By Oluseye Ojo, Lagos; Laide Raheem, Abeokuta; and Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti

For far too long, federal roads that crisscross South-west states – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti – have been neglected and left to crumble. For travelers, farmers and entrepreneurs in different sectors, the roads have become nightmares. And the consequences have been far-reaching and devastating.

For farmers among the road users, it has been a season of post-harvest losses due to delay, and unbearable costs of transportation of farm produce to markets. For other road users, the roads have become fertile grounds for armed robbery, kidnapping stolen valuables, injuries and deaths, largely due to fatal accidents.

A tour of the South-west by our reporters indicate that the crumbling asphalt, treacherous potholes, craters and ditches on most of the federal roads in the states have made commuting, a harrowing ordeal.

Oyo and Osun

The Ibadan-Akure highway, a crucial artery in the region, has become a notorious   deadly trap. Divided into three sections, the road is plagued by gaping potholes, deep ditches, and craters, forcing private car owners especially from Lagos and even Ibadan, to resort to parking their vehicles in Ibadan and continuing their journeys by commercial transport.

It was observed that truck and light vehicle drivers have been compelled to drive against oncoming traffic just to avoid the bad portions of the road, a desperate move that has led to more accidents on the roads.

Commercial drivers plying routes like Ibadan to Ado-Ekiti lament federal government’s blatant neglect of the inter-state road network.

Adekola Iwaloye, a commercial bus driver on the Ibadan-Ado-Ekiti route, said immediately after the flyover at Gbongan, drivers would cross to the other side of the road and drive against the traffic to Ife. The lane towards Ife is terrible from Gbongon to Akinlalu and Ife Roundabout. From Iwaraja Junction to Akure, the road is okay. But the road from Iwaraja Junction to Ado-Ekiti is in a bad state.

“From Iwo Road roundabouts to Ibadan toll gate, the road is not too bad. In fact, the road has been reconstructed from Iwo Road roundabout to Alakia. From Alakia to the toll gate is not also too bad. But from the toll gate to Asejire River, the road is in a terrible state. Asejire is the boundary between Oyo and Osun states. Although the road from Asejire to Ikire has been fixed, from Ikire to Gbongon and Ife is in a bad state. It is terrible. The potholes are too many and are very deep.

“The tales of deplorable roads continues from Ife Junction to Iwaraja Junction in Ilesha, where travellers going to Akure will go straight and those going to Ado-Ekiti will turn to the left. But the road is good from Iwaraja Junction to Akure and it is also deplorable from the Iwaraja Junction to Ado-Ekiti.

“Then, from the toll gate after Ife junction to Moro, the state of the road is also very bad. This has forced many motorists, including truck drivers to take to driving against the traffic by leaving their lane that goes to Akure for the ones that comes from Akure.

“It is also the same thing when you are coming to Ibadan. The lane that comes to Ibadan is fairly okay from Obadare’s church to Osu. But from Osu to Ife junction, the road is in a bad state. So, drivers usually join the lane that goes to Akure and drive against the traffic to Ife Junction. This has caused a lot of road accidents, which led to deaths and injuries.

“We are very sad that the federal government has neglected the South West in terms of fixing the inter-state roads. Now, tell me, which of the inter-state roads in the South-west is in a good state? None!”

The Ibadan-Abeokuta Road and the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road are not better despite efforts by state governments to address the problems.

Construction of the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomo-Ilorin Expressway has not been completed since it started in 2002. The construction of the highway was divided into three segments. The first lot starts from Ibadan and ends in Oyo town. The second is from Oyo town to Ogbomoso, while the third lot is from Ogbomoso to Ilorin in  Kwara State.

The first and third lots have been completed, while the second lot is still under construction. But the Ibadan-Oyo phase of the road, though completed more than a decades ago, has also collapsed. Motorists, at present, prefer driving from Ibadan to Oyo via the old road. A recent visit to Oyo town showed that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is taking some palliative measures on some portions of the highway.

Ibadan-Abeokuta Road is another important road that has suffered neglect for years. The single lane Ibadan – Ijebu Ode Road is relatively good but it has terrible ditches at some points. Majority of commercial vehicles going to the South-south and South-east from Ibadan use the road. The Ibadan-Iseyin Road and Oyo-Iseyin Road have been fixed by the Oyo State government, under Governor Seyi Makinde, after obtaining approvals from the federal government.

