Residents of Pakuro area have called on the Ogun State Government led by Governor Dapo Abiodun to come to their rescue over the poor state of the Pakuro to Melegun road and others that connect over 30 communities and serves as an alternative road to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The residents made the call on Saturday during a rally that had them displaying placards bearing different inscriptions pointing to the struggles the bad roads subject them to daily.

According to one resident, Jimoh Ibrahim, a woman lost her pregnancy while on her way to the hospital because the motorcycle she boarded flung her to the ground as a result of the muddy roads.

“A woman lost her pregnancy recently when she and an Okada rider fell off the motorcycle they were on. The accident, which was touching, was caused by the poor roads,” he said.

When our correspondent observed the roads, he noticed that some sections of it had been washed off by erosion caused by torrential rain. The roads also lacked drains, leading to floodings that made driving difficult for motorists.

The Chairman of Pakuro Area Community Development Council, Samson Omoloso, said over N20m had been spent in the last three years to rehabilitate the road.

He said, “The state of the road is very terrible. It has never experienced any form of asphalt laying since its existence. This year alone, we have spent N6m on rehabilitating the road. Over N20m has been spent in the last three years, all from money contributed by residents of the communities. At this point, we have realised that we cannot continue to do this all by ourselves, and that’s why we are appealing to the state government to come to our aid. As you can see, the rally is a peaceful one because we are not fighting the government. We believe Governor Dapo Abiodun is a listening governor and he will come to our rescue.”

He listed some of the communities affected by the bad roads as Ijere, Origin, Wasimi, Kara Nla, Kara Kekere, Orimerunmu, Mowe, Ajerogun, and Magbon, to mention a few.

The Vice Chairman, Pakuro Area CDC, Olatokunbo Odediya, revealed that the construction of the roads will not only benefit residents of the communities linked by the roads but also the government which operates sand mining activities in the area.

“If the road is done, the cost of transportation will be reduced. As it is now, a journey that shouldn’t cost more than N200 now goes for almost N1000. People are beginning to flee the community due to the bad road which keeps getting worse. The government benefits from the area because sand mining activities are being carried out. If the road is done, the activities will run smoothly. The government should see this community as of great importance because the votes we gave the government in power were more than what was given in the previous elections. We still see ourselves as friends of the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration and we believe he will see to the situation. Right from Magbon down to Mowe, the state of roads in the area is bad.”

The residents also called the attention of the Senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Shuaib Salisu, and the Representative of Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda constituency at the Federal House of Assembly, Olumide Osoba, to the state of the roads.

One of them, Femi Ademola, said economic activities in the communities will boom if the roads are in good condition.

“Our communities are just 25 minutes from Lagos State. Many of us work in Lagos. Sadly, some are beginning to leave the area because of the bad roads. When people flee an area, economic activities in the area crumbles. Government should not wait for such to happen before coming to our rescue,” he said.

Also present during the rally of over a hundred people, including women and youths, was the Baale of Pakuro land, Olusegun Fatoyinbo, who lamented the neglect the area is facing.

“We call on the government to help us fix this road from Mowe down to Magbon. For now, the burden of the road has been that of the different communities in the area. Governor Abiodun should please hear our plea,” he said.