By Tunde Abatan
Ibi e gbe amala de ni ki e jo de,e ma jijo eleya lode awa…this is the usual song and refrain by locals in those days whenever celebrants are dancing round the community either to rejoice over the successful burial of their dead relatives,house warming or other ceremonies…Translated , it simply means..restrict your celebration to those you served your delicacies.
The above aptly captures the mood of residents of Ijoko, Agbado,Oke Aro,Matogbun,Adiyan,Akute,Alagbole and other boundary areas of Ogun state yet to feel the presence of this government as it has rolled out the drums to celebrate two years into it’s tenure.
The state of roads and other infrastructures in this neglected area littered with abandoned white elephant projects in spite of promises upon promises by successive governments, is unacceptable. Yes,the point has to be made that government is a continuum and no government will abandon any people oriented project on, which billions of naira of tax payers money have already been sunk.
Besides, development projects that affects the lives of citizens have to be completed one way or the other,even if it means review of such projects by succeeding government for the overall economic and well being of the residents of such areas where the projects are located and the development of the state at large. No part of the state like Ogun with it’s border area with Lagos could exist on its own or be left to political consideration since a part of the state is a sub-set of the whole.
Hence, any reasonable government should exploit all possible avenues to continue such projects even if it means obtaining loans or adopt Public Private Partnership,PPP to complete such strategic projects for the overall development of the state.
When the Ijoko-Agbado-Akute-Alagbole -Berger Road was initiated in 2012 it was estimated to cost N35 billion and which cost have been varied upwards since as per it’s modifications. While reasonable mount if work has been done before the exist of the government of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun,it is an irony that since the present government came to power,the project has been abandoned with the grave social and economic effect on the life of thousands of residents and collapse of economic and business life of a once bubbling and fastly developing metropolis with its proximity to Lagos and optimum advantage the state could leverage for attraction of investments and consequently boost it’s internally generated revenue .
Agbado bridge2
Agbado bridge
Abandoned bridge on the Ijoko road
