HOPE RISING ON OUR DILAPIDATED, NEAR COMPLETE COLLAPSE ACCESS ROAD:AN APPRECIATION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF OYO STATE, OYO GLOBAL FORUM AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
It is not a news that the major access road that coordinates Oyo–Ogbomoso express and many communities around Emmanuel Alayande University of Education Second Gate, Olooro, Erelu, Mogaji, Ayetoro Scheme and many more Oyo urban communities is now in a very pitiable and sorry state. All the efforts of the organized community associations have amounted to mere further deterioration management and prevention. Even at that, the degradation worsens at the resumption of more constant downpours at the season. It is fair to state that though, the road dilapidation started years earlier due to heavy trafficwhich included trucks with heavy duties, however, the situation became worsened and unmanageable when the express road was constructed and all drainages from the express forcefully begin to channel itself to the community, bringing breakages and heavy degradation.
It is worthy of note that parts of the efforts put together by the user community associations includedconstant maintenance/patches with sands and granite as well as several letters written to both the Local and State governments for intervention. Nevertheless, the efforts have not rescued the situation.
In a positive development, at about two month ago, the delegation of the Oyo Global Forum (OGF) reached out to us and thereafter sent their team for inspections of the road. In theirmeeting with the representatives of the user community associations, we were briefed that they noted the state of the road and have come for on–site assessments to have first hand information on its currentstate to put up necessary engagement with the State Government for appropriate interventions. The visit was not just a mere visit but a ray of hope as the community believes so strongly in the shared values and focus of the OGF as a vocal voice for the entire Oyo Federal Constituency. In the like manner, about a couple of weeks later, Oyo State Government, by the Governor himself announced that some local/community roads, cumulatively, 30 kilometers would be constructed across communities in the constituency. This further reinforces our hope and reinvigorated lives back into the community in anticipation of the road construction.
These gestures, therefore compel a corresponding gesture from the community to appreciate both the Forum and the Government as well as other stakeholders involved in the process for their timely life-saving respective interventions. For the sake of records and emphasis, the road gives a great economic advantages as it connects several units ofinterconnected value chains. Take for instance, it is a major link for farm produces to the urban community as it connected hundreds of villages directly to Oyo, houses several fuel/gas stations, all of which have closed down now due to inaccessible state of the road for the trucks passage while vehicles from farms now opt for longer alternatives, adding not only to the cost of transporting their products but also time and, at some instances, causing lost of lives.
It is from the foregoing that we sincerely write to:
Conclusion
As conscious and responsible statesmen, we are aware that it takes joint communal efforts in collaboration with the State actors to achieve desired notable developments. On this philosophy, our community operates and we shall maintain to ensure a sustainable development of Oyo State within our jurisdiction in line with the focus of the current Governor Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde led administration and beyond.
We therefore thank all stakeholders in the administration too, both elected and appointedand furtherappeal to their goodwill and consciences to kindly rally round us to save our communityfrom desolation.
Thank you and God bless.
TPL. Joel Adedapo ADENIRAN
Secretary
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