High optimism as Makinde begins Saki-Iseyin road construction
17 December 2024 |
4:00 am
The ongoing construction of the Federal Government-owned 83.83-kilometre Saki-Iseyin Road in Oke Ogun axis of Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde, will no doubt bring great relief to millions of commuters travelling along the axis by the time it is completed in the next three months.
The ongoing construction of the Federal Government-owned 83.83-kilometre Saki-Iseyin Road in Oke Ogun axis of Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde, will no doubt bring great relief to millions of commuters travelling along the axis by the time it is completed in the next three months. SEYE OLUMIDE examines how citizens of Oyo are already reacting to the development.
For those who ply the Saki-Iseyin Road in the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State, the commencement of construction works on the axis by the Oyo State government through Kopek Construction Limited, is already an indication of the anticipated relief for commuters on that axis.
Particularly optimistic are the commercial vehicle operators and others whose daily businesses and or other factors make their movement frequent along the path.
Indeed, a commercial bus operator, who ply Ibadan to Iseyin and Saki, Morufu Bankole, said, “I can’t wait for the road to be completed. It’s been hell driving on Saki-Iseyin road daily in the last few years.”
Pointing at his vehicle, which was in the queue at Ojoo, where he usually loads, Bankole, said, “There is no week I don’t visit automobile mechanics for repair due to the bad state of the road. But with what is happening, my ordeal on Saki-Iseyin road will soon come to an end.”
Another driver, Adepoju Atanda, whose job is to transport agricultural products from Saki, Iseyin, Oke Ogun to Oyo, Ibadan and Ogun states, said his greatest joy, by the time the road construction finishes in the next three months, is that the long hours of driving due to the bad condition of the road will reduce drastically.
He lamented what he usually spent on fuel because of the unnecessary bad condition of the road coupled with the harrowing experiences he had had while travelling on many occasions.
Baba Jamiu, as he is fondly called at the park, related his harrowing experience on the road when some notorious armed robbery laid siege to unsuspecting drivers at various bad spots on the road.
Said he, “People talked about time wasted, fuel wastage and damages on vehicles; all those are replaceable but what about lives that have been wasted in road crashes and to armed robbers on the same Saki-Iseyin road over the years.”
He said Governor Makinde must have taught it right when he set aside sentiment whether the Saki-Iseyin road is a federal road but went ahead to fix it.
These and other experiences from traders, who travelled from different parts of Southwest and beyond to buy goods in Saki, Iseyin, Oke Ogun and beyond, were narrated to The Guardian about their various ordeals on the road.
A yam merchant, who often travels to Iseyin to buy yam, said, “Bad roads in Nigeria are one of the reasons food items are expensive. The cost of transportation is too high. I pray that what Governor Makinde has started, he will complete. I am dreaming of seeing the road completed as promised in the next three months. The road has been a death trap that has sent numerous people to their early graves; some are even maimed for life.”
Perhaps these harrowing experiences of innocent and helpless Nigerians on the Saki-Iseyin road, which must have been made available to the governor on a daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, as situation and security reports, prompted him into action.
But notably among the disposition of Governor Makinde to infrastructure provision, which several respondents alluded to in their testimonies, is that since 2019 when took over power, the governor has never played politics with whatever has to do with human welfare and or interests.
This must have informed his fair and even policies on infrastructure, especially road distributions and constructions whether it is federal, state or local government roads across the senatorial districts in Oyo.
Over five and half years ago when Governor Makinde took over power, one of the most deplorable federal roads in Oyo, is the Saki-Iseyin Federal Road in the Oke Ogun axis.
The road has not only been abandoned for years but it has also caused several casualties due to incessant accidents, and loss of economic and manpower basically because of unnecessary long hours spent by motorists while travelling.
There are always frequent crime rates like kidnapping, robbery and others all made possible because the 83.83-kilometre road has been left by various successive federal administrations to degenerate over the years.
The governor, over the years, has not concealed his determination to fix the Saki-Iseyin road, irrespective of whether it is a federal road, if and when possible.
To fulfil his promise, the governor had since directed the rehabilitation of the 83.83 km Saki-Iseyin Road, to ease the burden of Nigerians plying the axis.
The limited road rehabilitation commenced this month and is being executed by Kopek Construction Limited.
The rehabilitation includes a series of essential activities designed to improve the road’s structural integrity and ensure its durability. The activities include clearing, which involves removing vegetation, debris, and other obstructions along the road path, and preparing the site for construction by creating a clean and open area to work effectively.
It also involves scarification, which has to do with breaking up and loosening the existing road surface. This removes any damaged or worn-out material, creating a base suitable for rebuilding or resurfacing the road.
The earthworks are also ongoing, which include excavating, moving, and reshaping the soil to create a stable foundation for the road.
The earthworks also involve filling low-lying areas and levelling the ground for proper drainage and road stability.
