Ido/Eruwa Road : A project designed to deceive Ibarapaland

By Sola Abegunde

The contract for the rehabilitation of the Ido/Eruwa Road  was flagged off shortly before the 2023 gubernatorial election.

By calculation,  that is about two years ago.

The road is between an estimated 50 to 52 klm.

Two contractors were engaged by the Oyo state Government for the purpose of rehabilitating the Road and according to the Governor, the two contractors were to start work simultaneously and the Governor promised speedy completion of the project.

One of the contractors was to start from the New Eruwa end  of the Road and the other one was engaged to start work from the Ido end of the Road.

Originally, the construction of the Road by the late former Governor Lam Adesina was from Eleyele/Ido/Eruwa, 57 klm in total stretch.

Note that the Contractor engaged by Governor Makinde to handle the rehabilitation from the Eruwa end is a Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ibarapa Land and a member of Governor Seyi Makinde’s Advisory Council.

Only God and Governor Makinde knows the identity of the other Contractor who is handling the project from the Ido end.

As I write this piece, the two Contractors are yet to cover 2 klm put together and if you’re in doubt, just take a ride but ensure your Mechanic is on standby.

In other words, not even 2 klm of work has been done by the two Contractors in two years!

Have you ever seen anything like that?

Some of us are not surprised that the rehabilitation of the Road project is having issues.

It was clear from the onset that Governor Makinde never had the genuine intentions of rehabilitating that Road.

He just needed something with which to deceive the people of Ibarapa to secure their votes for his second term.

During the Campaign for the gubernatorial election of 2023, the people of Ibarapa Land, most especially, Ibarapa East did not hide their anger against the Government of Seyi Makinde.

One of the focal points of their anger was the terrible state of the Eleyele/Ido/Eruwa Road which has been neglected by the Governor throughout his first term despite the Appeals made to him for the rehabilitation of the Road.

There were a lot of issues raised also about the abandoned Road projects by the younger brother of the Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly.

It was certain that both Governor Makinde, the Speaker and other Candidates of the PDP in Ibarapa Land were in danger of rejection by the electorates.

Governor Makinde quickly ensured that the patching of the Road between Igboora and Igangan was done and the flag off for the Ido/Eruwa Road from the Eruwa end was done at New Eruwa where the Governor promised heaven and earth.

The rest as they say is History.

The Governor got what he wanted and the promises are in the air since then.

For me, it is a case of being forewarned. Some of us told our people that the intention of the Governor was not genuine but those warnings were not heeded.

Ko si lowo eni to je Amala ti o sanwo, eeyan to fegusi se nama ni o kare. ( Little could you blame the guest who finished a delicious meal of Amala and egusi soup and thereafter forgot to wash his hands).

How on earth could you seriously take the promises of someone who promised to upgrade the Eruwa Farm Settlement and failed to do anything about it?

Someone who promised to build a Mini Stadium in Igboora and failed on the promise?

The Road projects he awarded for the younger brother of the Speaker at New Garage junction/ Oke Ola, Alayande junction/ Isaba and the Roads within the Lanlate Campus of the College of Education were completely abandoned as at the time he needed a second term and was making promises of heaven and earth, yet, you went ahead to reinforce failures by giving him another four years!?

It is important to say here that the rehabilitation of the Road from Ido to Omi was flagged off  same time as  the Ido/Eruwa Road.

The Road from Ido to Omi has since been completed more than a year ago.

The Alao Akala Road between Iseyin and Ogbomoso was started after the flagg off of the Ido/Eruwa Road.

The said project has also been completed.

I have written so much about the unfortunate circumstances around the rehabilitation of the Ido/ Eruwa Road and sometimes ago, I thought that I needed to leave Governor Makinde, Debo Ogundoyin and others who I see as those who have been chosen to serve as the Eagles but who could not hunt chics to posterity. ( A fi won joye Awodi, won o le gbe Adire).

However,  an accident that occured on the Road a couple of days ago would not let my conscience be and I saw the need to poke the consciousness of those who are responsible for the terrible incident.

I deliberately did not say their conscience because I doubt if those ones still have what you could refer to as a conscience.

