By Gbenga Ariyibi
ADO-EKITI—Eminent lawyer and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Are Afe Babalola, SAN, has petitioned the presidency over the abandonment of the repairs of federal roads in Ekiti State by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, and the  poor condition of federal roads in the state, saying some of these roads have become death-traps to motorists.

In the letter addressed to the president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan dated entitled: ‘In the matter of (1) 34.2KM Ado-Ilesa Road; (2) Ado-Ijan-Ikare Roads in Ekiti State: A Save-Our-Souls Request, the legal practitioner  noted that some of the federal roads linking Ekiti State were constructed by the colonial regime.

The content of the letter read thus “I wish to bring to the attention of His Excellency the life-threatening condition of Ilesa/Ado-Ekiti road and Ado/Ijan/Ikare road.

These roads constructed during colonial days are Federal roads which link Ekiti to Ilesa, Ibadan and Lagos in the south and to Abuja in the north.

‘’The total length of the two roads is under 60Miles. Even when they were not tarred, it used to take just about one hour to travel from Ado-Ekiti to Ilesa and less than one hour from Ado-Ekiti to Ikare. Now, it would take over six hours from Ilesa to Ikare via Ado-Ekiti.

‘’Anybody who cares to go through these roads today risks the danger of ruining his vehicles or being involved in fatal accident. Portions of the roads have been cut off by erosion due to non-maintenance of the drainages.

Many portions of the roads are full of big pot-holes and craters. Both the governor and his workers and other travellers, including my humble self, have abandoned these roads.”

A copy of the letter was also sent to Minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash, Managing Director of FERMA, one Engr. K. Abdullahi,  and some traditional rulers in the state.

Babalola further  disclosed that he was under intense pressure from parents and guardians of the students of his varsity as well as indigenes of the state to contact the appropriate quarters to have the roads fixed.

He, however, appealed that relevant agency should “carry out some temporary remedial repairs even if permanent repairs cannot be affected immediately.”

It may be recalled that  virtually all the federal roads linking the state became  worse when Dangote trucks conveying cement from the Obajana factory chose to go through the state to their different distributors in neighbouring states, while other heavy duty roads   coming from Lagos to the northern part of the country now ply the roads