Residents of Sagamu have criticised the Ogun State Government for allegedly ordering the stoppage of an ongoing federal road project approved under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying the Governor does not feel their plight as he flies over it every day to and from work.
The Paddy-Arikawe Oye Igbimo Road reconstruction, awarded by the Presidency to Minim and Tonye Nigeria Limited and facilitated by Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was abruptly halted by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
In a letter signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Engr. Dr. Yusuf L.O., the contractor, was directed to suspend operations immediately on the grounds that “necessary permit/clearance was not obtained from ogún State Government before commencement.”
The letter further argued that the Presidency’s action “negates the normal due process which ought to be followed before commencing work on a State Government road.”
The decision has sparked outrage in Sagamu, where residents accused the state government of “pettiness and insensitivity.”
One resident who spoke anonymously said, “There are thousands of roads in the state begging for repairs and constructions, and this Ogun State Government is stopping the federal government from helping us out. This is the height of insensitivity. This governor has no empathy for the people.”
Speaking on the development, media aide to former governor Steve Oluyide stated that in recent times, five of Senator Daniel’s federal government interventions have been stopped by the present administration based on flimsy excuses.
He explained that the Gate Annexe Road, Ijebu Ode, is one of them, as well as Ayiepe-Irolu Road, among other road projects in his senatorial district.
Oluyide added that the federal government’s intervention in road projects is to complement the state government’s efforts in providing accessible and good road networks around the state, but what has been observed is a deceit mechanism, where the state government erects billboards whenever they notice or become aware of any intervention, in a bid to frustrate the projects.
Another source close to the project revealed that the road was facilitated by Senator Daniel through the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), with President Tinubu’s approval.
“The BCDA mobilised and started work on Wednesday. The speed with which they were stopped is shocking. This is not Daniel’s private project but a federal intervention. Instead of encouraging it, the governor is blocking it,” the source lamented.
While reacting, the special adviser to the governor on media and strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, explained that the essence is for those handling the project to submit their documents and adequately brief the state government before embarking on any road projects in the state.
Akinmade disclosed that the aim is for the government to know the kilometres of the roads the intervention is going to take and for the government to have prior knowledge of such projects.
He said, “In this instance, nobody briefed the government on any federal government road intervention, which is alien in the state. Is there a crime in requesting due process?”
He noted that the state is doing this to avoid duplication of effort, stressing that most of the roads in the state are already captured in the state budget.
“This is not the first time people have been notifying the state government when the need for road intervention arises. For instance, the former House of Representatives member, the late Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga, duly notified the state government when she attracted some constituency road projects to the state.”
