Oyo Communities Spend Over ₦22m on Failed Road, Bridge, Seek Makinde’s Intervention …residents say recurring floods destroy repairs, cut off access to workplaces; community says nearly 2 million people affected

Residents of more than 17 communities across parts of Ibadan have appealed to the Oyo State Government and elected representatives to urgently reconstruct a damaged road and bridge linking their communities, following repeated flooding that has destroyed repairs costing millions of naira.

The residents, who said they had spent more than ₦22 million on repeated palliative repairs, called on Governor Seyi Makinde, members of the National Assembly, local government officials and other political leaders to intervene before further rainfall worsens the situation.

The affected communities include Wire and Cable, Amugbekun, Abule Owo, Ita Faaji, Orisunmibare, Ajoke, Olohan, Fenwa, Okuta Dudu, Agbeni, Opopin, Papapa, Aba Ilori, Aba Omo, Owode Teachers’ Quarters, Adukanle, Agbofieti, University of Ibadan (UI) Quarters, Ajipeala Ologolo and All Saints, among others.

The residents said the road serves as an important link between several communities and provides a shorter route for commuters going towards Apata, Mokola, Dugbe, the University of Ibadan and other parts of the city.

Speaking on behalf of Liberty Garden Residents Association, the chairman, Evangelist Dawodu Sunday, said the road had deteriorated considerably because of heavy vehicular traffic and inadequate drainage.

He said, “As we just arrived, we noticed that we only have one road serving as our entrance and exit. If you check, it’s only this road that is safe from Ibadan Expressway, going into the estate, and it leads straight in. Unfortunately, it is now terribly damaged.”

Dawodu said the road had become a major route for motorists seeking to avoid the main expressway, thereby increasing pressure on the already deteriorating infrastructure.

He added that the community had repeatedly contributed money to carry out repairs, but the efforts had not produced lasting results.

“When we first started doing palliative work here, we contributed about five million naira. When it deteriorated further, we contributed again, adding another five point something million. The last one we did recently was around two million naira before the road got completely bad again,” he said.

The residents’ chairman expressed disappointment over the assistance received from the state government, claiming that the community was given only ₦200,000 despite the scale of the problem.

“Imagine, just ₦200,000 from the Oyo State Government, because we fall under Oyo State, whenever we call upon Oyo State, that’s what we get. Only ₦200,000 was given by the government,” he said.

Dawodu appealed to political officeholders, including the lawmaker representing their constituency, whom he identified as Mr Oseni, and other community leaders, to address their plight.

“We are begging them, our politicians, our honourable members currently in the House, like Mr Oseni representing our constituency, Ward 7, our elderly leader Chief Sarah Fadi Ali, and everyone else around here—we are calling on them and everyone else.

“Please, have mercy on us, look into our plight, and remember us because we also voted for you,” he said.

On the flooding, Dawodu said water from higher ground flowed into the community in large volumes, overwhelming the existing drainage system and making access to some residential properties difficult.

He called for a properly designed drainage channel, improved water passage and the construction of a bridge capable of withstanding the volume of floodwater. Community says ₦8m repairs washed away

The overall chairman of the community, Pastor Yemi Olukanni, said residents had made repeated attempts to repair the bridge and adjoining road, but the projects continued to be destroyed by heavy rainfall.

Olukanni, who said he oversees the area stretching from Ile Tuntun to the junction, Agbofieti and UI Quarters, described the financial burden on residents as enormous.

“Back to your statement that we have made an effort, is an under-statement, because we have made efforts, serious ones, more than four, five, six times,” he said.

He explained that residents spent more than ₦8 million on repairs in September, only for rainfall to wash away the work shortly afterwards.

“The one we did, this is just last month, September, and this is what it caused well over ₦8 million. And the rain that fell on Monday or so, Sunday, cleared everything. That is the end of ₦8 million, and who are we, where are we, nobody to assist us,” he said.

Olukanni estimated that the community had spent not less than ₦22 million on the road and bridge over time.

“Altogether, overall, at least, not less than ₦22 million naira,” he said.

He appealed to the state government to send officials to inspect the area and provide a permanent solution.

“We now want the government to please come to our aid here. Let them come and survey this place and give us a better bridge that can serve the community,” he said.

The chairman also appealed to political parties and their candidates to respond to the residents’ needs, saying several parties had visited the area ahead of the elections.

“About six or seven parties have been coming down here, but it is the one that bail us out that we are voting for,” he said.

He added: “We are appealing to the government, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, all our aspirants, Senate, rep, the local government chairman and all others, the rep, we are calling on them to please come to our aid.”

Olukanni concluded with the Yoruba expression, “Omo ti a ba fun lounje lo n moju eni,” meaning that the person who receives help is more likely to remember the benefactor.

Workers, commuters stranded

The chairman of Teachers’ Quarters at Aje Dukunle, Noah Johnson, said the damaged road and bridge were vital to workers travelling to the University of Ibadan, Challenge and other destinations.

Johnson said the communities had continued to contribute money towards repairs, only for heavy rainfall to wash away their efforts.

“We see that this road and bridge are very important to us because whenever it is time to go, all our people working at UI or Challenge take this route, and they don’t have another way,” he said.