Meanwhile, a drive on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway showed that the expansion and reconstruction of the highway is almost completed. It has been completed up to the popular Iwo Road in Ibadan. But the Iwo Road Interchange to Ojoo axis is still being worked on.

Chairman of the national taskforce of the Fruits Food Producers and Traders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Kamarudeen Olaosebikan, who is the chairman of the association in Oje Market, told Saturday Sun that many are the challenges being faced by fruit sellers in the market, based on appalling state of roads.

He decried the state of the road from Gboko in Benue State to Ibadan. He added that a truck that loaded fruits from Gboko should get to Ibadan within 24 hours on a good road. He said these days, some trucks have been spending four to five days on the road. In the process, a lot of fruits would get spoiled.

The Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road remains in a bad state despite the collaboration between Oyo and Osun states in October 2022 to reconstruct the road.

For instance, the Iwo-Osogbo axis of the road, which is in Osun, was impassable for 30 years, leading motorists to opt for the Ibadan-Gbongan-Odeomu-Osogbo route

Another commercial driver, Tanimola Ayinde, who plies the Ibadan-Abuja route, also shared his ordeals with Saturday Sun, saying: “The most deplorable part of the road is between Ibadan and Ife junction. From Gbongan to Ife, drivers usually join the lane coming to Ibadan and drive against the traffic. This has caused many accidents on the road.

“Ife Junction to Ilesha is substantially fair. It is fair from Ife Junction up till the junction of the first Ilesha Expressway, but from there till Iwaraja Junction, it is terrible. But the lane from Ilesha to Ife Junction is in a very bad state,” Adetunji stated. In the same vein, Mr. Monsuru Ajigbotoso, who is into haulage, said that he plies Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,  Ibadan to Akure and Ado-Ekiti, as well as Osogbo, regularly.

“The state of the road from Ibadan to Ilesha is terrible. But the other lane from Ilesha to Ibadan is better than the lane that goes to Ilesha.  From Ilesha to Ife junction, the road is bad. But from Ife Junction to Gbongon, the road is a bit okay, at least. But from Gbongon to Ikire, the road is bad. Then, from Ikire to Asejire, the road is good.

“So, I want to appeal to the government to be compassionate towards travelers on this road by fixing it,” he said. The old Ibadan-Oyo Road is also in bad shape from Sabo in Ojoo to Sasa, Idi-Ose, Akingbile, Moniya,  Akinyele, Iware, Onidundu, Fiditi and Owode in Oyo town. The state of the old road from Oyo town to Ogbomoso is also deplorable. It has dangerous bends that had caused dozens of road accidents, which claimed scores of lives.

Ekiti

In Ekiti State, major roads like Efon-Erio-Aramoko and Ado-Ikere-Akure remain in a deplorable state, with heavy-duty vehicles causing further damage to state-constructed roads.

Some of the federal roads in the state include Ado-Aramoko-Efon Aaaye Road, Ado-Ikere-Akure Road, and Ijero m-Otun Road.

The Ado-Aramoko – Itawure Road has become a death trap to road users, as a greater part of the road has collapsed. The horrific state of the road has led to many accidents, loss of lives and property.

Commercial vehicles, travelling to Abuja, Kogi, Lagos and other neighbouring states, usually pass through the road. But it has been partially neglected and abandoned by many road users.

Likewise, the road linking Akure, in Ondo State to Ekiti through Ikere Ekiti, is worrisome and disheartening. Many have been kidnapped, killed, raped and maimed on the inter-state road because of its bad state. As a result, the road has been abandoned by commuters and commercial drivers because of the dangers often encountered on the roads.

Ado – Ikare Road, which passes through one of the most celebrated private universities in Nigeria, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) and Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, is another federal road that is giving serious headache to road users in the state. Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, staged a protest recently, expressing their dissatisfaction over the state of the road. Many students going to their schools have met their untimely death on the road.

A commercial driver, Mathew Alonge, who plies the road said: “These roads are very bad to the extent that you will be forced to spend more hours on a journey that shouldn’t take you so many hours.

