By Gbenga Olarinoye

OSOGBO – Major roads and streets in Osogbo, the Osun State capital are in bad condition, following what residents have described as neglect by the state government in the maintenance of the roads. This usually forces motorists to have hectic time driving on the roads. As the rains are here again, the roads have become worsen, leaving motorists groaning on a daily basis. Vanguard gathered that the maintenance of the roads was abandoned by the state government due to paucity of fund made available from the federation account.

road-under-repair

In order to avert auto-crashes on the township roads, the City Bus drivers of Olorunda/Osogbo Town Service, popularly called Korope recently embarked on self help service by patching all the pot holes of the affected roads. Members of the transport union in conjunction with, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigerian (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and National Association of Cooperative Transporter (NACT) trooped out in their hundreds patching the pot-holes ridden major roads in the city centre.

Some of the affected roads includes the popular Ola-Iya, Odi-Olowo, Gbaemu, Ita-Olokan, Atelewo and Igbona among others. Speaking with Vanguard, the state Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yemi Onifade condemned in totality the lacklustre attitude of the government towards maintenance of some roads mostly in Osogbo, the state capital. Onifade, said the affected roads had become impassable for motorists plying them daily.

His words, “It is not that the state government is not doing its best for the people, they are trying but some roads needed to be repaired adequately to enable motorists move smoothly. What we are doing today is on humanitarian grounds as we did not seek any assistance from any quarters before embarking on the exercise,” Onifade stated. The Chairman who said the humanitarian exercise had become a part of them, stated that they do it as and when due for the benefit of the entire motorists. He thus enjoined government not to take the issue of construction and rehabilitation of roads with levity.