By Nudoiba Ojen
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said that the eight-kilometre Mowe-Ofada Road in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, described as an alternative to Lagos – Ibadan Road, will be completed by the end of October.
The governor also approved the rehabilitation of Adesan Road in the same axis following appeals by representatives of the community.
Abiodun, who made the disclosure during an assessment and inspection of work done so far on the Mowe – Ofada Road, said his administration had since it came on board in 2019, ensured equitable distribution of infrastructure across the 20 local governments in the state.
He said, “The Mowe – Ofada Road falls in the category of abandoned roads this administration inherited from the immediate past administration in the state.
“The road was in a deplorable condition because, although contract for the rehabilitation of the road was awarded by that government, only the binder course and the drainages were done.
“We had to renegotiate the contract with the contractor; we gave him more money because I have always believed that governance is a continuum. It is you, our people, that pay taxes for us to use to construct these projects. The money belongs to you and not any man. We, therefore, decided that the road must be finished”.
Abiodun said that the project had been redesigned to accommodate an outfall to ensure smooth flow of water in the drainage. We noticed that the drainage was not flowing anywhere because no outfall was provided. We have since redesigned for an outfall so that the drainage will now begin to flow.
“This Mowe – Ofada Road represents an alternative road to the Lagos – Ibadan expressway. This community is our border community with Lagos State, a lot of people live and work here, others live here and work in Lagos State. They are constantly commuting between Lagos and Ogun states,” he said.
The governor expressed appreciation to the people of the local government for their support, especially during the general elections, even as he called for their continued support and patience.
Abiodun stated that his administration would continue to look for ways to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal by the Federal Government.
He promised to ensure that the palliatives currently being distributed in the state will get to the masses.
He added that the conversation of buses from diesel/petrol to compressed natural gas and motorcycles and tricycles to electricity would reduce the cost of transportation in the state even below what it was before the subsidy removal.
The Baale of Mowe, Alhaji Yahaya Oriyomi; Baale of Asese, who is also the Public Relations Officer of the Council of Baales in the state; Chief Kasunmu Jamiu Sonola; and the Iyaloja of Mowe, Alhaja Morufat Adebiyi praised Governor Abiodun for ensuring the commencement of the project as well as for adding Adesan Road to the initial project.
