… Bushes overrun abandoned lane

… Fresh potholes dot, wrecked completed section

… Motorists fear failing road could reignite kidnapping, criminal gangs

One month after the Minister of Works, David Umahi, directed contractors handling the 50-kilometre Akure–Ado-Ekiti highway dualisation project to resume work and complete the abandoned lane of the dual carriageway, there is still no visible sign that construction will resume anytime soon.

A visit by The Guardian to the Akure end and the Ikere-Ekiti end of the highway revealed a completely deserted site, with no contractors, workers, or earthmoving equipment present.

Thick bushes have already begun to take over the abandoned lane and the bridges constructed for the second carriageway, swallowing the earthworks and structures that once signalled an active project.

More disturbing, the section of the highway completed about a year ago is already failing, with sizeable potholes dotting various spots on the newly constructed lane.

The deterioration in some parts of the delivered carriageway, combined with the overgrown abandoned lane, has been described as a troubling picture of an N95.9 billion project sliding into neglect.

Motorists and residents have described the development as worrisome, particularly because the entire project has not been completed yet; the delivered portion is already in a terrible state.

They maintained that the rapid degradation could be attributed to the use of substandard materials and a lack of adequate supervision of projects by government officials.

The motorists added that if the failed portions are not quickly addressed, it could lead to the resurgence of criminal activities on the axis, which was once a haven for kidnappers and other criminal gangs.

According to them, the poor condition of the road, combined with the abandoned and overgrown second lane, creates an environment conducive to hoodlums and kidnappers who once terrorised travellers on the route.

A commercial driver plying the Akure–Ado-Ekiti route, who gave his name simply as Segun, stated, “Look at this road; they told us it was a new road, but there are potholes already. You will notice the potholes immediately after Iju when facing Ikere.

“It is not even one year since they finished this section, and it is already spoiling. If they used good materials, would this road fail so quickly?

Segun also raised the alarm over the security implications of the abandoned project, stressing that “This road used to be a den of kidnappers. We suffered so much on this axis before. Now, see the bushes growing on the abandoned lane.

“If they don’t fix this road quickly, criminals will return. The bushes are already providing cover for them. We are begging the government to act fast before we go back to those terrible days,” he added.

Another motorist, Mrs Funke Adekunle, a trader who travels frequently between Ondo and Ekiti, stated, ‘expressed her frustration over the poor state of the completed lane.’

“I was so happy when they finished this part of the road. I thought our days of struggling on bad roads were over. But now, the potholes are gradually returning.

“The government officials who supervised this work should be questioned. Where is the supervision? They gave us a bad road,” she lamented.

“If a newly constructed road is already failing, then something is fundamentally wrong. The government must investigate the quality of materials used and the level of supervision. We cannot continue to waste billions of naira on projects that do not last.

With a resident of the Iju axis of the carriageway, Lekan Akintayo, urging the government to consider the security implications of abandoning the project, stated that “This axis was once notorious for kidnapping. We thank God that the road was constructed and the criminality reduced.

“But now, with the bushes taking over the abandoned lane and the road failing, we are afraid that the criminals will return. The government must act fast. We cannot afford to go back to those days,” he added.

The original contract for the road, valued at about N30 billion, was awarded to Dantata & Sawoe in November 2019 but was later cancelled.

On 29 March 2023, the Federal Executive Council approved its re-award as a 50-kilometre dualisation project for N95.98 billion.

The Akure–Ondo State boundary section was awarded jointly to Samchase Nigeria Limited and Horizon Construction Company Limited for N46.68 billion with a 24-month completion period, while the section from the Ekiti boundary towards Ado-Ekiti was awarded to Kopek Construction Limited for N49.29 billion with a 30-month timeline.

The project was formally flagged off in May 2023 by the former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and the Minister of State for Transport, Ademola Adegoroye.

Fashola assured the public that the road would cost over N90 billion, be completed within 24 months, and that financing had been secured through the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme, guaranteeing that construction would not stop until completion.