Residents and motorists in the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State have commended the Federal Government following the commencement of rehabilitation works on some critical federal roads in the area by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
The intervention, which covers sections of the Kishi and Ago-Are corridors, is part of ongoing efforts by the administration of Bola Tinubu to improve infrastructure and enhance mobility across rural communities.
The rehabilitation exercise, currently being executed through direct labour by FERMA engineers, began at the weekend and is focused on repairing failed portions of the roads to make them motorable for commuters and transporters.
The maintenance of several federal roads in the Oke-Ogun area had previously slowed down due to security concerns, including reported cases of kidnapping and other criminal activities along some corridors.
However, with the resumption of rehabilitation works, residents say the intervention will help reduce road accidents, ease transportation of farm produce and improve economic activities within the agrarian region.
Speaking on the development, a trader in Ago-Are, Madam Lawal Falilatu, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for addressing the long-standing road challenges faced by residents.
“We are grateful to the government for rehabilitating our road. It is quite thoughtful of the administration. The road had been terribly bad and had caused many avoidable accidents in the past, but we are happy that with this rehabilitation, such incidents will reduce,” she said.
Another resident, Olalekan Ibrahim, noted that the project would significantly improve the transportation of farm produce to urban markets.
“We thank the Federal Government and FERMA for this step. The rehabilitation will reduce accidents and also make it easier for farmers to transport their produce to neighbouring markets for income generation,” he said.
Commercial drivers who frequently ply the road have also welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and laudable.
A driver, Adewale Olaitan, described the rehabilitation as a timely move that would reduce frequent vehicle breakdowns caused by the poor condition of the road.
“This is a timely intervention by FERMA and the Federal Government. It will save vehicles plying this road from constant visits to the mechanic,” he said.
Another driver, Wale Saliu, said the development would ease the financial burden on motorists who had been spending heavily on vehicle repairs.
“For a long time, I have been paying heavily because of the many potholes on this road. I thank the Federal Government and FERMA for this rehabilitation,” he said.
A resident of Kishi, Abdulraman Abiola, also commended the agency for repairing some of the failed sections of the road while urging it to extend the rehabilitation to other damaged portions to further ease vehicular movement.
Meanwhile, the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer at the Oyo State Field Office of FERMA, Engr. Olutunde Adepoju, attributed the deterioration of many roads in the Oke-Ogun area to years of poor maintenance.
According to him, most of the roads in the region were constructed between 1979 and 1980 and had suffered neglect over time.
“Most of these roads were constructed around 1979 and 1980. One of the major challenges we face in Nigeria is poor maintenance culture. This affects not only roads but also other infrastructure,” he said.
Adepoju disclosed that rehabilitation works were currently ongoing in Kishi town, covering about 1,110 square metres of road surface through sectional repairs aimed at restoring motorability along the corridor.
“Our focus is to make the road motorable for the community. From here, we will move to the Ago-Are axis,” he said.
He explained that the Ago-Are corridor connects several communities and spans a long stretch linking areas such as Iseyin, noting however, that the current intervention targets only selected failed portions.
Adepoju added that the agency was prioritising rural roads because of their importance to agricultural activities in the state.
He also noted that funding remained a major constraint to large-scale road maintenance across the country.
“Funding is one of the major challenges, but members of the National Assembly committees responsible for FERMA are already working on ways to increase the agency’s allocation,” he said.
Residents of the area, however, appealed to the Federal Government to sustain the rehabilitation efforts and extend repairs to other damaged sections in the Oke-Ogun zone to further improve transportation and economic activities.