Motorists, Commuters Groan Over Deplorable Federal Roads In South-West

•Be patient, works ongoing on some roads —Works Ministry

Motorists and commuters across the south-west region of Nigeria are presently facing agony plying many of the highways, particularly the federal roads, as many of them are in deplorable states despite huge amounts budgeted for some of them.

Findings in Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states showed that many of these roads linking major cities and towns have become death traps for many years.

While some of them are already receiving attention, this could not be said of many others as motorists have abandoned them for longer routes in order to avoid the security risks that could be faced plying the roads.

Some of the roads include Ife-Ibadan-Ilesha road, Akure-Ado-Ekiti road, Lagos-Abeokuta road, Ibadan-Abeokuta road, Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso road, Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode road, among others.

In Ekiti State, it was found out that from the Ado-Ekiti/Akure road, to Ado-ABUAD-Ijan-Ikare Akoko; Ifaki- kole-Omuo-Kogi border; Igede-Aramoko-Itawure-Ekiti-Osun border, the situations were the same with travellers and motorists battling to use those roads.

Many experts have identified the long abandonment of the roads by the federal government and its agency as the reason for the total collapse of the roads at the same time, especially during the rainy season.

The situation has made many motorists to abandon most of the roads for alternatives, which are usually a longer route. Nigerian Tribune observed that across the major federal government roads in the state, the government has awarded the reconstruction and contractors moved to the site.

However, while this is good news, the pace of work on those roads has been disappointing and frustrating for the residents, who daily use them.

Contractors were seen in the dual-carriage Ado-Ekiti-Akure road, Ado-Ijan-Ilumoba-Ikare road, but the ongoing rains, among other factors including paucity of funds, have slowed down the construction work.

However, Ekiti State Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Wasiu Owolabi, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, said the roads were not as bad as being portrayed in the social media, and that the government has awarded most of the federal roads in the state.

He appealed to residents and travellers to exercise patience and show more understanding with the government.

“The Ado-ABUAD-Ijan road, which is 72 kilometers to Ikare-Akoko(Ondo State), there are two substandard bridges on that alignment and as we speak, those two bridges have been constructed to standard bridges and the contractor has delivered eight kilometres on that alignment.

“Let me say that the first eight kilometres of the road have been awarded; work is ongoing and the place where we had issues, there is no contract at the moment and we have dragged the contractor to the location to fix it; we have made efforts.

“The Ifaki-Ikole-Omuo-Ekiti road is bad but our ministry has awarded it and the job will be done because it is given to a competent contractor, the CCECC. They are planning to do some palliative work there because I was there. As soon as they start implementing the 2025 budget, I am pretty sure that there will be appreciable work on those roads.”

However, there seems to be a respite for motorists in the Ogun State axis as the longest stretch on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has since received attention of the government at the centre for safe motoring, overtime.

Aside from this, the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, beginning from the Brewery junction end in Abeokuta to the Toll Gate end in Sango-Ota area of the state, is currently undergoing reconstruction and being handled by the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun, having received the mandate to do so from the Federal Government.

It was also learnt that the Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu road is equally receiving attention with the reconstruction of the road which links Ogun to Lagos State. The road has been in a deplorable state for years.

However, despite the good records in these areas, the Abeokuta-Ibadan, especially from Orile-Ilugun to Abeokuta, is in a deplorable state.

Also from Ondo State, it was reported that respite remained elusive for residents, commuters and travellers along the Akure–Ikere–Ado-Ekiti highway, as the deplorable condition of the federal road continues to subject them to daily hardship, security threats and economic losses—despite ongoing construction effort.

Once a smooth 30-minute journey, the 50-kilometre stretch between Akure and Ado-Ekiti now takes over 90 minutes, as deep potholes, collapsed sections and slow-paced construction have rendered the road nearly impassable.

The road has become a haven for criminals, as armed robbers and kidnappers reportedly operate freely, ambushing motorists and demanding ransoms before victims regain freedom.

Motorists heaved a sigh of relief in 2020 when the road was awarded to Dantata & Sawoe at approximately N22 billion, but the project was revoked due to delayed mobilisation and inactivity, triggering public outcry in Akure and beyond, following the increase in the rate of insecurity on the road.

However, the Federal Government officially recommenced the dualisation of the Akure/Ado Ekiti road in May 2023, with the contract jacked up from N22 billion to N96billion and split between two contractors, Samchase Nigeria Ltd/Horizon Construction Co. for the Akure end at N46.68 billion and Kopek Construction Co. Ltd for the Ado Ekiti/ Ikere end at N49.3 billion.

