Good road network is a crucial
component of the development of human settlements because the people
need to move about unhindered in the course of carrying out their daily
activities.
Because of the importance of good roads
to socio-economic development, the Ekiti State Government has made the
construction of new roads and rehabilitation of existing ones an
important of its eight-point development agenda.
With limited resources to execute
developmental programmes because of its position as number 35 on the
revenue sharing formula among the 36 states of the federation, the Dr.
Kayode Fayemi-led administration faced a difficult task in transforming
the largely rural and agrarian state.
Apparently convinced of the importance
of a good network of roads, the government had approached the capital
market last year to raise an infrastructural development bond of N20bn,
with half of the amount devoted to linking the various communities
through an extensive road network.
The move now appears to be paying
dividends with most of the projects embarked upon by the Fayemi
administration at advanced stages of completion, while some have been
delivered.
The governor explained, “Ekiti State is
rural and agrarian, most urban dwellers don’t usually come here because
of bad roads. We want to make the state the investment and tourism
destination of Nigeria.
“Because of our investments in road
rehabilitation and construction, Ekiti is now the link between the South
and the North because most vehicles going to Abuja from places like
Lagos, Ibadan and other cities in the entire southern region now use the
roads we have developed to get to Kogi State and then to the Federal
Capital Territory.”
Among the critical road projects that
the Fayemi administration initiated and has completed are the
Ijigbo-Isato-Ile Abiye road and the box culvert connecting Apostolic
Faith community with the Ajilosun main road.
Some of the project inherited from
previous administrations in the state but which the present government
has completed are the 3.21-kilometre New Iyin-NTA-Ilawe bye pass and
Judges’ Quarters road; Erijiyan-Ilawe road, 14.3km; Ijesa Isu-Ode road,
10km; and Odo Owa-Oke Ila road, 12km.
Others are Awo-Iyin road, 6km;
Ayede-Gede-Omu road, 22.5km; Osun-Iloro road, 9.4km; and
Secretariat-Aedele road extension, 0.26km.
The government also has 18 road projects
that it initiated currently at various stages of completion. Theses
include the Ado-Ilawe road, 11.5km; Ado-Afao road, 10.74km;
rehabilitation of failing culverts along Adebayo-Housing road;
Ilawe-Igbaraodo-Ibuji road, 17km; Ijan-Ise road, 17km; Fajuyi-University
Teaching Hospital road, 1.65km; Ikogosi-Ipole Iloro road, 24km; and
Omisanjana-Deeper Life Church, Ikere road, 9.3km.
Others are Ojumose-Basiri-Police
Headquarters-Iyin road, 4.9km; Oye-Ikun-Otun road, 43km; Ikere-Igbaraodo
road, 19km; Igede-Awo-Ido road, 24km; Ikole-Ijesa Isu-Iluomoba road,
23km; Ijagbo-Baptist College (Ilawe) road, 3.62km; Old Garage-Ado-Ikere
road, 13km; Ijero-Ipoti-Ayetoro road, 17km; dualisation of the Old
Garage-Ojumose road, 0.8km; and dualisation of Atikankan-NITEL-Baptist
road, 0.9km.
Among the inherited road projects that
the administration has taken on and are at advanced stages of completion
are the Ikere-Emure road, 30km; Itawure-Okemesi-Osun State border road,
15.67km; Ewu bridge; Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki road dualisation, 19km;
Aramoko-Ijero-Ido road, 27.56km;Oke-Iya Sharp Corner-Ara road; Wuraola
Gomez Street, GRA, Ado road, 762m; and Ode Ile-Okemesi junction road,
8.5km.
Others are Irele-Ponyan road, 11.64km;
Ori Apata-Adebayo road, 2.6km; Aisegba-Ijesa Isu road, 14.06km;
Otun-Isan-Ora road, 9.6km; Ilemeso-Omu road, 3.6km; Oye-Are road,
12.14km; Ode township road, 2.5km; Olokuta-Ilora road, Ado, 736m; and
Ikere-Ilawe road, 20km.
Fayemi said, “Most of the roads we are
fixing belong to the Federal Government because we cannot tell our
people that some roads are bad because they are federal roads and we
cannot do them. We have been discussing with the Federal Government on
the debt they owe us for the roads, which is about N10bn.
“I promised Ekiti people the best within
available resources. The contractors we are using are reputable and
have given me the guarantee that the roads they are handling will not be
revisited in 10 years’ time. We ensure that they carry out soil test in
order to determine the appropriate materials to use. We have also asked
every local government council to fix 10km of roads each.”
The governor gave a hint that his
administration might restrict the movement of interstate heavy duty
trucks because most the roads were designed for 30 tonnes of axial load
trucks, but were presently being plied by 90-tonne trucks in order to
get to the northern part of the country.
The Commissioner for Works and
Transport, Mr. Sola Adebayo, said the government had already accessed
about half of the N14bn voted for road construction and rehabilitation
in the 2012 budget, and that the intention was to make all the towns and
cities in the state accessible by 2014.
The Special Assistant to the Governor on
Roads, Mr. Sunday Adunmo, said the government had paid compensation to
property owners affected by the widening of township roads to the tune
of N275m before construction works commenced.
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