In an ideal world, trudging Oyo-Ogbomoso Road shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. The distance isn’t excessively or extremely far. Just 51.1 kilometres, 29.7 miles apart.
In the worst-case scenario, an hour is enough to cover the distance. But over the years, like most infrastructure in the country, the road has sunk into an abyss.
Today, it is one of the most deplorable roads in the country. For a fact, it’s utterly impossible to ply that road without seeing wreckages of burned cars, somersaulted tankers, and wasted goods. In a way, keeping up with the figures of accident victims, fatalities, and destructions can be nauseatingly tiring. And in a country where we take data with levity, you can imagine the number of unreported accidents. Plus, the litany of first responders on that road must be among the busiest in the country.
For several weeks, the traffic gridlocks and avoidable accidents on the road have been heartbreakingly maddening. On the roads are trucks and trailers, commercial buses, private cars, and bikers struggling for space to move. In most cases, this struggle leads to collisions and fatal accidents. What ordinarily should be a seamless journey thus becomes backbreaking. Unfortunately, both the transporters and commuters are not just helpless and hapless but are equally hopeless.
For many years, frequent users of that road have resigned to their fates. Many now grind their teeth in pain as the situation worsens. In essence, the experience on that road is one you may never wish for your enemies. For one, it is tragic, traumatic, and excruciating. Accidents on the road leave victims in tattered, most in gory state. And since the only alternative is still under construction, lots of people have had to endure the harrowing experience. I am compelled to write this today to draw the attention of those in authority to people’s plights and pains on the road. Perhaps this will serve as a timely reminder to address the menace. I am aware this is a federal road, but waiting for help from there might be counterproductive.
Three weeks ago, I was on the road on my way to Ilorin. To say the traffic was scary and heartbreaking would mean to underestimate the reality people endured daily. Added to this is the road that’s spent, expired, and predictably dangerous. It takes only skilled and dexterous drivers to successfully navigate the road. The inexperienced ones have to pick up the pieces of their automobiles in tears. Of course, the Oyo-Ogbomoso journey shouldn’t take more than an hour maximum, it’s gulp several of them. And precious lives are lost in avoidable circumstances. In Nigeria, the first major cause of road accidents is bad roads. Followed by reckless driving, overspeeding, overloading, bad driving habits, and fatigue, among others. The antidote to bad roads is not just the usual and perennial patching but a complete overhaul and consistent maintenance. Most of our roads aren’t built to last. In years, most would start to degenerate. In addition, kickbacks, bribery, corruption, and the use of substandard tools add to the list of factors leading to road damage and destruction.
As for Oyo-Ogbomoso Road, the challenges are numerous. In a safer climate, that old road ought to have been locked and blocked from motorists until it was both motorable and safe to use. Unfortunately, what defines the safety of roads is complex and complicated.
As I traveled through the road three weeks ago, I assumed the hiccup would be addressed in a matter of days. Alas, I underestimated the gravity of the challenges. Instead of getting better, it only gets worse. Yesterday, as I sauntered through the road again, it was clear that nothing would change unless leaders act urgently. Quite baffling is the spate of traffic jams on both the old and the under-construction roads. Heavy-duty trucks and trailers heading toward the north were stuck in a needless rut. They’ve been there for days and weeks without any meaningful interventions from the authorities. Most of these trailers were carrying premium motor spirit and other essential goods that are critical to people’s survival. Most trucks from the North carry perishable goods such as onions, peppers, and tomatoes. You can imagine what will happen to those goods once they are stuck for days and weeks in that traffic.
My experience with Nigerian roads sharply contrasts with what I witnessed in the tiny West African country of Benin Republic. In May of this year, I accompanied one of my brothers to the Yoruba-speaking city of Ketou. Given that the popular Idi Iroko border had been closed for years by the past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we had few options other than to take a long walk into the Francophone country. We arrived at Ketou in the night. And the following morning, we headed straight to Cotonou, the commercial center of the country. Here’s what gob-smacked me in the entire journey: the road from Ketou, leading to Pobe, Port Novo, and Cotonou, was remarkably tarred.
The road bumps were sensibly and carefully constructed by the government. In major towns and cities, solar street lights dotted the landscape. It was beautiful to see such a small country leading in such a direction. In any way, you could sense the presence of government on the highway. As we headed back to Ketou from Cotonou, we encountered a retinue of traffic officers whose purpose on the road was to ensure strict adherence to speed limits. It was a beautiful sight to behold. In most of our neighboring countries, citizens have these feelings of government presence. In Nigeria, it is difficult to measure the effect of government on people’s daily lives. Fixing this road and many more in a bad state may kickstart a different kind of narrative, one that will put the government under a positive spotlight.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @muftaugbade on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850.
