By Femi Olayinka.
Road construction is one of the core fundamental amenities for promoting socio-economic development of any society. A timely completed road project has a special way of adding value to the wellbeing of the people. Apart from the fact that its aesthetics such as the matrix road landscaping, median strips, pedestrian crossing with Zebra Stripes, traffic light at road intersections with universal colour codes, among others enhance the beauty of the city, it also ensures a boast in land value in the area, promotes safe driving, ensures motoring orderliness in traffic flow for all road users, promotes environmental hygiene in drainage through free flow of water, prevents erosion and attracts chains of all sorts of industrial development as well as boasts healthy living.
Recent findings have revealed that some of the economic woes bedevilling sub-Saharan Africa particularly Nigeria, have been traced to incessant road abandonment as well as poor road delivery with bloated cost, corrupt engineering practices among local contractors, poor road maintenance culture and corporate misappropriation associated with the sector.
The number of abandoned projects that exists particularly at the expiration of tenure of a government in Nigeria has pointed out a serious public concern that must be addressed in the drive towards prioritising the wellbeing of the people.
The issue of abandoned projects often becomes pathetic as most of them latter turn hazardous death traps endangering the lives of people intended to serve. Surreptitiously, it becomes a two-edged sword cutting from both sides by first turning the taxpayers’ money to a complete waste and worsening the environmental condition of thousands of people living in the affected area. In spite of these reported cases of abandoned projects across the nation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has not been able to pick up anyone to serve as a deterrent to others.
Be that as it may, Ogun State, like any other states, has its shares and tales of various abandoned projects particularly on roads with varying pathetic narratives. Initially, some dissenting views had thought that the present administration would not amend the projects due to the prevailing economic challenges but today, most of the abandoned road projects across the state have not only been fixed but also now in a state of completion. Primarily, the focus on some of these abandoned road projects is to ensure economic growth, reduce associated road hazards and suffering on people, restore public confidence in governance on electoral promises as well as promote their wellbeing.
It is gratifying that Governor Dapo Abiodun recently disclosed that his administration would fix and complete all inherited abandoned roads that have economic values, noting that these resources being taxpayers’ money must be considered for public interest. Within a few months of assumption of office, the administration ordered all the contractors handling some of these abandoned roads to go back to site. For example, the contractor handling the eight-kilometre Mowe –Ofada road reconstruction in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area awarded by the immediate past administration in 2013 and abandoned by the contractor in 2018, were mobilised back to work.
Other road projects that were abandoned by the immediate past administration include; Panseke-Adigbe Road, Abeokuta–Sagamu–Interchange, Lafenwa–Rounda–Ayetoro Road, MKO Abiola Stadium Road to Kuto Bridge, were promptly fixed and completed by the present administration. While others like Adatan-Asero Road and Mowe-Ofada Road are currently under construction within a specified standard capable of improving the socio-economic expectation of the people.
As a matter of fact, the story of abandoned roads is the same in Ogun West. For instance, the Owode–Ilaro Road is currently under construction while Odo Afa Bridge is completed. Likewise, in Ogun East Senatorial District, where the list of abandoned roads streams down from Atan-Erunwon road to Ikangba–Lagos Garage–Ilese and Sagamu–Ode Lemo roads. Today, all these roads are undergoing complete reconstruction while the Ejirin–Oluwalogbon road network is completed.
There is no glory in uncompleted projects of any kind and no wonder there is a wise saying that the end of a thing is more glorious than its beginning. The fact remains that government at all levels should shun white elephants that are characterised with speculative corrupt practices and inordinate wasteful execution. Experts opine that a vision-driven government should not only be cost effective in its project execution but also be conscious of timely completion of such projects within its tenure of office so as to deliver timely to achieve its set objectives.
The Abiodun administration deserves some applause for not only taking up all the inherited abandoned roads across the state but also constructing others like Ijebu Ode-Epe road, Fajol – American Junction, Ofa-Ikola –Raypower road, Elite – Oke-Lantoro Road, Lusada –Free Trade Zone Road amongst others. This will go a long way in taking the state to the next level as the undisputable investment destination of choice.
As noted earlier, government at all levels should henceforth shun the pursuit of white elephants with no direct benefit to the people but ensure that their projects are people-oriented towards engendering more prosperity for the people.
Olayinka wrote in from Abeokuta, Ogun State via Olayinkaolufemi@yahoo.com