Residents of Ile Ife in Osun State are seeking urgent Federal Government intervention on the completion of the major road in the town awarded over four years ago.

A drive from the main gate of the University through Lagere to Ilesa bye pass in Ile Ife would ordinarily takes about 12 minutes without traffic now takes between 35 to 40 minutes under same condition

A commercial driver in the town Mr. Ropo Elujoba who commutes students between Lagere and the Obafemi Awolowo University Campus daily complained of the damages done to his vehicle.

“I visit auto mechanic repairer workshop every weekends due to damages done to my vehicle. Every money I make is spent on fixing this bus”.

The comment of a lecturer at a private Polytechnic in the Ile Ife, Mr. Adesina Abubakar captures more vividly the experience of users as he explained that he often abandoned his car to join public transport to work daily

Mr. Abubakar described the road between OAU teaching hospital and the University as Federal Government facility which he said had been abandoned midway by the contractor.

Although, there is evidence of recent construction on the road, with some drainages and bridges completed, most especially around Seven days Adventist hospital, Mayfair and Lagere, but the work appeared abandoned.

Radio Nigeria met with the Federal controller of works in Osun State Mr Orisaleye Ayodeji who insisted that the project had not been abandoned, but the work was going on in a bit.

Mr. Ayodeji blamed the delay and slow pace of work on litigation arriving from issue of compensation for property owners along the axis.

Mr. Ayodeji stated that the matter was once settled out of court, until another stakeholders along the route went back to court, insisting on a particular module of compensation which must be paid before work continue on the road.

But if litigation is responsible for the slow pace in Ife axis of the road, what then could be responsible for that on the Osu axis?

Unfortunately, the contractor could not be located to provide answer to the question while motorists continue to groan under the poor state of the road.

The 22 kilometres Mayfair junction, Lagere, Iremo, Enuwa, Ilesa bypass road in Ile Ife had been awarded for dualization since year 2016.

Adenitan Akinola

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