

According to the legislators, compulsory plying of the routes to the state capital to perform their legislative functions has wrecked untold damages on their exotic vehicles with repairs costing them as much N1.5 million.

The two lawmakers consequently dragged the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the contractor executing the construction/rehabilitation of Ajase-Ipo- Offa road, Preconsmith Construction Ltd to court for abandonment of the project for over three years now and its attendant negative effects on the people.

The legislators, in suit FHC/IL/CS/64/2015, filed on their behalf by Barrister Oluwaseun Ijaodola, already before the court, expressed serious concern in the writ of summons that having being mobilised up to 13 per cent of the contract sum by the federal government through the federal ministry of works, the contractor shoddily bulldozed the roads, with its various signboards on the roads and abandoned the project since about three years ago.

The lawmakers further noted that the contractor "callously abandoned the site, three seasons of heavy rainfall had hit the part shoddily bulldozed by the contractor which has put the road in a worse condition than it was, before the contract was awarded".

They also stated that because the federal government had already awarded the contract to the contractor, the Kwara state government cannot award the same contract to another contractor.

They also urged the Attorney General to use his statutory powers to compel the contractor to return to site immediately after the rainy season, because the lives of people living in the areas and those earning their livelihoods including the lawmakers had been negatively impacted.

The lawmakers in the writ of summon noted that their constituents have severally demanded explanations from them on the deplorable state of the roads.

To them, "Because of the appalling nature of the road and its impassability, all vehicles especially commercial vehicles have boycotted the Ajase-Ipo axis and are now accessing Offa through Ogbomosho-Iwo road in Oyo state thereby hurting and paralysing the commercial activities of the affected communities in Irepodun, Oyun, and Offa local government areas of Kwara state."
The case is being expected to come up in the court anytime from now.

In the same vein, an indigene of Ajase-Ipo, Alhaji Demola Banu, in a chat with THISDAY expressed serious concern over the deplorable conditions of the road and the economic sabotage it has inflicted not only on the residents but also on the state as a whole.

Banu acknowledged the calls by various stakeholders over the poor conditions of the road, and called on the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the abandonment of the project by the contractor with a view to remedial action.

The Offa Descendants' Union (ODU), a socio-cultural organisation of indigenes of Offa town in Kwara state, also cried out over deplorable condition of roads leading to the ancient town.

Speaking with journalists recently in Offa during activities marking the 80th anniversary of the ODU, the group's secretary general, Chief Wosilat McCarthy, urged the federal government to release fund for the rehabilitation of the six-kilometre road to ameliorate suffering of those plying the road.

With the deplorable condition of Ajase-Ipo/Offa/Erinle road, it is now behooves on the federal government bail out the people plying the road, given its importance as a gateway to Abuja and the north and its socio-economic impact on the affected communities.