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In this report, Hassan Habibat Temitayo writes on how residents of Ajegunle, a community in Ila Orangun Local Government Area of Osun State, have endured multi-faceted woes for several years. But when intervention finally came for the community; a newly constructed 10-kilometre road under Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAAMP) it drew criticisms for delay, poor drainage system, and absence of transparent project delivery.
The vegetables, tomatoes, and mushrooms had been sitting for three days.
Adebisi Gbenga stood at the edge of his farm, watching the heap of freshly harvested vegetables, pepper, tomatoes and mushrooms slowly lose their firmness in the open heat. He had worked the soil for weeks for this, the digging, the staking, the waiting. But the road that was supposed to carry his produce to market had, once again, made the journey impossible. So the vegetables, pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, stayed. And slowly, they began to lose value.
This was not a one-time misfortune. It was a cycle Gbenga had learned to dread: harvest season arriving alongside the rains, the rains swelling the road into something impassable, and his goods rotting before they could reach anyone willing to pay for them. A farmer’s income is perishable. For Gbenga, the road made sure of that.
For more than two decades, the residents of Ajegunle, a community in Ila Orangun Local Government Area of Osun State, have settled into a struggle. The residents are mostly weaved together by a stretch of road whose presence speaks volumes: it’s neglected and in a deteriorating state, worsening living conditions. The decade-long decay has earned the community a grim reputation of hosting one of the worst road networks in the locality.
The struggle of Ajegunle’s residents is not peculiar to Gbenga. Several residents interviewed by this reporter spoke of similar burdens. They suffered the pain of watching their hard work being put into near waste, as intervention went out of reach. For farmers who live outside Ajegunle, the story remains the same. They lamented how they could not move their goods into the community because of the bad road.
As Gbenga’s long-awaited hope finally came through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) supported intervention, he hopes the road translates beyond convenience, becoming a gateway to development, not just for farmers, but for the entire residents, including the neighbouring communities.
Failed Promises, Dashed Efforts
Paul Ogunrinde, one of the earliest settlers and a respected voice in the community, recounted several efforts by residents to salvage the road. The community did not sit idle, he said, noting that residents often manage the road every Saturday: digging gutters, filling potholes, repairing drainages, and raising money via crowdfunding.
At some point, he continued, the community attempted to repair the culvert upward through collective contributions. However, he recognised flooding as a severe threat. Whenever it rains, it pours. He further emphasised that overflowing water usually washed away the efforts of the residents, damaging the repairs beyond imagination.
According to Ogunrinde, the road is dotted by an overflowing river which sometimes nearly takes over the entire pathway. Whenever the water becomes full, movement is halted. Commuters, cars, and travellers are always diverted to pass Ajagun Nla, a neighbouring community.
“This road is more than what the community can do alone. It is our only access to our farms, to other towns, to life itself,” Ogunrinde disclosed to this reporter during an interview in December 2025.
As the problem got out of hand, the community turned to the government. However, responses have followed the same pattern, with the road becoming a playcard for election campaigns. Despite several reassuring promises, the community continued to navigate the burden after elections until 2025 when Honourable Akanni Ademola, a lawmaker representing the community, facilitated the construction of the 10 kilometres road in a RAAMP-World Bank collaborative project.
The road in question is the only access to farms, neighbouring communities, and Omu-Aran in Kwara State. The community repeatedly reached out to government officials, but promises were often tied to election cycles.
The RAAMP Project
To boost food production and ensure smooth mobility to access markets, the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, allocated $600 million in 2024. This initiative aimed to rehabilitate 200,000 kilometers of rural Nigerian roads under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP). This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi during a press briefing held in his office in December 2024.
Senator Abdullahi explicitly said that the World Bank would disburse $500 million, while a $100 million counterpart funding would come from the federal and state governments. The minister further revealed that the RAAMP initiative had been active in 19 states, including Osun around that time, with a focus to create sustainable rural infrastructure.
