Nigerian Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has promised to give necessary support to the Ogun State Government on the reconstruction of deplorable federal roads in the state. The senator made the promise at the grand finale of the Yewa Cultural Festival, with the theme: “Celebration of Culture, Tradition, Music, Cuisine and Dance,” which was held at Ilaro-Yewa, Ogun State. The Senate president particularly mentioned the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road, even as he affirmed that all hands would be on deck to ensure the completion of the road.
According to him, he insisted on driving to the venue for him to experience what the residents of the state go through on the road every day. He added that it took his team more than two hours to drive to Ilaro from Lagos. Because of this, Akpabio promised that the Senate would ensure that the Construction of the road is handed over to a competent contractor, adding that they would work with the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun to ensure its completion.
Governor of Ogun pleads with FG to transfer Ogun federal roads to state.
In his speech, he said, “I saw the road, two trucks fell on the road and we ended up spending over two hours on the road. I was determined to go through the road that you go through. Now, I have seen what you have been seeing. From today, I prophesy that your roads are done.” He said that Yewaland has the greatest number of industries that local governments can ever have in Nigeria, just five local governments. Because of this, the need to use the best set of contractors to do your roads is recognized because of the wear and tear. He assured the people that the government will be working with the Dapo Abiodun administration to change the lives of the people.
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Abiodun pleaded with the Senate to prevail on the Federal Government to transfer the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road to the state because of its importance to the socio-Economic Development of the state. The governor said it took him three hours to drive from Abeokuta to Ilaro, noting that efforts made by the state to ensure the transfer of the road did not yield any positive results. The governor said that his administration was concluding discussions on the reconstruction of the Abeokuta-Olorunda-Imeko and the Abeokuta-Iborro-Ilaro roads.
Entirely different scenarios regarding road networks in Ogun and Edo.
Federal roads in the state have been in the best of condition for years. Every now and then, the news paint a gloomy picture for the state in terms of road networks, consequently creating a stereotype that the state government is not working. Also, Social Media users, especially on X (formerly Twitter), have been instrumental in creating this branding, whether directly or indirectly. And while many federal roads have been abandoned for long, the governor had announced several times that the state had applied for a transfer of federal roads to the state without success.
This scenario is entirely different in Edo State, for instance, where the state government has erected billboards at strategic points on federal roads. The message was bold and clear—the state government would love to work on the roads, but they belong to the Federal Government, who has forbidden any kind of repair except from FG-sanctioned contractors. Surprisingly, social media users found it amusing as well as ingenious. The current governor of Edo State has not been blamed as much as Governor Abiodun simply because of optics.
Dapo Abiodun promised to support cultural initiatives in the state.
Abiodun promised that his administration would continue to support various cultural initiatives to keep the identity of the people of the state intact. Also in his remarks, the Olu of Ilaro and paramount ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, commended the senate president and the governor for attending the grand finale of the festival. He disclosed that the festival is held every two years. Different tribes and clans of the Yoruba people have different festivals celebrated in honour of legends, heroes and deities.
