The Osun Masterminds, a civil society group based in Osun State, has urged Governor Ademola Adeleke not to proceed with the planned construction of two flyovers in Osogbo. Instead, the group recommends that the funds allocated for these projects should be redirected toward widening existing roads throughout the state.
During the monthly media parley of The Osun Masterminds in Osogbo, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, the Executive Director of the group, expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of critical road infrastructure in the state. He called on Governor Adeleke to take immediate action to prevent further deterioration.
Oyedokun-Alli acknowledged that some major roads in the state fall under federal jurisdiction but cautioned that neglecting these roads could have adverse effects on the safety and security of residents and their property.
He said, “We are compelled to call the attention of the Osun State Government to the state of some critical infrastructure in the State. One important example is the Ibadan-Gbongan-Akure highway.
“While we understand that the Highway is a Trunk A road and should primarily be maintained by the Federal Government, we advise the State Government to liaise with relevant agencies of the Federal Government to maintain the section of the road that is within the domain of our State.”
On the plans by the Adeleke administration to construct two flyovers in Osogbo, Oyedokun-Alli said, “We recently got informed of plans by the State Government to construct flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas of Osogbo. We understand that plans are already underway to get these projects executed, but we want to offer a little counsel that may save the State some resources.
“As one of our subsidiaries, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), counseled against the construction of the Olaiya Flyover before it was implemented, we are counselling against the construction of flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas. Our counsel is premised on the state of Osun’s finances, vis-a-vis the level of urgency of such infrastructure at the proposed locations.
“A simple dualisation of LAMECO – Oke-Fia – Old Garage stretch of road and signalisation of that stretch, will solve whatever traffic bottlenecks there may currently exist there. More specifically, traffic lights at LAMECO, Oke-Fia, and Old Garage, on a dualized road, will ease every traffic congestion currently being experienced on the road.
“We advise that the government redirects the funds it will expend on constructing flyovers, to widening major roads in towns whose major roads are currently too narrow for the kind of traffic that goes through them. Major towns like Ikirun, Iwo, Ilesa, Ejigbo, and Ila-Orangun are in dire need of wider major roads, to reduce the risk to lives occasioned by the dense traffic that passes through those towns.”
Reacting to the position of the group on behalf of the government, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, said the administration was open to counseling and advice especially when such were dispassionate and devoid of political partisanship.
Alimi also said the Adeleke administration has an infrastructure plan that has a sustainable funding model and which targets the facilitation of economic growth and development of the state.
He said, “On the issue of flyover in Osogbo, we assure the public that the project design is such that it will not create an unbearable burden on the state even as the state needs to upgrade her infrastructure to achieve economic growth.”
