Residents of Laderin, Olokuta, and Idi-Aba communities in Abeokuta South Local Government area of Ogun State have lamented the hardship they encounter in accessing the Prof. Wole Soyinka train station in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro in separate interviews on Saturday, described the state of the road as hellish, especially when it rains.
When our correspondent visited the communities, it was observed that some parts of the roads were damaged and inaccessible to road users.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Secretary of one of the Community Development Associations in the area, Gbenga Odesanya, lamented the deplorable state of the road.
Odesanya said, “This road has been a major concern for every community in this area. We have over 21 CDAs on this stretch of road, and this road is very important because it’s the main access road to the Prof Soyinka Train Station, Abeokuta.
“There are many schools and businesses that the state of this road has affected. Two years ago, we had a drowning child close to the canal which took the effort of community members to rescue the child.
“When rain is falling, our children don’t go to school, all businesses are closed, and some workers can’t get to work.”
He noted that several efforts had been made by the community to get the intervention of the state government, but all proved abortive.
Another resident, Adebowale Karounwi, who described plying the road as hell, noted that his car almost got swept away by flood the last time it rained.
“If it rains, you can’t use this road. It will be as if you are going to hell. The other time I came to pick up my uncle, the flood almost swept my car away,” he said.
Another resident, Collins Njoku, said the state of the road did not complement the beauty of the train station.
“The road is terrible and I am disappointed that this kind of infrastructure is here and one has to go through this kind of road to get here.
“Travelling with a train from one state to another is a beautiful experience. You do not have to go through this hardship to enjoy the train,” he said.
The President of the Egba Economic Summit, Shina Luwoye, said plying the road was like going through a jungle.
“You go to the Wole Soyinka Train Station, it is an embarrassment to that brand called Wole Soyinka that you cannot access that train station as of today. It is like going through a jungle,” Luwoye said.
He noted that quick intervention on the road would help to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the people of the state.
“Now that they have removed the subsidy on fuel, that is the only thing that the majority of people transiting between Abeokuta and Lagos and Ibadan can afford. I appeal to our governor to please visit that road for you to know what people are going through to access the great Wole Soyinka Train Station,” Luwoye concluded.
When contacted, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, said the road had been pencilled down for reconstruction.
“The 3.2km road is on the list we are evaluating for reconstruction,” he said.
