For the people living or engaging in business activities in and around Ota, Atan, Igbesa, Lusada, Agbara and its environs, the deplorable condition of the road that links Atan to Agbara has been a source of worry. Apart from losing valuable lives as a result of incessant accidents, the sorry state of the road has caused them to lose properties and valuable time. Some companies even closed shop in the axis due to the fact that the deplorable condition of the road added to their cost of production. It appears that the road is jinxed because of the many years it had been abandoned.
It is incontrovertible that good road network contributes to economic development and growth which brings important social benefits to the people. Road infrastructure is one of the most important of all public assets because apart from easy movement of people from one place to another, it also helps in moving raw materials to factories and goods from point of production to the final consumers.
Despite its essentiality, good road network has continued to remain a mirage in Nigeria. From Sokoto to Calabar, Maiduguri to Lagos, the major complaint of Nigerians is the issue of bad roads. The deplorable conditions of roads have made an hour journey to last for four hours or more. Nowadays, apart from praying not to fall victim to kidnappers and other criminals, Nigerians spend a lot of time praying against accidents as a result of bad roads.
Knowing the significant role that axis plays in making Ogun State an industrial destination of choice in Nigeria and the fact that this axis provides the federal and Ogun State governments huge Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the Ogun State Government under Prince Dapo Abiodun, decided to do what the previous governments in the state and even the federal government could not do by putting an end to many years of hardship and misery of those plying the road on daily basis.
To this end, 29 April 2021 would remain indelible in the minds of the people of these areas. It was the day Governor Abiodun turned the sod, signalling the commencement of the reconstruction of the 19Km Atan-Lusada-Atan road.
The question any right-thinking person would ask at this point in time is, how can the goose that lay the golden egg be abandoned for so long? The deplorable condition of the road is such that anyone who is visiting the Atan, Lusada-Agbara road for the first time would think that the area had recently witnessed war.
The award of contract for the reconstruction of this road is an indication that the Prince Abiodun is keeping to his words not to focus on developing one section of the state to the detriment of the other.
One is happy that succour has finally come to the people and the 19km road, scheduled to be completed in 19 months, would bring back smile on the faces of the people and the economic activities in this axis would come back in full swing soon.
Elijah Udofia,
Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State
