Sometime in 2013, hopes were raised in Iwo after the Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola administration indicated plan to upscale the city’s main road. This was a part of that government’s ambitious ‘Urban Renewal Project’, which had identified Osogbo, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Iwo, Ikire, Ede, Ilesa, Ila-Orangun and Ile-Ife as cities that requires a massive upgrade in their public infrastructures, particularly the townships main roads.
It was about the same time that late Abiola Ajimobi was implementing a broad infrastructural renewal in major towns in Oyo state, with Ibadan, Saki, Ogbomoso and Oyo town getting major facelifts in their road networks. So, the anticipation of the people, particularly in Iwo, was justified, but that hope went into the drains. Even though businesses along the corridor of the proposed new roads vacated their shops, the expanded new Iwo township road didn’t happen.
That experience was brutal for the people and to a greater extent, shook their faiths in government. This feeling can be easily observed when Governor Ademola Adeleke announced plan to construct the first dual carriageway in Iwo in March this year as many dismissed it as yet an unrealistic proposal by a politician.
They were not ready to hope in vain as before. Even when government officials began marking properties that will give way for the new road, the river of doubts that past disappointments sink deep in the heart of the way couldn’t be drained. They refused to vacate their properties thinking it would be the usual failed promise. And, you cannot blame them.
On Tuesday this week, reality dawn and the dream of a dual carriageway in Iwo city was no longer a mirage. The sights of bulldozers reading to clear objects to pave way for the construction elicited wide celebrations amongst Iwo people. It was a historic moment and Governor Adeleke was the architect of the transformation that is about to happen in Iwo.
In the build up to the 2022 election, Governor Adeleke was consistent in lamenting the deplorable condition of road networks in the state and promised a upscale them for better connectivity if given the mandate to administer in the state. During his campaign tour in Iwo, he emphatically told the cheering crowd that with him as the Governor comes an end to neglect for Iwo development as the government he will form will prioritise prioritise a better turnaround for the ancient city.
“Let me assure the people of Iwoland that we will not pay lip service to their needs, and this will see us fixing major roads and end the underserved pains that users go through over them over the years. The people of Iwoland have endured enough pains, and by God’s grace, as your Governor, I will make them go away by putting key roads in proper condition,” he noted at that time. And, right before our very eyes, he’s matching his promise with actions. The Odo-Ori to Post office dual carriageway with a spur at the Palace of the Paramount ruler of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I, flagged off by Governor Adeleke is an investment that will rapidly unlock the economic potentials in Iwo and offers improved connectivity to residents. That is the very essence of leadership and Governor Adeleke is showing what is possible with a committed leadership.
While he may not have professed Iwo as ‘his second home’, Governor Adeleke has been to show through remarkable deliveries that he has the development of ancient city at heart in less than three years in office. Before now, the Adeleke administration has constructed the Ansarudeen Mosque-Kuti-MOT junction road, the Feesu junction-Agbowo Estate road, Feesu junction-Ogede-Amin road, Post Office-Oke Ifa- Oke Bode junction road, Oke Ifa-Olukotun Baptist junction road and rehabilitated the Osogbo junction-Ajigbagun-Palace junction road. Testing ground-Imoru-Gaa Fulani-Amuludun in Ile-Ogbo and Agro road-Ikonifin are two rural access roads that is undergoing upgrade under the RAMP scheme.
These roads, measuring several kilometres in length, has not only expanded the internal road network of the ancient city, but also enabled improved living conditions for residents. We all experienced the past together, and no one can in good conscience say the interest shown to Iwo development now is not better than before. And it is not just about building roads, other public infrastructures like schools and healthcare centres have seen an incredible turnaround in their outlooks due to the deliberate investment in their upgrades.
All of these sum up to a genuine desire to improve the situation of the people. Just as a new dual carriageway is picking up in Iwo, the first dual carriageway in Ila-Orangun is a reality only waiting to manifest. Already, Governor Adeleke has concluded the construction of the first dual carriageway in Ede while work on the first dual carriageway in Ilesa is progressing and would soon be completed. In Ile-Ife, the first overhead bridge has spring up just as a 10-span flyover
In Osun, the dynamics for road infrastructure is rapidly changing for the better, and even refreshing is the spread and the deliberate effort to replace the various old, overstretched and deplorable roads with expansive, modern and befitting ones. This must be why a casual observer recently observed during an engagement that Governor Adeleke is not just building roads but a legacy that will stick for so long in the minds of Osun people.
Whenever the history of the first dual carriageway in Iwo is written, one name that will most definitely feature is, Ademola Adeleke. The same thing with the first dual carriageway in Ede, Ilesa and the one about to be built in Ila-Orangun. That is a worthy legacy and Governor Adeleke’s sincere efforts to turn things around for the better made the feats possible. Did I just hear you say ImoleAgain?
• Sarafa Ibrahim is the Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor and writes from Iwo, Osun state. He can be reached via [email protected]