He appealed to Governor Makinde and Engineer Oseni to help reconstruct the bridge, adding that the community was prepared to support leaders who addressed its needs.

“We are using this opportunity to appeal to the government, Engineer Seyi Makinde. You have been doing wonderfully well, and we know you can still do it. We are begging you, please come to our community and help us build this bridge,” he said.

Johnson also appealed to Senator Sharafadeen Alli, noting that the senator’s family house was in the community and that residents had previously written to him seeking assistance.

“We are pleading with all our strength that he should come to our aid and help us fix this road, and God will not let you fail,” he said.

Similarly, Deaconess Aliu Eunice Temidayo, of Olorun Busi Community, Agbofieti Teachers’ Quarters, said the route served as a shortcut for residents travelling from Wire and Cable, Omi and surrounding areas to Mokola, UI and other parts of Ibadan.

She said repairing the road would reduce traffic congestion on the Apata route and improve access to workplaces and residential areas.

“This place serves as a shortcut for us. We need help from the government so they don’t abandon us here and assume we live in the bush. We do live in the bush, people are here, many workers are here; please, for God’s sake, we need their help,” she said.

Temidayo said the communities had made several efforts to repair the bridge but could no longer shoulder the financial burden alone.

“The community has done its best, they have all struggled and tried their best. We need help from the government, from our father Seyi Makinde, the Governor of Oyo State, and the Senate too, like Remi Oseni and Engineer Sharafadeen,” she said.

She warned that the flooding had cut off access to parts of the road and appealed to the government not to allow workers and other residents to remain stranded.

“Your people are here, please help us, we need your help, please, we beg you for God’s sake. All the workers are packed there,” she said.

NLC chairman raises alarm

The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State Council, Odesanya Eji Oloye Martins, who said he also resides in the area, described the situation as a major infrastructure problem requiring government intervention.

Martins said the road had remained obstructed for days and that previous community-led repairs had repeatedly been destroyed by rainfall.

“As you can see, the passage has been obstructed for days now, and this will not be the first time,” he said.

He added: “A lot of efforts have been made earlier on, which have gulped millions of naira. The last one gulped about ₦8 million, and whenever we have an experience of heavy rain, it wipes up everything.”

The labour leader said the scale of the problem was beyond the financial capacity of the affected communities.

“We discover it’s a huge thing because it’s a huge project, which the community is incapable of taking care of. All the government stakeholders have to come to our rescue,” he said.

Martins explained that the road linked the Eleyele, Niyi Oth and Apata axes and offered a shorter alternative for motorists travelling towards Wire and Cable and neighbouring communities.

He estimated that the situation affected about eight communities and nearly two million residents, stressing that the road’s importance extended beyond the immediate neighbourhood.

He said he had previously led residents to the Ministry of Works at the state Secretariat to seek intervention but that their efforts had yet to yield a permanent solution.

Martins also said he had been informed that residents had contacted several political representatives, including Engineer Oseni, but that the community was still awaiting meaningful assistance.

“Maybe his attention has not been widely drawn to this place. He should please do the needful,” he said.

He also appealed to Senator Sarafa Ali and the state government to act, insisting that residents should not be left to bear the cost of major public infrastructure.

“These are your people. We can’t neglect them in time like this,” he said.

According to Martins, the only assistance he was aware of from the local government was ₦300,000 given to the community by the council chairman.

“The only time the local government came around, the chairman gave the community ₦300,000. I wouldn’t know what that is meant for on an issue like this,” he said.

He added: “The government should please come to our rescue in good time. It’s causing a lot of problems, making life unconducive for the residents. They should please come to our aid.”

Residents demand permanent drainage solution

Another resident, Odesanya Ajayi, said the flooding was an ecological problem caused by stormwater converging from several adjoining communities, including Alafara and other areas upstream.

Ajayi said the existing culvert could no longer contain the volume of water flowing through the area, making repeated palliative repairs ineffective.

“The terrible aspect is the water actually converges from Alafara, and the stormy water is what we are experiencing in our community. This has actually caused more disaster because we have heavy overflow whenever there is rain,” he said.

He explained that repairs carried out in the area were sometimes destroyed within weeks.

“In fact, we just fixed this area not quite long, and after we did it, I think three weeks after, we still have some other stormy or erosion that actually destroyed what we have done,” he said.

Ajayi called on the Oyo State Ministry of Environment and other relevant agencies to inspect the affected communities and design a lasting solution.

“We need this place to be dredged, one. Then we also need this place to be expanded, we want it to be expanded. Then we also need to establish the water corridor,” he said.

He stressed that the government needed to address the drainage problem beyond the immediate location, particularly along the water channel from Alafara to Bokusoro and the section leading towards Odo Ona.

“For us to be able to have a permanent solution to this, we want them to expedite decision in our favour quickly, because we can’t keep maintaining this area for long. We can only do a little bit of palliative, we need government intervention to come over and fix most of these things for us,” he said.

Ajayi warned that unless the adjoining communities were also covered by a comprehensive drainage project, work carried out at one point could be undermined by flooding from other areas.

The residents urged the government to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the road, bridge and drainage network, warning that further delays could worsen access problems, damage property and increase the financial burden on households.

They maintained that while community members were willing to contribute towards improving their neighbourhood, the scale of the flooding and the infrastructure required made government intervention indispensable.