The Osun Masterminds, a civil society organization from Osun, urged the governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Wednesday not to proceed with the construction of the two flyovers in Osogbo as planned.
The group recommended using the money that would have been spent on such projects to build wider roads throughout the state instead of flyovers.
When the group’s state of Osun monthly media meeting was taking place in Osogbo, the executive director of TOM, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli also bemoaned the state of some crucial road infrastructure in the region and urged the governor to take prompt action to stop further deterioration.
Even though some of the main roads are managed by the federal government, Oyedokun-Alli cautioned that closing the roads would have a negative impact on the safety of people and property in the state.
He said, “We are compelled to call the attention of the Osun State Government to the state of some critical infrastructure in the State. One important example is the Ibadan-Gbongan-Akure highway.
“While we understand that the Highway is a Trunk A road and should primarily be maintained by the Federal Government, we advise the State Government to liaise with relevant agencies of the Federal Government to maintain the section of the road that is within the domain of our State.”
On the plans by the Adeleke administration to construct two flyovers in Osogbo, Oyedokun-Alli said, “We recently got informed of plans by the State Government to construct flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas of Osogbo. We understand that plans are already underway to get these projects executed, but we want to offer a little counsel that may save the State some resources.
“As one of our subsidiaries, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), counselled against the construction of the Olaiya Flyover before it was implemented, we are counselling against the construction of flyovers at Oke-Fia and Old Garage areas. Our counsel is premised on the state of Osun’s finances, vis-a-vis the level of urgency of such infrastructure at the proposed locations.
“A simple dualisation of LAMECO – Oke-Fia – Old Garage stretch of road and signalisation of that stretch, will solve whatever traffic bottlenecks there may currently exist there. More specifically, traffic lights at LAMECO, Oke-Fia, and Old Garage, on a dualised road, will ease every traffic congestion currently being experienced on the road.
“We advise that the government redirects the funds it will expend on constructing flyovers, to widening major roads in towns whose major roads are currently too narrow for the kind of traffic that goes through them. Major towns like Ikirun, Iwo, Ilesa, Ejigbo, and Ila-Orangun are in dire need of wider major roads, to reduce the risk to lives occasioned by the dense traffic that passes through those towns.”
Reacting to the position of the group on behalf of the government, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Kolapo Alimi, said the administration was open to counseling and advice especially when such were dispassionate and devoid of political partisanship.
Alimi also said the Adeleke administration has an infrastructure plan that has a sustainable funding model and which targets the facilitation of economic growth and development of the state.
He said, “On the issue of flyover in Osogbo, we assure the public that the project design is such that it will not create an unbearable burden on the state even as the state needs to upgrade her infrastructure to achieve economic growth.”
