Ogun Residents Lament Poor Condition of Community Road
Residents of Karanla, a rural community in the Mowe area of Ogun State, have appealed to the state government to urgently rehabilitate their road, saying its deplorable condition has severely affected transportation, business activities and the general wellbeing of residents.
The residents said the road had been neglected for more than 20 years, leaving them to endure difficult movement in and out of the community despite repeated appeals for government intervention.
During a visit to the community on Monday, the poor condition of the road was evident, as residents and commercial motorcycle operators struggled to navigate the damaged route. Several sections of the road were covered with loose soil and uneven surfaces, making transportation particularly difficult.
Residents said the situation becomes considerably worse during the rainy season, when heavy rainfall turns parts of the road into difficult passages for motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Commercial Motorcyclists Avoid Community Over Bad Road
A commercial motorcyclist identified as Saheed said the condition of the road had discouraged many commercial motorcycle and vehicle operators from entering the community.
According to him, the road becomes almost impassable whenever it rains, forcing transport operators to avoid the area.
“When it rains, the road becomes worse than what you are seeing now. We commercial motorcycle operators, and even those using bigger vehicles, usually avoid this area because of the condition of the road. They should have pity on us.
“If the government can help us repair this road, we will be very happy, and the people in the community will also be happy.”
Another community leader in Karanla Village, Mukaila Jimoh, said residents were finding it increasingly difficult to access the community because both major routes connecting the area to Mowe and Lotto were in poor condition.
Jimoh, who is more than 80 years old, said the road had deteriorated progressively over the years despite residents participating in elections and fulfilling their civic responsibilities.
He said:
“It has become difficult for us to go out now. We have two roads in our community; one leads to Mowe and the other leads to Lotto. Neither of them is good.
“I am more than 80 years old, and it has been more than 20 years since the condition of this road became worse. It is as if we do not have a government here. Whenever elections come, we go out to vote despite all the difficulties, but there is no benefit for us.
“Apart from the hunger we are facing here and the difficulty of getting petrol in our area, the road is extremely bad, and we need the government to do something about it.”
Rainy Season Makes Transportation More Difficult
Another commercial motorcyclist, who requested anonymity, said residents faced different challenges depending on the weather.
He explained that rainfall makes the road extremely difficult to use, while dry weather creates another problem because vehicles and motorcycles raise dust as they pass.
“When it rains, people avoid this road. At the moment, the dust is their problem, and it causes discomfort because of the condition of the road. When the rain comes, the situation becomes much worse.”
He added that transport fares often increase during the rainy season because commercial motorcycle operators face greater risks when attempting to navigate the damaged sections of the road.
Another community leader, Mustafa Adisa, took a reporter around the community, showing some of the roads, residential areas and other infrastructure that residents said had been neglected for several years.
Ogun Government Explains Responsibility for Roads
Responding to the concerns raised by the residents, the Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Communications, Kayode Akinmade, said the state government had been investing heavily in road construction and rehabilitation across the state.
However, he explained that it was important to establish which level of government was responsible for a particular road, as some roads fall under the state government while others are the responsibility of local governments.
Akinmade said:
“If you look at the road from Shun to Owode and all the way to Ofada, those are state government roads, and we are constructing them. But the roads connecting to them are local government roads.”
According to him, the current administration has constructed approximately 1,700 kilometres of roads since it assumed office about seven and a half years ago.
He said many of the roads currently in poor condition had existed for several years without adequate attention from previous administrations.
Akinmade said:
“In the roughly seven and a half years that we have been in office, we have been able to construct about 1,700 kilometres of roads.
“If your road is bad, the problem did not start today; it has been there for a very long time. If a previous government had constructed the road when it was supposed to, it would have remained in good condition.”
Government Promises to Consider Residents' Appeal
Akinmade assured residents that roads across the state remained important to the government, but explained that authorities had to prioritise projects based on available resources and the condition of different areas.
He said:
“What you need to understand is that every road is important to us. Whenever we want to construct roads, we make sure that every local government has the opportunity to feel that it is part of the development.”
He further stressed that the government could not completely neglect one community while concentrating all its resources on another.
“We cannot start abandoning Mowe for Ibafo, or abandon Ibafo for Magboro. Everyone has the right to feel that they are part of government, but the government cannot do everything alone.”
The government representative, however, assured the residents that action would be taken on the road if it falls under the responsibility of the Ogun State Government.
For the residents of Karanla, the appeal remains urgent, as the deteriorating road continues to affect transportation, movement of goods and people, and the daily activities of the community.