Winners Chapel Rehabilitates Roads

RESIDENTS of Atan, Agbara, Joju and Sango areas of Ogun State, have lauded the headquarters of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (Winners’ Chapel International), Ota, for taking over the challenge of rehabilitating collapsed roads in the area, especially the 23-kilometre Atan-Lusada-Agbara highway, which was a flashpoint for several years.

These are roads that have been abandoned by government for years, which constitute serious challenges to residents, motorists and other road users.

Other roads under rehabilitation are bad portions at Joju road, Pako/Mosalasi, Toll Gate area and Canaanland, the Bells part of Idiroko express road; Iyana Iyesi, Nycil Junction, Honda, Ogun State Housing Estate, Oju Ore, all of which are along the Sango-Idiroko express road.

The entrance of Iyana Iyesi, as well as some bad portions between the junction and the inner points are also listed for rehabilitation.

Aside these, major rehabilitation is also going on at Anglican Bus Stop to Idi Pako linking AIT, which is a two kilometer road; the abandoned descending portion to Toll Gate from the Local Government to the expressway; Coca Cola-Ilogbo road, off Oju Ore; the collapsed Joju-Alisiba (off Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway) road; and the Sifor-Estate road. The portion from Sango roundabout to Joju roundabout, which had not been motorable for close to a year will be paved with interlocks to absorb shocks and damaging effects of heavy-duty vehicles.

As at last Wednesday, serious work was still going on at the Atan-Agbara road. Though nobody was willing to speak for the church, but one of the labourers told The Guardian that the second phase of the project, which includes Unilever-OPIC Estate road linking Mile 2 in Lagos, is under way.

It was learnt that the leadership of the Church, headed by Bishop David Oyedepo, had on several occasions taken up the responsibility of government by providing palliatives on the roads within the area to ease the plight of the people.

The Baale of Iludun, Atan, Chief Lateef Salami lauded the church for the gesture, stressing that it is timely. He noted that they still need to construct good drainage system on the road, so that the water coming onto the road can be properly channeled because whenever it rains, the water would flow to the houses beside the road. “The Church is doing a good job and we are praying for them, they should help us in that area so that we wont face the challenge of flooding.”

While condemning the state government for marginalising the area for years, he appealed that government should provide them basic amenities, roads, overhead bridge and the completion of the Sokoto road that had been abandoned since the era of former President Shehu Shagari.