“There is always a traffic jam on this road. This road is very narrow and needs   expansion. You are able to talk to me now because of the traffic hold up.”

Traders displaying their wares by roadsides, such as tubers of yam, garri, banana, plantain, cassava flour, yam flour and so on have been sent out of business because the majority of users of the federal roads have abandoned them.

Ondo

Ondo State has not been spared either, with the Elegbaka-Ifon Road, Ipele-Idoani-Abuja Road, Akure-Owena-Ondo Road, and Ado-Akure Road all in a sorry state. The recent heavy rains have also washed off some portions of the road.

The Ondo State House of Assembly at its parliamentary meeting held September 12, 2023, decried the state of federal roads in the state, describing it as an eyesore.

Some months ago, Ondo residents lamented the state of the Ondo-Akure road, claiming the road had totally collapsed

Ogun

Ogun State boasts of two key connecting highways in the country – the Lagos-Sagamu Interchange-Ibadan Expressway, which connects the South-west with the northern part of the country and Sagamu-Ijebu Ode-Ore-Benin Expressway, which connects the South-west with South-south and the South-east.

Another important federal road in Ogun is the Lagos-Sango Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, which has been in a deplorable condition over the years. While Lagos to Ibadan and Sagamu to Benin expressways have received adequate attention from the Federal Government, that of Lagos-Sango Ota-Abeokuta has remained a nightmare to commuters and motorists.

Though the road initially received attention during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when some portions of it were repaired, the reconstruction work, being undertaken by Julius Berger, was later halted.

At present, the road, which is said to have been ceded to the Ogun State government for rehabilitation, has gone from bad to worse, particularly the Ifo-Papalanto-Itori section of the road.

A commercial bus driver on the Abeokuta-Sango route, Adeola Muyiwa, said that apart from man-hours being lost on the road, the wear and tear effects on vehicles cannot be quantified. While appealing to the concerned authorities to fix the road, Adeola expressed his worries over the incessant road mishaps due to the bad shape of the road.

For Esther Omolegbe, who works with a cement company in the state, commuting to and fro her office, located along the expressway, it is an unpleasant experience. She added that pains of motorists have increased significantly during the current rainy season, as major portions of the dual carriage expressway have turned to ditches.

In his own submission, Akerele Olawale, a student of DS Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, decried the deplorable state of the road, particularly Itori-Papalanto section as commuters continue to groan under the precarious situation of bad road. While calling on the state government to help with palliative measures on the road, he urged the road maintenance agency to come to the rescue of commuters by fixing the bad portions of the road.

Lagos

In Lagos State, there are dozens of federal roads with a number of them in good condition, while some have either failed partially or completely.

Although the Lagos-Badagry Expressway has been fixed to a significant extent, some stretches still need attention.

Another major road is the 83-kilometre Ikorodu – Ijebu Ode dual carriageway road, which has been substantially fixed. The road starts at the Sabo Roundabout Junction in Ikorodu and will end at the Ijebu Ode Roundabout, just at the foot of the flyover bridge.

But Ijebu Ode-Itoikin-Ikorodu Road is totally dilapidated. The monumental state of disrepair of the road has completely disrupted the lives of countless commuters. The vital roadway, acting as a crucial artery connecting numerous communities in Lagos and Ogun states, such as Epe, Agbowa, Itoikin, Imota, Idowa, and Ibefun, has descended into chaos, leaving locals and travelers alike grappling with its deteriorating condition.

Originally used by motorists from the South-south and South-east regions to seamlessly link the Sagamu-Ore Expressway, the once dependable roadway has transformed into a nightmarish obstacle. Potholes and uneven surfaces dot the road. Accidents and vehicle breakdowns have become a regular occurrence on the road.

Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, Ademola Babalola, said: “It is imperative to acknowledge the fact that the appalling state of federal roads in this region did not start last year. It is a neglect of many years. This is not to say that the federal government has not fixed any of its roads in the South-west.  For instance, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is one of the federal roads that have been fixed. But most of the federal roads are in a terrible state in the region.

“The people of the South West deserve better. They deserve roads that are safe, efficient, and fit for the 21st Century. And it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to deliver on this promise, to breathe new life into the arteries that sustain the region and, by extension, the nation as a whole.”