Work was expected to be completed within 24 months, targeting May 2025 but the project which is being funded under the NNPC/FIRS Tax Credit Scheme, an infrastructure financing initiative, was still begging for attention as at July ending.

An official of the Federal Ministry of Works, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Nigerian Tribune that the contractor handling the Ondo State section of the road, Sam Chase Nigeria Ltd, was not fully mobilised on time, saying only palliative works were carried out in some parts, while preliminary work began in others, making the work to remain slow.

A top official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) who preferred anonymity said many lives had been lost to accidents because of the state of the road.

He said armed men take advantage of the pothole-ridden road to attack motorists and passengers, dispossessing them of their valuables and most times abducting them.

“Some passengers and motorists have lost their lives to kidnappers while some have been guests to them, but not without parting with substantial amounts of money.

“When you move at a slow pace because of the potholes, armed men shoot at the tyres of the car, causing accidents, taking some people as hostage.

However, attempts to speak with the Federal Controller of the Ministry of Works, Ondo State, were not successful but an official of the ministry who spoke with our reporter said the contractor handling the project would soon complete it.

He attributed the slow pace of work on the road to the rains, but assured that the construction would commence immediately after the rain, assuring that the road would be delivered before the end of the year.

In the Oyo State axis, our correspondent gathered that over 80 percent of accidents recorded on the highways are attributable to the deplorable condition of the road and ineffectiveness of the highway managers.

The asphalt surface of some of the roads, notably among Ibadan-Ogbomoso highway, Oyo State end of Ibadan-Ife, Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode and Ibadan-Abeokuta roads have been dotted with potholes while in some area, the roads have become impassable.

On many occasions, the drivers lost control of the vehicles in the process of trying to maneuver their ways. And this often resulted into accidents with loss of lives. Some weeks back, three siblings were overrun by a fast-moving truck at Celica area along Ibadan-Ife road, while several other persons lost their lives in another accident road mishap recorded at Idi-Ori area along Ibadan-Oyo in Akinyele Local Government area.

Early this year, four candidates of the Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were burnt to death in an accident that involved a truck and commercial bus at Ilora end of Ibadan-Oyo Road.

A commercial bus driver, who identified himself as Kamoru Alao, noted that the four-lane road approved 24 years ago is gradually becoming a death trap.

He added that the only option left for the road users was to make a detour into the old road and that has led to the total collapse of the roads as well.

Motorists, according to him, now spend more hours on the road. This has resulted in the geometric hike in the transport fare.

Narrating his own experience, a truck driver of northern origin, who identified himself as Abubakar, submitted that the deplorable condition of the road was taking toll on the bilateral economic relationship between the North and the South.

According to him, the deplorable condition of the road is responsible for over 90 percent of the reported carnage on the road, especially the one involving trucks.

“Some of our members have lost their lives on this road while some of our trucks have been severely damaged,” he said.

Responding to the outcry of the people, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works has revoked the reconstruction of Ogbomoso-Ilorin road awarded to the RCC Construction company and has awarded it to another company.

The major federal road in Osun State is the Ibadan/Ife/Ilesa road and it is presently in a deplorable condition due to the negligence of the road that leads to different destinations in the country.

Investigations revealed that the road had been abandoned except palliative repairs occasionally carried out by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

The road which could be termed as a dead trap for motorists and commuters, has claimed many travellers’ lives, and despite the incessant lamentations and pleading to the concerned authorities to come to the rescue of the people, nothing has been done.

A commercial bus driver, who identified himself as, Adejobi Adewale, told our reporters that it was unfortunate that in a week, the road would claim lives of travellers but, the government seems not to be concerned about the plights of the people.

He said the NURTW had written many letters to the federal government to rehabilitate the road, without any response received.

He said, “Apart from these motorists, many lives had been lost to armed robbery, kidnapping and other nefarious activities normally being carried out by evil perpetrators who use advantage of bad road to waylay innocent souls and claim their lives.”

However, President Bola Tinubu recently approved the release of an intervention fund for the rehabilitation of the dual-carriage expressway.

The announcement was made during the coronation ceremony of the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup.

Disturbed with the way many lives are being lost on the road, the Owa Obokun has also intervened in the rehabilitation of the road.

But the questions on the lips of many Nigerians are: when will work commence on the road? What is disturbing work commencement on the road and many others?