TRAVELLING from Ibadan to Saki in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State has always been hell—no thanks to the perennially bad state of the almost 84-kilometre Iseyin-Saki Road—a federal road—that links that area to the state capital. This agony will soon be in the past.
The ongoing rehabilitation of the 83.83-kilometre Saki-Iseyin Road by the Oyo State government is a continuation of Governor Seyi Makinde’s government’s effort to not only modernise Oyo State but to also see to it that the entire state is connected by good roads.
Saki-Iseyin Road is a major highway to access the Oke-Ogun zone of the state a Several institutions and establishments in the state can only be accessed through the road. The state’s commerce and agribusiness interests are also on the high scale within the zone which causes the Saki-Iseyin road to be of utmost importance to the Oyo State government.
However, the road had been left in a deplorable condition for a long time, consequently taking a severe toll on the socio-economic progress of the state through increased vehicle operating costs, higher accident rates and loss of useful man-hour. The road is replete with many failed sections that are serving as death traps.
The state Commissioner for Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation, Professor Dahud Sangodoyin, said the state government embarked on the rehabilitation of the road for the socio-economic benefits of the Oyo State’s citizenry in particular and the generality of Nigerians who may have one business reason or the other to ply the road.
The rehabilitation of the road includes a series of essential activities designed to improve its structural integrity and ensure its durability.
The activities include clearing which involves removing vegetation, debris, and other obstructions along the road path, preparing the site for construction by creating a clean and open area to work effectively.
There is also scarification, a process that involves breaking up and loosening the existing road surface. This removes any damaged or worn-out material, creating a base suitable for rebuilding or resurfacing the road.
Earthworks, another activity that includes excavating, moving and reshaping the soil to create a stable foundation for the road, also involves filling low-lying areas and levelling the ground for proper drainage and road stability.
Retaining walls involves building structures to hold back soil or prevent erosion, particularly on slopes. Retaining walls ensure the road’s stability and protect surrounding areas from landslides or soil collapse.
Lateritic bubbase involves having a layer of laterite (soil rich in iron and aluminium) spread and compacted to provide a strong and stable foundation beneath the road’s surface. This layer absorbs vehicle loads and distributes them evenly.
Crushed stone base course sees a layer of crushed stones added to the subbase. This layer enhances the road’s strength, provides a firm surface for the upper layers, and ensures durability under heavy traffic. Also, wearing course is the topmost layer of the road, often made of asphalt. It provides a smooth driving surface, protects the underlying layers, and ensures the road’s durability against weather and traffic wear.
The entire 83.83 km of the Saki-Iseyin Road project is expected to be completed within three months. Once completed, the 83.83 km Saki-Iseyin Road will offer improved accessibility, enhanced durability, and better driving conditions for residents and commuters.
Governor Seyi Makinde, during the commissioning of the dualised 12.5km Challenge-Odo Ona Elewe-Elebu-Apata Road in Ibadan, said where roads go, development follows.
Other federal roads fixed by the OYSG include the 65 km Moniya-Iseyin Road, the 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin Road and the 35.3 km Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road among others.
Sangodoyin, said: “It has been discovered over the last few months that that road now is a death trap for people living along that axis, and we have some of our local governments – Iseyin Local Government, ATISBO – there. It has been abandoned. Part of the work that FERMA did on the road is totally spoilt.
“This period, our people will be moving from one town to another and we want to minimise accidents on roads as much as possible. So, His Excellency considered that we should go and do limited rehabilitation of that road so that at least we will be saving lives and property on the road.
“We are working towards three months, but the contractor will go on leave in the next one week. But as I speak now, we have addressed some areas around the Iseyin end towards Saki.
“Hopefully, before the end of next week, we will be able to cover some distance. After New Year, we will continue.”
In various comments posted on Facebook, people lauded Governor Makinde for embarking on the rehabilitation of a road which is federal by description but which is daily plied mostly by Oyo State people and other Nigerians. The Facebook users urged the governor to keep up the good work.
A commenter, Musiliu Abimbola, said: “God bless my able governor. He is working on a federal road while some governors will be saying they can’t repair federal roads, but they can collect revenue from them.”
Another commenter, Sulaiman Sheriff, said: “Another unprecedented project in Oyo State. Kudos to GSM.”
Alexis Awosope said: Good one. That is what we expect from every Nigerian governor.”
Valentine Adesanya said: “Good job. The road is a federal road but is being used by the good people of Oyo State.”
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, are heaving a sigh of relief with many of the city’s roads that have been rehabilitated and are giving them a new lease of life. In a recent interview with Saturday Tribune, some of the residents described the completed rehabilitation projects as pacesetting.
In the Saturday Tribune interview, a town planner and an indigene of Ibadan, Rasheed Akin-Lawal, maintained that Ibadan City had been growing at such an alarming rate that most of its infrastructure is stretched daily. According to him, the number of vehicles in Ibadan in the last five to 10 years has tripled the number that used to ply the city’s roads. He noted that the situation had made the roads experience faster wear and tear.
“Planning has always been an issue with Ibadan. The colonial masters did a great job with planning the city. If you go to areas such as Oke Ado, Mokola and Agodi, you will understand what I am saying. But over the years, successive governments have looked the other way and there has been a sort of haphazard physical development, but that is a topic for another day.
“You asked about the ongoing rehabilitation of major roads in Ibadan. That is a very good development. Most of these roads were constructed about 50 years ago; it is expected that they will begin to deteriorate unless something drastic is done. There is nothing that can be more drastic than this total overhaul going on.
“I have seen what the government is doing in Bodija, Yemetu, Dugbe, Molete, Iyaganku. We should commend them,” he said.
Credit: Tribune
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