Residents of Orioke Pure water in Osogbo, Osun State, have once again appealed to the state government to urgently help fix and rehabilitate roads in their community, which are in very bad conditions.
The residents staged a peaceful protest, on Thursday, to alert the state government to the present condition of the roads in their community and the untold hardship the people of the area are passing through because of the deplorable state of the roads.
Recall that residents of the community, in their numbers, staged a peaceful protest in 2020 to the state House of Assembly and Government Secretariat, Abere, to seek the Intervention of the Government on the deplorable condition of the roads in the community.
Following protest, Osun State Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, approved the community roads for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The residents are, however, saying the major constructed road, which stretches from Golf junction (Gbongan-Osogbo Road) and expected to terminate at Oba Adesoji Road, was stopped midway.
They lamented that ever since the roads have been abandoned, the deplorable condition of the road had created a fertile ground for accidents and regular breakdown of vehicles.
The residents, though appreciating the governor for the construction of the Golf Junction to Oba Adesoji Road, said they were surprised seeing that the road project was stopped before the construction got to their Community, despite the fact that they were the main people championing the course of the road construction.
Speaking after a peaceful demonstration within the Community, Elder Bode Fafiyimu JP. Central Chairman, Oke Oloruntosin said some parts of the roads rehabilitation and constructions were abandoned by the government.
“I want to appreciate the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola for the gigantic efforts he has been making in the state.
“There have been issues about deplorable state of roads in our community and we have made series of efforts on this. We met with the State House of Assembly members some years ago and when the Governor heard about our plight, he took the matter up.
“When he was doing opening ceremony of roads constructed at Alekuwodo, he made mention that Golf Junction to Ori-Oke Oloruntosin road will be done in a short period of time. We were happy and rejoiced. We took to the streets and sang the governor’s praise.
“However, when the construction started, they stopped it at Ilupeju II, Florentianal Junction; it did not get to our area.
We have since been appealing to the Governor.
“It is nothing less than one and half kilometer to Oba Adesoji Aderemi Expressway. We have about seven zones in this community, each with its head. I happen to be the Chairman of the Central Community. Our community is larger than some towns in this state. We appeal that they complete the road that leads to Ori Oke Oloruntosin and Oba Adesoji Aderemi Expressway.”
Echoing a similar views, Pastor Rufus Adeyemi, one of the elders in the community, said there are no motorable roads in their community.
“I am a pastor by the Grace of God and I live here. I am one of the first residents here. We discovered this community and populate it.
“The essence of our rally is for two or three purposes. One, we want to appreciate Mr Governor and thank God for his life who have given him the mantle of leadership of this state at this point in time. It’s a crucial time.
“Secondly, we want to appreciate God for the return ticket of the party that he has just been given.
“We want to insinuate that we have no road here. Even Okada riders cannot pass here easily. Our vehicles are packed outside this vicinity and we cannot move into our places.
“Vehicles cannot move from here to other places. So the road is just too bad and we started this struggle few years ago and it led to Mr. Governor’s commencement of constructions from Golf Junction but the unfortunate thing is that we that started the struggle are not beneficiaries.
“And I’m talking very sincerely that we have over one thousand houses here and there are houses of four to eight flats. In some flats, you can discover that at least four people live therein. An average married man would have a wife and two children.
“Our neigbourhood can be said to contain four hundred to five hundred thousand people. I am not exaggerating. It is something that could be verified.
“Our prayer to Mr. Governor is that he should have mercy on us. Everybody is seeing what is happening. We are begging him. Let me go down the memory lane, when the whole thing started. From Golf Junction to our community, we appealed to the governor to construct 2.8 Kilometer road but till now, only about 1.8 kilometer has been completed; it remains a kilometer more.
“We are begging and appealing that this road be completed so it can be linked to Ona Baba Ona. We at different times paid for sands used to fill up the road. However rains always washes the sands away.
“One of the most unfortunate things is during the construction of the road from Golf Junction, the people in charge of the construction came here with six loads of literite – and as God will have it – erosion swept it away in a day. They can bear witness to this.
“We would be cut off in this state if the construction is not done before the rainy season. I think I need to express this too, when there are four hundred to five hundred persons, road is important to them.
“Economically, this state will be short-changed. We all pay our taxes here so we if we are not able to go to work, the government will feel it. We all know the importance of revenue generation.” he said
Other Residents who spoke during the Protest are the Mrs Rachael Oladiti and one of the Tricyclist Association in the area, Pastor Balogun, who both begged the governor to come to their aide.
