With the continued reports of fuel-loaded tankers falling due to the deplorable hilly roads in Adiyan, a sleepy community in Ogun State, UTHMAN SALAMI chronicles the fear of residents who believe they have been abandoned by the government
On a Sunday night in June 2023, the smell of fuel filled Mrs Mary Adebunkola’s apartment in Adiyan, a community located in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. The mother of three woke up almost immediately, and the smell of petrol permeated the entire compound in the wee hours of the day.
“When I woke up, I heard noises from outside our compound. I was not sure what was going on, but almost like a faint sound, I heard people calling out others to switch off electronic appliances and any other gadget that could trigger light,” were Adebunkola’s words when this correspondent visited the community.
This correspondent learnt that dangerous and upsetting incidents like these were not unusual in the area, that fuel tankers tipping over and spilling their flammable products was almost becoming the norm in Adiyan, and that almost every child in the community was familiar with the emergency number during such emergencies.
The fact that the Adiyan Waterworks, which refines over 45 million gallons of water per day for the people of Lagos State, is only three kilometres from the community is even more concerning.
Even though the town is named after the Waterworks, this correspondent who visited the town noted that the waterworks is situated between Agbado and Oke-Aro, two neighbouring Adiyan communities.
The Vice Chairman of the Community Development Committee, Ifesowapo Moboluwaduro Adiyan, Ololade Okunola, noted that the community had gone through a similar situation, about three times in 2023 alone, the most recent one almost resulted in a protracted blackout. He lamented that the fuel tanker incident was starting to become a periodic incident.
He said, “The biggest problem for the community has continued to be fuel tankers that travel this route. There are two gas stations close by. At least, six fuel tanker accidents have occurred, with three of those happening this year. The most recent one, which occurred barely a month ago, truly terrified the entire neighbourhood. When the tanker fell, it was filled with a petroleum product. We resorted to ordering every resident to remain inside. The entire community members found it to be a terrifying event. It came quite close to hitting a nearby power pole. The high-tension cable was affected.
“The 33 towns in this region receive their electricity from this high-tension line. We won’t have light if we don’t fix it quickly. The electricity distribution officials company told us they had started tracing it when we met with them, and that is what brought them to this location. The community convened a meeting with the filling station managers to request that they fill the vintage of their stations, and they did so. However, the issue with this road affects more than just the neighbourhood’s front half.”
The Financial Secretary of the CDC, Oyeyele Oladimeji, added, “Some people once wanted to blame the residents who run the filling stations in the community. But the problem is beyond the gas stations. The community’s roads as a whole are in poor conditions. The community will occasionally fill sacks with sand and use them to repair the drainage system so that the roadways don’t flood. Fuel spills from falling trucks into the community are now fairly common. Every time we see a fuel tanker, we are always afraid.
“The majority of these incidents took place in the middle of the night, once everyone was asleep. To stop cars from entering the community, all the residents would get up and stand in front of each entrance. There could be severe consequences if we don’t take the action right away, including the potential for a community-wide firestorm.”
Commenting, an official of the Nigerian Federal Fire Service, Adewale Sijibola, stated that the problem might be related to several other factors other than deplorable roads.
Sijibola said, “Although the road is a major challenge, the carelessness of the owners of the tankers and drivers is also a major factor. Many of the tankers are not usually properly latched on the body of the truck. There is a technology they use for latching. Many of the owners of the trucks don’t have these technologies. So if they get to where there are potholes and poor roads, they tumble and fall. But if the trucks are properly latched, the content will not spill. This is mostly on the part of the owners of the trucks.
“Secondly, some of the drivers are inexperienced. They drive these trucks as if they are driving cars. They are not always cautious when driving a heavy-duty truck. The trucks are not properly maintained. The battery terminal might have been damaged for a long time without proper replacement or repair. This may even cause the truck to explode while in motion. The same thing applies to the tyres of the trucks.
“However, immediately after such a thing occurs, the place should be condoned from all human activities. This is because of the content of the truck, which is highly flammable. A little spark can lead to a devastating effect. The best option for the people living in the community at the time of the incident is to vacate the premises, pending the arrival of the firefighters. We have chemicals that we use in cooling the tanker down. We don’t use ordinary water. It is dangerous for anyone to even try to scoop the spilled content.”
