Ogun govt vows to fix Ota roads

The Ogun State Government has reiterated its commitment to rehabilitating major roads in the Ota axis, assuring residents that construction work will commence soon on several critical routes.

The government restated this position during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ota Branch, who paid a visit to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN).

Speaking on behalf of the government, Ogungbade said six major roads — Joju, Koro Otun, Navy, Isikola, Ilo Awela, and Oju Ore — have been awarded to construction firm, Craneburg, with mobilisation to site expected shortly.

He explained that additional road projects within the corridor have been segmented into four phases — the Itele–Ayobo link road to Lagos (5.3km); Ayobo Mopol–Lafenwa Junction boundary road; Koro Otun phase; and Itele–Lafenwa Junction.

According to him, work on the first and second phases will begin immediately.

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The commissioner acknowledged the concerns that led to the NBA’s peaceful protest on October 25 and assured that the NBA’s agitation would receive a positive response.

He encouraged the lawyers to utilise their privileged access to government for faster and more effective engagement, noting that the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has constructed or rehabilitated over 1,500 kilometres of roads across the state, many of which he said are in Ota.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, commended the NBA delegation for engaging constructively but urged them to be wary of political adversaries attempting to hijack the genuine concerns of residents for self-serving motives.

He noted that such actors have been hiring individuals to spotlight bad roads and malign the government, even when the affected roads fall under federal jurisdiction.

Earlier, the NBA Ota Branch Chairperson, Kelubia Ajose, and a senior advocate and elder of the Branch, Sola Ojutalayo (SAN), said the protest was driven by widespread frustration among Ota residents.

They stressed that the NBA had taken deliberate steps to prevent external forces from hijacking its initiative and highlighted human activities that contribute to rapid road deterioration in the area.

The Star