The contractor handling the expansion of river banks under the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) has been asked not to block the Akanran road at Ogbere-Tioya bridge to vehicular movement until suitable alternatives have been found for the convenience of road users.
The contractor has earlier blocked the road, which led to congestion of traffic movement and difficulty for residents of the area to move freely.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Dr. Idowu Oyeleke who visited the project site on Monday morning after he learnt of the tension the blockade created said as good as the river bank expansion project was, the greater good was for the people that would benefit from it to be given better alternative route to ply till the project would be completed.
Earlier, the Che Chief Executive Officer, CEO Ilaji Hotel & Sports Resort, Chief(Dr) Engr Dotun Sanusi, motorists and others have lamented over the current hardship that the alternative routes to roads’ closure is causing.
The entrepreneur added that the decision taken by government to close the two roads simultaneously justifies that it has no passion for humanity and keeps no welfare of people at hearts.
CEO stressed that the current population of people in Ona-Ara LG is approximately to 1M, saying the blockages of the two roads at a time without considering these people shows how government lacks humanity.
Sanusi said that he had earlier had meeting with the Ona-Ara Caretaker Chairman, Hon Musbau Saba where they resolved to closed one road and leave the other, until the bridge’s construction of the first closed road is completed.
He said he was surprised to have seen that the two roads have been closed, despite fruitful discussion on ways and manner that the roads should be handled in order to prevent the hardship that the users will face.
Sanusi said that the hardship on roads’ diversion had no doubt triggered increase in fare, paralysis of business, health challenges and other hazards being orchestrated by the blockage of roads.
Agbaye Oladiran Sunday, a commercial motorcyclist in the area lamented that the blockage of roads had caused total hardship and traffic gridlock in the area.
Belgium Alhaji Eri, a motorist plying the axis said that the closure of roads and diversion to alternative routes had caused more suffering to them, considering the stress, financial increase on fare and other adverse effects, enjoining government to facilitate its instant completion.
Akinyemi Akinjide, a tanker driver said that their journey on diversion roads had been extended as they need to ply in a compound leading to Tioya, Babanla and Ore-Meji before they could get to lanes leading to their destinations, advising government to close one road and leave the other, until one is completed before blockage of the second one.
The Caretaker Chairman, Ona-Ara LG, Hon Musibau Saba appealed to all motorists, motorcyclists and others users of the roads to be patient as government will fix the two bridges in no distant time for easy passage of all people.