He further corroborated the suffering endured by farmers like Gbenga and the entire Ajegunle, including neighbouring communities. The minister emphasised that 80-percent of 200,000 kilometres of rural roads are impassable, negatively affecting economic activities in rural areas.
The minister was quoted as saying: “Most of Nigeria’s population reside in rural areas, and agriculture constitutes over 70 per cent of their economic activity. However, the lack of functional rural roads limits their ability to market their produce and sustain their livelihoods”.
Despite the bold infrastructural investment promise, interviews with several residents of the community revealed that nothing changed from that period until 2026 when contractors worked on the newly constructed 10-kilometre road under the same RAAMP Project.
Residents fear the dreaded river when it rains
“During flooding, you don’t even know what’s inside that water. There are snakes in the river,” Daud Toafeekat, another resident of Ajegunle stated, recounting a horrible experience that stings her whenever she recollects.
It was a fateful day in 2020 when the sky was heavy. Shortly, a heavy downpour descended. The thought of navigating the erosion-driven river was the only thing that raced through the mind.
However, Toafeekat, together with her friend, climbed a bike to get home. As they moved towards Ajegunle, their fear became real: they had to cross the frightening water bank which had swallowed an extended part of the road.
Muddy, fast, and aggressive, the flood was moving forcefully. Yet, as other bikes attempted to force their way through the water due to the absence of an alternative route, the bikeman carrying Taofeekat and her friend followed suit. Little did she know that she would fall into the water.
Even in the terrifying moment, she’s unperturbed about the floodwater. Her greatest fear was what might be inside the water. While she survived the ordeal without getting hurt, her properties were not as lucky. The flood swept away her charger, shoes, and other belongings that she was carrying that fateful day.
“I struggled to regain my balance when the muddy water swept my legs. The thought that a snake could be anywhere in that water made the situation even more frightening. I had to gather myself together quickly and move out of the river as fast as I could.”
According to her, what ought to be an easy walk home often turns into recurring risky adventures that leaves residents at the mercy of fate.
The fact that the water accommodates snakes is a common knowledge among the community members. Several residents recounted similar plights while speaking with this reporter. During floods, those snakes could be displaced from their hiding places, making the crossing even more terrifying.
Ayomide Rachael, another resident of Ajegunle recounted a day the community would never forget. “A pregnant woman would have been lost in the raging water.”
The lady presumed the riverbank at its normal level, unaware of how swollen and dangerous it had become. It only took the prompt intervention of young men who were skilled swimmers to save her life.
Economic Sabotage
Residents do not only experience physical tolls, businesses are also threatened. Afolabi Bose, a local vendor who sells small chops in the area, bemoaned how she normally records low sales because her customers often left her behind to pass another route. The business only returns to normal when the flood subsides.
Farmers like Gbenga also shared their frustrations with the floodplain path. While some complained that the lingering water always damaged their vehicles, others experienced motorcycle breakdowns.
According to Rural Transport and Hydrology Guidelines, approximately 80% of all physical damage to unpaved rural roads is directly caused by water. Without a paved seal or proper drainage, rainfall runoff and floodwaters wash away the topsoil, create deep gullies, and destroy the road’s base.
Also, a 2025 study on the Challenges of Rural Roads in Nigeria confirmed that water erosion is the primary mechanism of road failure. As floodwaters sit on these roads, the moisture reduces soil strength by over 50%, turning functional dirt roads into impassable mud traps and deep potholes.
Meanwhile, the newly constructed 10-kilometre project is left at the mercy of floods. Field visitation by this reporter in December 2025 showed that while some parts of the road carried a one-sided drainage system, other parts were left without culverts at all.
Adebisi Alagbede, a road constructor residing in the community explained what the poor drainage system could mean to the road. Drawing from his experience in the work, he explained that a standard major road within the community is typically expected to measure about 24 feet in width, with a culvert of approximately three feet on each side, bringing the total expected width to around 30 feet.
He emphasised that the road currently under construction appeared narrower than the above mentioned standard, estimating that the contractors were working with a width of about 24 feet.
