Stakeholders in Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, have raised the alarm over the deplorable condition of the Iseyin-Abeokuta road, calling on the Federal Government to urgently intervene to prevent further loss of lives and livelihoods.

The stakeholders, who inspected some failed sections of the road on Wednesday, said the highway had deteriorated to the extent that farmers, truck drivers and other road users were suffering significant losses.

President of Ebedi Frontliners, Iseyin, Segun Adeleke, who led the inspection of the collapsed section at Oja-Agbe, said the federal road had been neglected despite serving several agrarian communities in Oyo and Ogun states.

Adeleke said the road was last reconstructed during the first term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, adding that its current condition required urgent attention from the Federal Ministry of Works.

He said: “We have been too silent on the neglect of this road, which serves many agrarian communities from Iseyin towards Ibarapa area of Oyo State till you get to Abeokuta in Ogun State.

“Many farm produce get spoilt along the road as trailers and trucks get stuck on the way or fall by the roadside because of the collapsed sections of the road.

“We call on the Honourable Minister for Works, Engr. David Umahi, to please pay a visit to this road and see the condition. Apart from the collapsed section at Oja-Agbe, another bridge at Ado-Awaye has also collapsed, as well as other points along the road to Abeokuta.”

Also speaking during the inspection, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Iseyin, Itesiwaju, Kajola and Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Saheed Alaran, assured residents that the Federal Government would give the road the required attention.

Alaran commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his administration’s efforts in constructing the coastal road and rehabilitating existing roads across the country.

Other stakeholders, including the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Dasola Fadiran, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Psaltry International Company, Yemisi Iranloye, also expressed concern over the condition of the road.

They called for a “state of emergency” on the Iseyin-Abeokuta road, citing the impact of its poor condition on farmers, truck drivers and other road users.

The stakeholders said urgent rehabilitation of the road would help protect agricultural produce, ease movement and reduce losses being incurred by communities and businesses along the corridor.