Deplorable road
The entire road leading to the Adiyan community itself has nearly been abandoned by commercial bus drivers as residents travel in and out of the area on commercial motorcycles. No fewer than three motorcyclists had turned down the offer of taking this correspondent down to the community despite promises of a higher pay. When a motorcyclist finally agreed to accept the offer, he made it clear that he would have this correspondent alight at the tail of the community.
While the road leading to the community itself is bumpy and hilly, commercial motorcyclists abandoned the entire route and created a makeshift path not very far from the major road. Though the makeshift was not without quicksand, this correspondent learnt that the entire route used to be overrun by flood, especially during the rainy season.
A motorcyclist, Azeez Adamu, explained that residents in the community live in fear. According to him, pregnant women and older people avoid the roads leading to Adiyan. The journey to Adiyan itself took several minutes to arrive from Olambe junction.
He said, “Even those of us who work daily in this community sometimes pity some of the residents. As you know, motorcycles can easily navigate big potholes, unlike vehicles. We have created our route to the community. Because of the state of the road, our businesses are shut down during downpours or when it drizzles for a few minutes.
The condition of the Adiyan road is the cause of the frequent fuel-loaded tankers falling to the ground like flies. The residents believe that the community’s roads, particularly the “Adiyan Abule” route, were abandoned for years. Some of the residents who spoke with this correspondent had started to wonder if they belonged to the state. They claimed that the community’s poor road conditions had made many inhabitants look run-down and added to their stress.
“Look at me, I am not as old as my age; it is what this road has made me become. This state of the road is affecting our mental state. Besides the fact that the roads are bumpy, we spend more hours on them and are charged. This road has caused a lot of hardship to residents, making people age faster due to regular wear suffered from the deplorable state of the road,” a food seller identified as Bunmi lamented.
Motorcyclists providing palliatives
Though Adiyan Abule and Adiyan Gasline are located in the same community, the latter has seen more interventions from commercial motorcyclists and a few shop owners.
One Adesoga Muiz, who spoke on behalf of the motorcycle riders, said his colleagues donated money to sand-fill the roads in the area as palliatives, noting that the project for the construction was beyond what they could shoulder.
Muiz said, “We all know that these roads are not minor projects that the landlords, tenants, or the union can handle. They are government’s roads. We are only doing all we can, but you know there is little we can do. Just yesterday, we had to patch with some sand we contributed funds to buy. A lot of the time, we collect money from the people around us to get some of the things we need to patch up the road.
“It has not been easy for us at all. We are all here because we didn’t have a better alternative. And if you observe, most of the people riding motorcycles here are mostly from the North. We are only begging the government to come to our aid. It has not been easy for us in this community, especially for Okada riders. Our business is almost grounded when it rains. No motorcyclist rider dares go out.”
A spare part dealer in the community, identified as Femi Oladimeji, said many people were not encouraged by the negligence of the government towards the roads in the community, adding that a proper drainage system had remained a major headache for many residents.
Oladimeji said, “When the guy who owns the hotel that is not far from this place intended to level it up a bit, there was nobody to support him. When all the tenants and those of who had shops in this place all came out to help the situation, these people still refused to show up for us. If we had more support and saw the landlords come out to join hands with the tenants, even if the government forgot us, we would be better off. The major problem in this particular area is the lack of proper drainage. All the waters that are coming from the neighbouring communities have found their way into this channel.
“You can see how narrow the gutter is. We need something better. We need to redirect the water flow. And if we cannot do this, the government can at the very least help us expand the drainage. To be honest, the motorcycle riders in these areas are doing more than enough. They put palliatives on the road most of the time. And there is no single time that we have to call on them that they have never responded with positive energy.”
Residents pay N1,000
Some residents believe their efforts on the road have become wasted, noting that it took only communal efforts to develop the road to its current state.
Speaking, Okunola said, “As sloppy as it is, we have repaired the road. But all efforts are just wasted on the road. It was our communal efforts that led to the current state of the road. It was very narrow before now. We had to demolish some fences to widen the road. This happened some years ago. This road was not even as good as this.
