Why Deplorable Roads do Not Define us in Ekiti

By Henry Agbebi

There has been some considerable focus on Ekiti State lately, and to be honest, it is not the kind of focus any of us would have wanted. But it is also a focus that should stimulate a conversation rather than acrimony. A conversation that will help us understand certain things, especially those who are outside the corridors of power and governance who do not understand certain things.

This intervention, as much as it tries to explain the “side” of government, it will also disappoint those who expect it to join the needless attacks on those who have called government attention to the deplorable state of certain roads in the State. I deliberately used the word “certain” because I will also have to do some extrapolation on the issue vis-a-vis other smooth and beautifully paved roads in the State.

First, it was a very popular thespian, Kunle Afod (Afodunrin) who brought into social media the bad state of the road from Itawure through Erio and Aramoko to Igede all in Ekiti State. Not long after, another popular social media personality, Ayo Ajewole, widely known as Woli Agba, also highlighted same deplorable road.

This brought unwanted attention to the State. Now, let me make it abundantly clear that when it comes to inter-state roads, many do not know the difference between a Federal road and State road. And in all honesty, one should ask oneself does it really matter? I don’t think it does. And many will also allude to the fact that it is the same party that is in power at the centre that is also in power at the state level. Therefore, fixing roads, especially federal roads, should be as seamless as it should be. Let’s also remind ourselves that the administration of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo established the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA. I would not know if the agency is still functioning. But to be honest, that does not really matter here. We should also be honest enough to ask ourselves: which should a State Governor priortise. State roads under his watch or federal roads that are of exclusive preserve of the Federal Government with well defined budgetary provisions and maintenance protocols? Most Governors would readily fix the state roads before contemplating the federal roads, especially giving the current federal Government policy of no reimbursement to states on money spent fixing federal roads.

One thing we must bear in mind is if there is one Governor or leader for that matter who’ll be saddened by the deplorable state of this particular road, it will be Governor Biodun Oyebanji. In fact, in private discussions, he always says he wishes he could perform any magic to make the road so smooth and motorable. But there is no magic he could perform. That road does not need any refurbishment but total reconstruction. And that won’t happen in a jiffy. But I will go into a deeper issue.

Ekiti is a civil service state. The main industry is government, and one of the major issues before Oyebanji came in was backlog of unpaid allowances as well as pension and gratuity. Fixing this was one of the major commitments of Governor Oyebanji during the electioneering campaign of 2022 was clearing these unpaid allowances and pensions and gratuities. Even his most ardent traducer will admit that he has done so well in this regard.

Why did I digress to this? This is because there is also a section of the populace of the school of thought that the Governor should have used resources of the state to fix this road and wait for the Federal Government to reimburse the State. This is not as straightforward as that. But that is even aside. The fact of the matter is that the state simply did not have the resources then after it would have met its statutory obligations.

Thank God that there is a considerable increase in resources available to the state but even at that, there are existing commitments the state needed to meet which barely leaves it with any surplus to fix this particular road even if it remains an issue close to the heart of the Governor. Beside this, there are processes that go into fixing a federal road, especially the road in question. In case many do not know, the Aramoko-Itawure road should be fixed up to the junction of Esa-Oke, just after Ijebu-jesha and this is already inside Osun State. This is because anyone who plies that road regularly should know that the road needs attention up to that junction.

Having provided this background, we should also bear in mind that Governor Oyebanji could never have deliberately abandoned this road. This is same governor that completed the abandoned Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road. He was also same governor that completed the state ultra-modern agro airport which has now been upgraded into full civil aviation airport. We should not also forget the little matter of the gigantic over-head bridge/flyover all the way from Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti, up to Okesha in same Ado-Ekiti. Under Governor Oyebanji’s watch no fewer than 35 inter-township and intra-city roads have been fixed, while about 15 new road projects have been flagged off. This is in addition to the RAMP project which is designed to fix 1,000 kilometers of rural to market roads. Alredy 18 of such roads totaling about 300 kilometers have been awarded. More would still be awarded before the end of the year. If a state chief executive could do all this, the same governor could never have deliberately watched that road in question to degenerate into such a deplorable state!

Where am I driving at? This is not trying to praise-sing the governor. But issues must be situated within the context of prevailing circumstances. We can not allow every issue to be politicised. After all, if the road is fixed today, it won’t be plied by members of the governor’s political party alone. It is for everyone and for the benefit of all and the glorification of God within the context of His human creatures.

Like I said at the beginning of this piece, I am not going to abuse or criticise those who brought the matter into the fire. No. They did us a favour. After all, if they didn’t have any business in our state, they would not have come down. Their trip to Ekiti and the fact they had the luxury of the time to film the bad portion of the roads attest to the safety of the environment which has been accorded top priority by the Government. They, however, must also understand that the deplorable state of that road does not define us as a people. No. That is not a reflection of who we are. The road is an eyesore. But I can also assure all that work will commence on the road by next year. That much assurance was given to the Governor and indeed the good people of Ekiti State by the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who said the National Assembly would ensure the road is captured in the 2026 budget. The road has thus become a priority. It is a must.

Having said this, it must also be noted that there should also be limit to politicisation of issues. While those who raised the issues, I mean the likes of Kunle Afod and Woli Agba have been accused of acting a script prepared by some some politicians, many haave also asked why the duo did not deem it appropriate to do a similar skit about the roads leading to their respective states of origin in Osun and Ogun States if they are truly patriots. they probably did out of genuine concern and their love for the state even if they are not from our state, it’s unfortunate that some people saw it as a weapon to pillory the state government as well as the governor. Yes, there is politics in the air but we should also realise that we are stakeholders in the Ekiti Project.

Even while we admit that this road needs to be fixed and will be fixed, let me also add that new dawn is on the horizon in Ekiti. Especially in the area of road and general infrastructure. This I believe. This I share with you.

Agbebi writes from Ilure, Aramoko Ekiti