…says road to be completed by October ending
Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has said that his government inherited the poor conditions of Mowe-Ofada Road in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area from the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun
This was just as he immediately approved the rehabilitation of Adesan road in the same axis after appeals by representatives of the community.
Abiodun, who disclosed this on Tuesday during an assessment and inspection of work done so far on the road, assured that the 8-kilometer road Mowe-Ofada road would be completed by the end of October
He said that his administration since it came on board in 2019 had ensured equitable distribution of infrastructure across the 20 local governments of the state, noting that the Mowe-Ofada road falls in the category of abandoned roads his administration inherited from the immediate past administration in the state.
The governor, who referred back to his promise that he won’t leave abandoned projects by previous governments untouched, said that the road was in a deplorable condition because, only the binder course and drainages were done after being awarded by Amosun’s administration.
He maintained that he had to renegotiate with the contractor and release funds to continue the project because he wanted the road to be completed by October ending as he believes that governance is a continuum.
Abiodun said” have come here today on an inspection and assessment of what the contractor is doing. I want to remind us about the state of this road when we assumed office in 2019.”
“The previous government did a binder course on some parts of the road; there are some parts that they did not do a binder course, they did the drainages and left it like that.they
“By the time we came on board, the binder course had been destroyed because once you do a binder course, you must do what we call the wearing course, which will ensure the longevity of the road.
“We had to renegotiate the contract with the contractor; we gave him more money because I have always believed that governance is a continuum. If it was another person, he would have cancelled the contract because it wasn’t awarded by them.
“But, one government comes, another one goes, it is you our people that pay taxes for us to use to construct these projects. The money belongs to you and not any man. We therefore decided that the road must be finished.
“We mobilized the contractor, the entire length is about eight kilometres and we told him that all the places that were done and are no longer good should be done first. So, those places where the binder course is still good, they have started to lay asphalt and wearing course on it,” he added
The governor, who that the project had been redesigned to accommodate an outfall to ensure smooth flow of water in the drainage, reiterated the importance of the road as an alternative to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
“We noticed that the drainage was not flowing anywhere because no outfall was provided. We have since redesigned for an outfall so that the drainage will now begin to flow,”
“This Mowe-Ofada road represents an alternative road to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. This community is our border community with Lagos State, a lot of people live and work here, others live here and work in Lagos State. They are constantly commuting between Lagos and Ogun states,” he stressed
Abiodun while expressing appreciation to the people of the local government for their support, especially during the general elections, called for their continued support and patience.
He divulged that his administration would continue to look for ways to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal by the Federal Government, assuring that the palliatives currently being distributed in the state will get to the masses.
The governor opined that the conversation of buses from diesel/petrol to compressed natural gas and motorcycles and tricycles to electricity would reduce the cost of transportation in the state even below what it was before the subsidy removal.
Speaking, Baale of Mowe, Alhaji Yahaya Oriyomi, Baale of Asese, who is also the Public Relations Officer of the Council of Baales in the state; Chief Kasunmu Jamiu Sonola and the Iyaloja of Mowe, Alhaja Morufat Adebiyi commended Abiodun for ensuring the commencement of the project as well as for adding Adesan road to the initial project.