The financial secretary of the CDC said, “We sometimes pay N1000 for the repair. But the large chunk is borne out of the responsibilities of the executive members because if you ask them to pay N1000, you could spend one year before they pay. The responsibilities will now fall on the executives of the CDC.”
During a visit to the palace of the Aladiyan of Adiyan, Oba Sunday Onifade, this correspondent observed that the roads leading to the compound were not any better than the rest of the community’s. The drainage system just in front of the building had collapsed to flood level, leaving only the clay pipe. When this correspondent spoke with Oba Onifade at his residence in the community, he said the contributions could not bring an end to the suffering of the residents.
Onifade said, “There is no community that the people living there don’t make efforts to ensure that it developed, and for peace and progress to thrive. With the little financial power that these people have, they try as much as they can to support one another in fixing the roads. We cannot do everything at once, except take it one after the other. The challenges are many. The areas that are still motorable are the Alagbado side.
“This particular road leads directly to Ogun River. That area requires an extension. We have to cut off all the trees that have dominated the road. There is a lot of work to be done there. It has been neglected and almost abandoned. Some of the elders in the community also met to discuss how the roads could be cleared off so that people could begin to use the place.
“But it appears where we are down to the hill to Agbado is what has been causing major challenge. We used to hire graders to repair the road. If we can grade the road down to Alagbado, we can enjoy the road. We have written letters upon letters. The government has received several of these letters but we have yet to see any tangible response to this effect. I don’t think they are ready to help us in this community.”
Oladimeji, who took this correspondent to the bridge, noted that some residents had turned the entire place into a dumpsite, fearing that this might further cause serious health and flood issues in the area.
He said, “The refuse may affect the flow of water, causing serious flooding. Not long ago, we placed an order warning people against dumping residents here. You can see the signboard has been removed. Government agencies used to visit this area in the past. But they have certainly avoided this place because of the distressed state of the road.”
Dangerous canal
The bridge connecting the community down to Agbara has become another troubling issue. Residents say when rain falls, the bridge becomes impassable. Under the bridge is a canal that leads directly to the Matogbun Community River. Residents said they were always stranded whenever it rained.
Onifade said, “There is also a lot of work there. If we can repair the road down to Agbado and grade the whole area, with any little contribution we make, we quickly contribute to repairing the road as little as we can. If we can have a proper drainage system on the two sides of the road, we may not have had a problem in the area for almost three years.
“As we speak, there is currently an ongoing contribution that we are making. This place is sloppy, and if there is a proper drainage, all the water will be flowing through the channel. During the rainy season, vehicular movement is grounded. Vehicles will be ramming into each other when it drizzles.
Oladimeji demanded government’s speedy interventions to prevent the residents from being thrown into disarray whenever it rains especially when a fuel tanker tumbles. According to him, adult members of the community stay guard at all entrances of the town to stop the movement of vehicles into the community during such a crisis.
Oladimeji said, “This incident usually happens during the early hours of the day. Members of the community stay guard at every entrance to prevent cars from entering during such a crisis. I think it was in 2008 that the road was expanded. We have carried out a lot of work on this road as a community. We pray for the government’s prompt intervention. Residents find it hard to go out during rainy hours. Everywhere becomes slippery, making it difficult for people to leave their houses.
“We call on the government to expedite work on the Orudu Adiyan Road before things get out of hand. This place is densely populated. There is a route that leads to Mowe/Ibafo.”
Speaking on the state of the roads in Adiyan, a source in the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure said instructions had been given to all the ministries in the state not to speak directly with the press except through the commissioners.
The source said, “We have been given a directive that no ministry should speak directly with the press except through the commissioners themselves. But you know they are yet to swear in the ministers; you should wait till the commissioners are sworn in. However, you can speak with the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor if the matter cannot wait.”
Meanwhile, the CPS to the state governor, Lekan Adeniran, said he would speak with our correspondent later. But as of the time this report was filed, Adeniran had yet to comment on the issue.
“I will call you back. I am currently running late for the tribunal judgment,” he simply said.