The contractor is also doing the retaining walls, which involves building structures to hold back soil or prevent erosion, particularly on slopes. Retaining walls ensure the road’s stability and protect surrounding areas from landslides or soil collapse.
To ensure a perfect job, the governor has also directed the lateritic sub-base. This requires that a layer of laterite (soil rich in iron and aluminium) is spread and compacted to provide a strong and stable foundation beneath the road’s surface. The idea is to ensure that the layer absorbs vehicle loads and distributes them evenly.
Another significant structure of the road is the use of the Crushed Stone Base Course. A layer of crushed stones is added to the sub-base, which enhances the road’s strength, provides a firm surface for the upper layers, and ensures durability under heavy traffic.
Wearing Course: This is the topmost layer of the road, often made of asphalt. It provides a smooth driving surface, protects the underlying layers, and ensures the road’s durability against weather and traffic wear.
Following the directives of the governor, the entire 83.83 km of the Saki-Iseyin Road project is projected to be completed within three months and once completed, the road will offer improved accessibility, enhanced durability, and better driving conditions for residents and commuters.
Governor Makinde, during the commissioning of the dualised 12.5 km Challenge-Odo Ona Elewe-Elebu-Apata Road in Ibadan, said where roads go, development follows.
Other federal roads fixed by the governor in the last five years include the 65 km Moniya-Iseyin Road, the 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin Road and the 35.3 km Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road among others.
Meanwhile, motorists plying the Iwo/Ibadan Expressway way to used his magnanimity with that of Governor Ademola Adeleke to fix the road. While the motorists commended the governor over the near completion of the Olodo Bridge, they appealed to the governor and his Osun counterpart to do something on the Iwo) Ibadan Expressway.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Olarewaju Sulaimon, said his principal prioritises road development bearing in mind the progress it brings to communities and the state.
The COS referred to the recent completion of the 76.7 kilometers Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Road, which according to him has transformed the economic and social lives of people staying along the axis.
He also disclosed that the administration of Governor Makinde of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has successfully constructed and rehabilitated over 600 kilometres of roads within five years (2019-2024).
The Oyo State Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation, Professor Dahud Sangodoyin, said: “It has been discovered over the last few months that that road now is a death trap for people living along that axis, and we have some of our local governments – Iseyin Local Government, ATISBO – there. It has been abandoned. Part of the work that FERMA did on the road is spoilt.
“This period, our people will be moving from one town to another and we want to minimise accidents on roads as much as possible. So, His Excellency considered that we should go and do limited rehabilitation of that road so that at least we will be saving lives and property on the road.
“We are working towards three months, but the contractor will go on leave in the next one week. But as I speak now, we have addressed some areas around the Iseyin end towards Saki.
“Hopefully, before the end of next week, we will be able to cover some distance. After New Year, we will continue.”
A record, which has surpassed that of his predecessors, in the history of Oyo and especially in the last 25 years (1999 to 2024) of democratic governance. Makinde’s immediate predecessor, the late Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), constructed an estimated 200 kilometres of roads including the Mokola Flyover, the first of its kind in Oyo. These were achieved within the eight years of Ajimobi’s rule.
The late Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who governed Oyo from 2007 to 2011 was said to have allegedly constructed over 33 kilometers of road before he was defeated by Ajimobi in the 2011 gubernatorial poll.
In the past five years in Oyo, Governor Makinde has ensured the construction and rehabilitation of intra and inter-cities roads across the 33 local governments and major ones across the three senatorial districts.
Some of the roads are; Moniya-Iseyin road (completed), Theophilus Akinyele Way, (completed) Onipepeye road,(completed), Oyo-Iseyin road, (completed), Ibadan-Airport road (completed) Olorunsogo-Akanran road, (ongoing)), Eruwa road (ongoing) to mention but few.
The development has endeared the present administration to the heart of the people, one of the major factors that moved the electorate in Oyo to re-elect Governor Makinde massively during the 2023 gubernatorial poll in which the incumbent trashed his major opponent and rival, Senator Teslim Folarin of the APC in 31 local governments out of the existing 33.
A former Commissioner for Works, Oyo State, Prof. Raphael Afonja, said the people of Oyo may not fully realise the economic impacts of Makinde’s deft road construction policy now until later in the future.
He noted the incumbent has opened the state and it will require someone with similar vision to build on it.
He said the road is a great boost to economic activities along the path, especially agricultural products, which in the past used to get spoiled due to inaccessible roads.
He said the baseline behind Governor Makinde’s vision on infrastructure development is to connect Oyo State to enable farmers, business owners, miners and all that have access to opportunities that can make the state economically viable.
According to him, “Opening new roads means giving people the opportunity to have access to new spaces, new lands in places that have never been looked at as places where there can be opportunities or host some kind of businesses.
“I am big on manufacturing and I think it is about time we encouraged manufacturers to bring their businesses to Oyo State.”
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