The border towns of Ogun are comforted through the help of Gov Dapo Abiodun.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Residents of the Ogun border communities can now breathe a sigh of relief, like a train that has finally arrived at its final stop after a long journey. This is because Governor Dapo Abiodun’s government approved the restoration of the 32-kilometer Sango-Ijoko-Agbado route, making good on a promise he made during a recent on-the-spot inspection visit to roads in Sango and its vicinity. The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, recently disclosed this information.

Given that it is a major artery in those villages, the highway will bring relief to the long-suffering residents of Ojodu Abiodun, Alagbole, Akute, Lambe, Giwa/Oke-Aro, Agbado, Ope-Ilu, Adiyan, Matogun, Ijoko, Mowe, Ibafo, and other regions.

Over time, a few illiterate commentators and political competitors have authored a number of hateful, venomous pieces. Because of their limited knowledge and irritation, individuals make several assumptions that aren’t accurate. A few of them will work here.

First off, Governor Abiodun is routinely singled out for disapproval because to the terrible road conditions. The previous administration really began work on the Ijoko-Akute-Alagbole Road. Initially, that administration planned to build a road from Ofada to Mowe that would conclude at Alagba Ile in order to connect Agbado and Ijoko. At first, a lot of people applauded the former governor Ibikunle Amosun for the proposal, which they thought would encourage development in the area. For the project, a lot of homes were demolished, displacing many families from their source of support. Many ancestors’ homes were no longer standing. The loss of their sources of support caused many people to pass away suddenly.

“My friend’s father went away from high blood pressure since his property was destroyed. The aging guy repeatedly questioned himself, “Where do I start? Tipper Garage inhabitant Sylvester Adeolu lamented his reliance on the place for a living.

Another victim said, “I have over 10 relatives who are currently nursing HBP as a result of Amosun’s demolition. He hastily continued by expressing his satisfaction with Governor Abiodun’s choice to mobilize contractors and start work.

My friend’s wife’s business was situated in a strip mall beside the road, but she lost the rent she paid since her landlord’s property was destroyed to make place for the project. If a landlord’s properties were worth more than N300 million, they were asked to come and get N1.5 million in compensation. Many individuals who invested in real estate along the corridor saw their hopes dashed in addition to the value of their investments. The undertaking had a fantastic start, but Senator Amosun’s administration never completed it.

Although money was provided, the road project includes five bridges, some of which were unneeded because the money spent on them might have been used to complete the project instead. Sadly, 95% of the project remained unfinished when Amosun left. It seems as though the prior administration had left the Abiodun administration with a booby trap! The loss of property and the impassability of the road put everyone at danger, which is unfortunate.

When inflation drove up the cost of commodities and contractors began requesting increases in their estimates as a result, Governor Abiodun took over. Due to a lack of funding, this grew to be a significant issue. The people were suffering, the roads were getting worse, and this scenario led to further public agitation.

Despite these, Governor Abiodun has the best interests of the people at heart. He has sent contractors to the location as a result. Please be patient with the government, people of our country.

Additionally, they thought (and perhaps still think) that Governor Abiodun made the decision to address the poor roads in the border areas since the election in 2023 is becoming nearer. They said that because Berger to Ijoko has Ogun’s highest electorate density per square kilometer, the settlements act as the state’s strategic reserve for votes. Wrong…

Contract awarding procedures are not comparable to going to the barbershop and returning. About six months are needed. In other words, it must go through the proper channels before being announced, including a tender, the Exco, the State Assembly, financial contractor mobilization, and so on.

Additionally, the Governor has been thinking about rebuilding the roads ever since the Covid-19 pandemic grounded many activities in 2020. After that, he continued to work; as I’ll demonstrate in a moment, he was employed in various areas of the state. Although the stench of campaigns was still a ways off, he reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to completing additional infrastructure projects in his January 2022 New Year Broadcast. “I have no doubt that 2022 will be a far better year for our beloved state and for each of us as individuals. Our faith in God and the numerous accomplishments your government, our Administration, has made since you entrusted us with your mandate in 2019 give us optimism for a significantly better year in 2022. With visible projects spread over our beloved State, the gradual development is obvious.

The achievement in socio-economic growth we have seen is primarily due to our scientific approach to governance and the strong foundation we created for the implementation of our programs and initiatives before the epidemic hit.

The governor stated: “Our first goal will be to finish and commission all the ongoing projects that we either started or inherited that directly help the people economically. The Atan-LUSADA-Agbara highway is one of these projects, and once it is finished, it will be the most expensive road project undertaken by this Administration. Because the Agbara Industrial Estate, to which the road leads, serves as the industrial hub for not only our State but also Nigeria and the entire ECOWAS Sub-region, we are proud of that investment.

Other roads that will be finished and opened this year include the Ilaro-Owode Road in Yewa, the Kemta-Somorin Road in Abeokuta, the Panseke-Adigbe Road in Abeokuta, the Denro-Shasi-Akute Road in Ifo, the Sagamu-Iperu-Sapade Road, the Molipa-Fesogboye Road in Ijebu Ode, the I want to highlight once more that this is not an exhaustive list. Togbunrin Road in Ogun Waterside and Ikangba Ilese and Esure Road in Ijebu East will receive special attention.

