The Ibadan-Gbongan-Akure Highway Needs Governor Adeleke’s Attention – Group

An Osun-based civil society group, The Osun Masterminds has come out to urge the governor, Ademola Adeleke not to embark on the construction of two flyovers in Osogbo as planned.

The Executive Director of TOM, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli recently had his say via a press statement, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, there is a clear underwhelming state of some critical road infrastructure in Osun, and he can only call on the governor to act immediately to prevent further deterioration.

The Osun Masterminds added that the Ibadan-Gbongan-Akure highway, in particular, can be better developed.

His words, “We are compelled to call the attention of the Osun State Government to the state of some critical infrastructure in the State. One important example is the Ibadan-Gbongan-Akure highway.

While we understand that the Highway is a Trunk A road and should primarily be maintained by the Federal Government, we advise the State Government to liaise with relevant agencies of the Federal Government to maintain the section of the road that is within the domain of our State.

We recently got informed of plans by the State Government to construct flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas of Osogbo. We understand that plans are already underway to get these projects executed, but we want to offer a little counsel that may save the State some resources.

As one of our subsidiaries, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), counselled against the construction of the Olaiya Flyover before it was implemented, we are counselling against the construction of flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas. Our counsel is premised on the state of Osun’s finances, vis-a-vis the level of urgency of such infrastructure at the proposed locations.

A simple dualisation of LAMECO – Oke-Fia – Old Garage stretch of road and signalisation of that stretch, will solve whatever traffic bottlenecks there may currently exist there. More specifically, traffic lights at LAMECO, Oke-Fia, and Old Garage, on a dualised road, will ease every traffic congestion currently being experienced on the road.

We advise that the government redirects the funds it will expend on constructing flyovers, to widening major roads in towns whose major roads are currently too narrow for the kind of traffic that goes through them. Major towns like Ikirun, Iwo, Ilesa, Ejigbo, and Ila-Orangun are in dire need of wider major roads, to reduce the risk to lives occasioned by the dense traffic that passes through those towns.”