THE ARDUOUS & TERRIBLY HORRIFIC JOURNEY TO ABEOKUTA VIA SANGO-OTA

Senator Ibikunle Amosun

Much as the fact was that we had a super fun time at the wedding reception of Oladipo and Ayomide Dabiri in Abeokuta, Ogun State (that's the wedding between Senator Ibikunle Amosun's daughter and the son of Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa), we missed the other 2 parts-introduction and traditional engagement due to the long journey from Lagos to Abeokuta.

The journey to getting to Abeokuta to say the least was tortuous and extremely horrible due to state of the road.

For those living along the route, from Amje which is a still part of Lagos State, going towards Sango-Ota, which is the border town and already a part of Ogun State, heading towards Ifo, still going through Papalanto heading to Ewekoro till we got to Aro then heading to Abeokuta, the roads were in a state of terrible and unbelievable disrepair. It's like those who live around those areas have lost total contact amd connect somewhat with Government and Governance!

Truth be told, we were totally and utterly disappointed, that such an area had any connection whatsoever to a former President of the nation, in person of Chief Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo, who we hear lives in Ota and whose humongous state of the art farm is said to be in Ota also.

From our little experience on that road, it was like no Government of any kind worth her salt existed or exists along this path.

Imagine that a bridge which must have cost several millions of Naira was built at a particular portion of that road, but just 20 to 30 meters away from that bridge, the portholes on the road were of the most unkind types. One would have thought that the bridge would have meant the roads around it would have been repaired, at least to give the bridge value, but alas No!!!

The most shocking spot, that really took the wind out of us, was right along where the well known cement factory Lafarge is situated at.

Imagine that along that long stretch of road next to that world class factory was the most terrible part of the road!

The state of disrepair we saw should be a big shame to such a brand and a responsible government of any kind. How trucks and trailers etc pass along that route to enter the company to take delivery of loads of cements and then going away to go deliver is quite baffling.

Imagine that a journey, which very normally should take at most 1 hour 30 minutes could take one, about 2 to 3 hours plus, depending on the level of traffic at the time! We hear it could as horrible as 4 hours and more if there's traffic!

So what is the benefit of governance then? Especially if a major road that is used and must be used by all is allowed to get to such a level and then there's even no hope that it would be repaired?

From the looks of things, it's like those along that corridor are the forgotten and the neglected.

When Government claims that they have provided or are providing dividend of democracy for the people that brought them to power, what are these so called dividends then?

If the very obvious can so degenerate to this kind of state? What state then would the not so obvious be?