Furthermore, under a collaboration arrangement with the federal government and the private sector, the Lagos-Otta-Abeokuta and Otta-Idiroko roads would each receive priority attention. To help our people, we shall nevertheless keep performing palliatives on the failed sections of these roadways.

The Governor has now delivered on his commitment and called in contractors for the job. To focus on the Ijoko-Akute Road, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure explained that the 32 km road had been divided into six phases, and that work would be done concurrently at the 1.5 km end of the Lagos-Ogun boundary and the Ojodu-Abiodun end of the state, as well as the 8.5 km Sango roundabout to Ijoko bridge. He promised that the renovation would be finished before the year was through.

In his own words: “The Sango-Ijoko-Agbado road will be completely rebuilt, as the Executive Council has approved. To speed up the repair process, this road will be constructed in six phases. Work will begin at the intersection of Sango and Yakoyo and continue on both lanes until we reach the meeting place.

“We have roughly 8.7 kilometers from the Sango end, which goes across the Ijoko bridge. This will be phase one of the project if we measure it from the Sango end and go under the bridge to the roundabout. The Lagos-Ogun State end of Phase 6 is 1.5 kilometers up to Mr. Biggs. Before the end of this year in December, these projects will be finished. To establish a timeline for accelerating the work, we have met with the contractors, the commissioner said. He claimed that the Sango road failed as a result of the small repairs made to it, but he also promised that the State government will reconstruct the places where nothing had been done with an adequate drainage system in addition to fixing the failing segments. According to Akinsanya, it is essential to rebuild the crumbling road that the previous administration left behind in order to reduce the burden on the locals, particularly during the rainy season, and to emphasize that the government will not stop working to raise the standard of living for citizens.

Another claim made by uneducated commentators is that Governor Abiodun will fail to address the issues facing the border communities because prior governors did not. Olusegun Osoba (1999–2003), Gbenga Daniel (2003–201), and Ibikunle Amosun (2011–2019) are the three. This brings up the logic syllogism argument. It is a type of logical argument that relies on deductive reasoning to draw a conclusion from two assertions or presumptions of truth.

“For example, All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

To bring it back home, All politicians promise but fail (Former) Ogun Governors are politicians

Therefore, Governor Dapo Abiodun will promise and fail the people. That is, by promising to fix their roads but will renege on it!

Since politics is a science but not in the (natural) scientific sense of it, these premises do not necessarily lead to the right conclusion in the case of Nigerian politics in general and Ogun State in particular. What applies to politician A cannot rigidly apply to B, because human nature is complex. Governor Dapo Abiodun is a man who promises and keeps his words. It follows, therefore, that since previous administrations did not fix the roads, it does not mean Governor Abiodun will not do it. He is right now proving all Thomasses wrong by mobilising human, materials and equipment to the sites in question.

The most uncharitable of all the arguments is to wave Governor Abiodun off as a non-performer. The facts on the contrary are there for all to see. While listing his administration’s strides in the state, Abiodun, in his 2022 New Year Day broadcast, said about 287 kilometres of newly constructed/reconstructed roads across Ogun had been completed and ongoing, just as over 300 kilometres of reconstructed/rehabilitated township and rural roads are at different stages of completion.

Also, on 13 January 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the 14km Ijebu Ode-Mojoda-Epe Road, saying Gov Abiodun had justified his mandate as a keeper of promises. According to a Vanguard report, the President, who showered praises on Governor Abiodun, for delivering visionary and trail-blazing projects for the wellbeing of the people of the state, despite prevailing and challenging circumstances occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, declared that the present administration under Governor Abiodun had transformed the state than how he left it after his last visit in 2019.

The President noted that the lofty projects; the Gateway City Gate; the 42-Kilometre Sagamu Interchange-Abeokuta Road; the 14km Ijebu-Ode-Mojoda- Epe expressway and two Housing Estates for low, medium and high-income earners at Kobape and Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, respectively, could not be possible without the State government’s huge investment and commitment to the security of lives and property.

‘‘This project has made Ogun State one of the safest and most peaceful States in the country and investors’ destination of choice. You (Prince Abiodun) have justified the mandate of the people of Ogun State. You have represented our Party very well,’’ the President said.

“Just across the road is the 42-kilometre Sagamu-Interchange-Abeokuta road which the state government has reconstructed and equipped with street lights. That road enjoys a direct linkage with the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that the Federal Government is rebuilding and is due for completion later this year. I am particularly impressed by the quality and standard of your road projects, and the creative way you have deployed resources to reconstruct and rehabilitate them.”

I’ll say it out loud: Ogun has a responsible administration. Our citizens must respect the law, pay their taxes, and put up with the government. The fact that other states now model Ogun, the new industrial refuge, after it is evidence of Governor Abiodun’s ingenuity. Those who lack information are the ones who have turned to media conflict.

The wellbeing of all Ogun citizens is Governor Abiodun’s top priority in light of the aforementioned.