The heavy rains of this last Saturday has washed a part of the drainage of the less than a kilometer of Road tarred around the New Eruwa axis, occassioning the accident.

I saw the pictures of a commercial vehicle carrying tomatoes lying with the four wheels up.

I am not surprised that such is happening.

The quality of the job done itself is suspect.

The asphalt laying is so thin. Those who have traveled on the Road will definitely understand what I am saying.

The other issue is that of the Contractors Governor Makinde are engaging for Road projects and I will be particular about Ibarapa now.

The PDP Leader who is contracted to handle the job from the Eruwa end is known to be a Legal practitioner.

Tell me. What manner of job do you expect from a Legal practitioner who has been given the job of Road rehabilitation?

The other Roads earlier mentioned were given to the younger brother of the Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly.

I do not know the rationale behind such a reckless decision and I say it with due respect to the Governor.

I challenge the young man in question to publish his Certificate of Incorporation that entitled him to take such a job.

Of utmost importance is the issue of timing.

How could a Road rehabilitation project of less than 55 klm, awarded to two different Contractors, linger for more than two years?

I remember one myopic individual asking me how two years equate to an eternity when I wrote a piece and said the project is taking till eternity to be completed.

Governor Seyi Makinde does have a lot of people in the Press who love to jump at you any time you expose him.

I am not surprised. By the Governor’s style, he has built a lot of Walls of defence for himself or should I say bought?

Sometimes you will think that those who are officially engaged to do the Governor’s PR have taken their mouths to the ” Alagbafo” by the way this unofficial lickspittles jump at you.

Sadly and unfortunately, most of them are not only lazy. They equally lack the ability of critical thinking and analysis.

If two Contractors are only able to cover roughly two klm of work between themselves in two years and the job given to them covers about 50 klm, how will that not take an eternity to finish?

There was one who was reacting to a particular story I did recently.

He was angry with me because, according to him, I have not been writing to criticize Tinubu.

You will think that he had written against Tinubu and I took him up for doing so.

I am an Ibarapa man from Eruwa. I know what I see on my way to my home Town and within the Town.

I travel around Oyo state and I know what I see.

The missed opportunities by this Government. The misplaced priorities.

As a former office holder in the Local Government system, I know how things worked when I served and how this Government has completely killed our Local Governments.

When will I ever finish writing about Governor Makinde, who has the resources of both the state and the 33 Local Governments at his disposal and is misappropriating it before I begin to worry myself about someone in Abuja?

This is not to say that I have issues with anyone who have issues with Abuja. Far from it. Public officials must be queried and questioned by the public.

That has been my belief all along but I have so much in my plate at home.

Now, to the issue of the Ido/ Eruwa Road. Like I have said, it is not the genuine intentions of the Governor to rehabilitate the Road when he did the flag off.

It was for political optics and he has achieved his aims.

What story has Governor Makinde not told about the Ido/Eruwa Road?

At a point, he said some individuals embezzled the money earmarked for the rehabilitation of the Road by the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

I recollect hearing him boasting that he was going to collect the said money to the last Kobo even though he said some people were begging him to overlook the alleged fraud.

Let me now ask the Governor, who are the people he alleged of embezzling the money meant for the rehabilitation of the Road?

Where are the characters today? With him or against him?

Did he collect the money as promised or did he accept the pleas of those who he claimed were begging him?

In other words, did he, as they say, opted to swallow the ( ebure, awo olugbebe) and if he did, on what terms?

Those who know how to hide things must remember that there are some who are better at finding out.

Unfortunately, it is Ibarapa that is bearing the burnt of the Governor’s hide and seek games with those he once accused of defrauding the state.

There is a song our mothers used to sing. You will pardon my interpretation. Whenever we engaged in dirty tricks and we have been exposed, even, without stating the particulars, they would sing to warn you that they got your tricks.

“Eekuru a ta lau, nile onisebe, gbogbo ohun e faso bo, yoo yo”, they would sing. ( It is a song that depicts the fact that you can not hide your cooking from public knowledge. The fragrance of pepper will give you out).

How I missed those times!

Sola Abegunde writes from Eruwa