Joy, Excitement As Abiodun Brings Succour To Long Neglected Denro, Ishasi, Akute
By Lekan Adeniran
On July 8, Governor Dapo Abiodun visited the border communities of Denro, Ishasi, Akute, Alagbole and Ajuwon, among others.
It was for an on-the-spot assessment of roads in the Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
These communities have a huge population as a result of spillovers from the neighbouring state of Lagos.
As border communities, they serve as natural recipients of people escaping the population explosion and high cost of living, especially accommodation, in the nation’s commercial capital.
This spillover is not limited to these communities.
There are others like Arepo, Magboro, Ibafo, and Mowe.
With rapid expansion, however, the border communities have suffered massive neglect from previous administrations in the state.
Residents have been lamenting that the last time they felt any government presence was during the administration of Aremo Olusegun Osoba.
Thus, there was a cacophony of voices from residents, appealing to the government to change the narrative of the areas being referred to in derogatory terms as the Government Rejected Areas.
Governor Abiodun’s July visit was, therefore, to reassure those long-neglected communities that his administration’s Midas touch would soon reach their enclave, even as he assured that the Denro-Ishasi-Akute road, which was then under construction, would be completed in record time.
That promise was fulfilled on Friday, November 22, when the governor commissioned the Denro-Ishasi-Akute road, marking a significant development in the Gateway State, with far-reaching implications for both border communities and the wider local economy.
The all-important road stands to significantly impact the strategic and economic landscape of Ogun State, particularly for border communities.
Being near Lagos, the new road will improve accessibility for border communities, facilitating better transportation of goods and services to the commercial capital.
Speaking at the commissioning, Abiodun described a good road network as a key enabler for development. He said the Ojodu-Abiodun-Denro-Ishasi-Akute road was in a deplorable condition, leading to the area lacking real growth and development.
He said : “When I assumed office, I visited this local government and took notice of this road, and I promised to reconstruct it.
“I am happy that today, the people can see it, can touch it, and feel what we have done here. This local government is a key area in Ogun State.
“This road offers the opportunity to live and work in Lagos or live and work here in Ogun State.
“This area offers affordability and peace to people who want to live here. This road was in bad shape, but I promised to reconstruct it. With this road, we are demonstrating and firmly taking ownership of this area.”
Prince Abiodun noted that as part of a broader network of roads, the Denro-Ishasi-Akute road could serve as a strategic corridor for trade, linking Ogun State with Lagos while providing a significant boost to local businesses.
The governor is also expanding the scope of the good road network in the area.
The ongoing construction of Toyin-Giwa, Akute-Ajuwon, Hercules, and Alagbole-Ajuwon roads will be completed in the next three months.
Other roads will soon be given a facelift, with Governor Abiodun promising to award the contract for the reconstruction of the Alagbole-Akute and Akute-Oke-Aro-Ijoko roads, and with the project taking off from Akute to Oke Aro.
He said: “I was here months ago. In my responsive nature, because as a government, you must be responsive, some roads were brought to my attention, namely the Toyin-Giwa-Hercules road or Oke-Aro road, the Akute-Ajuwon road, and the Alagbole-Ajuwon road.
“Those three roads were brought to my attention. I inspected those three roads and I said within the next two to three weeks, work would begin on the roads.
“I am happy to confirm to you that not only has work begun, those roads will be commissioned probably in the next two to three months.
“I have heard testimonies from people talking about the quality of work done on the roads. They talked about the high quality, and I am happy with the contractor.”
“Within the next few weeks, a maximum of three weeks, in my determination to ensure that this local government wears a new look, I will be awarding the Alagbole-Akute road.
“I will also be awarding the Akute-Ijoko-Oke-Aro road. That Akute-Ijoko-Oke-Aro road goes all the way to Sango.
“That road is 32 kilometers. We started from Sango; we’ve constructed around 15 kilometers of that road.
“However, we are now to start from Akute and construct it towards Oke-Aro.
“I realized that once we do that, it connects the whole loop; it connects all the Hercules, Akute-Ajuwon, and Alagbole-Ajuwon,” he said.
Governor Abiodun said his administration had earlier reconstructed the old Bank road, Orita-Meje-Coker Junction, and the Olusegun Osoba-Toyin-Agbado road, noting that more than 700 kilometers of road have been constructed since his assumption of office in 2019.
The Olu of Ilaro and Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, said he passed through the communities all the time and never knew they were in Ogun State, noting that the Ogun State Government had established its full ownership of the area with the road network.
*Lekan Adeniran is the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State Governor.* (vitalnewsngr.com)
