Barely two months after his re-appointment by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as the Commissioner for Works, Prof. Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin on Thursday came under public scrutiny following complaints by road users.
Bad roads dot the landscape of Ibadanland, hindering free flow of traffic. Road users are groaning and having harrowing experiences plying a number of roads in Ibadan, the State capital which had gone so bad and practically impassable for motorists.
To this end, Residents of Oyo State from across 11 Local Governments in Ibadanland have equally tasked the State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to hasten the commencement of the road repairs he promised them recently.
The Governor was reported to have promised the people of the State that he was ready to fix many bad roads in the city of Ibadan in matter of weeks. He was also quoted as saying that people castigating and vilifying him for abandoning Ibadan roads would soon praise his government.
Makinde said in the last four years, he has been awarding road contracts targeted at linking geopolitical zones of the State to one another with a view of growing and and expanding the economic base of the State.
But residents who have been having harrowing experiences on many of the bad roads in Ibadan, described a number of the remote areas where roads were being constructed as ‘misplaced priority’.
To this end, they are expecting the Governor ‘to walk his talk and make our roads good again by empowering both the Works Ministry and the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSTROMA) for better life for our people.’
They said apart from major roads belonging to the State, several others which serve as access roads in the Local Government areas have remained literally destroyed overtime, thus making them to yearn for immediate repairs.
Kehinde Olagunju, a taxi driver plying Mokola-Iyaganku GRA-Ring road-Challenge road, said “the Works Commissioner should be more alive to his responsibility by providing information on what the State Government is doing to make the road safe for users.’
Adebowale Gbenjo, a resident of Eniosa off Arulogun-Igbo-Elerin road bemoaned the harrowing experience of the residents on the road, saying “it is as if we have been forgotten by the State Government.”
In his comment, Sola Aderogba said Mokola-Sango road especially at Uncle Joe area “is an eyesore and this area yearns for repairs.
On Montan-Iyana Church road, Chief Adelabu Oluremi described the Iyana-Church axis as the worst of all, maintaining that the State Government should order its repair without further delay.
Gbenga Olayide said Oke-Ado Anfani off-ring road can be fixed with efforts from OYSTROMA in order to decongest Ring road whenever traffic gridlock occurs.
On Ijokodo-Eleyele, this expressway calls for attention to avoid accident, says Omoba Ogundipe Olorunfemi.
On Apata road, it is the same story said Aderibigbe Ayoola just as he appealed to the government to extend their tentacles to Olupoyi-Siba road, all within Apata areas.
A landlord on Olorunsogo-Akanran road, Mr. Fatai Olorungbebe urged the Works Commissioner to be more involved in the daily activities of the contractor handling the dual carriage way in this axis. He said Prof Shangodoyin should make it a routine exercise to make the contractor delivers quality work on the project.
A public affairs analyst, Gbenga Lawal said virtually all roads in Ibadan whether State or Local Government access roads have gone seriously bad. He called on the State Government to provide palliatives on those roads if the 100km road repairs promised by the Governor would take time before its contract awards.