Adebisi further raised concerns about the potential consequences if the project is not completed on time. He pointed out that rainfall could wash construction materials into the drainage system, leading to blockages while posing serious challenges for residents living along the road.
Deformed Education Stunted by Weak Infrastructure
Beyond the burden of physical and economic tolls, lies a threat to other endeavours. Iyaafin Adetoye, a former principal of Brighter Future School, a privately owned and the only academic centre that serves the whole community, narrated how the school was once nearly shut down due to mobility struggles.
She pointed to a stream that dwells close to the school. During the early stage of the community, the road leading to the stream was tarred, with construction of a bridge that connected the community to the school. This aided easy navigation to the school. However, as time passed, the bridge gradually deteriorated, sinking the confidence of parents, the growth of the school, and the strength of the local economy.
Whenever the rainy season entered its deep stage around June and July, hearts become unsettled. The bridge had sunk for many years. And the water often rose profusely.
“The school is not threatened by understaffing, poor academic performance, or mismanagement,” she said, adding that “Whenever there’s a sign of rain, we dismiss students even if it’s in the morning. If we are caught unprepared, it’s another story entirely.”
She recalled several occasions where senior students and male staff carried the younger ones on their back to navigate the water, ensuring every child gets home safely. “We become a canoe that transports passengers across rivers,” she retorted with a sad face.
Taofeekat was a former student of Brighter Future. She corroborated Iyaafin’s account of becoming a canoe to younger children. “Senior students would often carry smaller children across the river to help them get home safely.”
While parents withdrew children, others failed to enrol their wards because of the neglected infrastructure. But as at the time of this report, the bridge had been repaired and serving the community, this reporter can confirm authoritatively.
In Ajegunle, every struggle traces its source to one painful reality. It’s still the same long-term neglected road.
Adegunde R.A., a worker at the community clinic, shared how the neglected state of the road impacted the health sector in Ajegunle.
Her concern centred on emergencies during the night, especially when transportation became the major nightmare. She noted that the bad road slows movement, delays emergency referrals, and increases vulnerability.
“What happens when a pregnant woman goes into labour at midnight and needs to come to the clinic,” Adegunde questioned.
She further disclosed that the clinic lacks necessary instruments, medications, and staff, because the hospital is cut off from supplies due to the poor road.
“Staff posted to the clinic retire or leave. There are no new postings. Those who are assigned refuse to come. By April 2027, I’m even due to return home.”
The New Intervention. How helpful?
The construction of the road is facilitated by Honourable Akanni Ademola, a member representing Boluwaduro-Ifedayo-Ila Constituency. The project is being executed under the RAAMP, supported by the World Bank in collaboration with the Osun State Government.
The project is a key infrastructural intervention aimed at improving mobility and transportation within the community. It addresses long-standing challenges caused by the poor state of the road and the collapse of a critical bridge, which had become a major concern for the residents. The reconstruction is expected to ease movement, support local economic activities, and enhance connectivity across the affected communities.
The main phase of the construction covers approximately 10 kilometres under the World Bank-supported initiative.
According to information made available to this reporter by Lamidi Saheed Adeyemo, an aide to the lawmaker, the intervention was prompted by the total collapse of the bridge in question, which often causes serious difficulties for residents. Initial reconstruction of the bridge was carried out by the state government with support from legislative representatives. This was later followed by broader efforts, driven by collaboration, advocacy, and partnership with RAAMP and the World Bank, leading to the current road construction project.
Although the exact commencement date is not specified, the project started after engagements between Honourable Akanni, and RAAMP officials. Initial progress has experienced some delays due to funding constraints and weather conditions, Mr Lamidi stated.
During an interview, Kareem Taiye, one of the staff who work on the road explained that the project stretches from Ajegunle to Aladire, passing through Ila-Ifedayo, and covers an estimated distance of about 10 kilometres.
According to him, each constituency under the World Bank–supported programme was allocated roughly 10 kilometres of road, with the Ajegunle–Aladire route representing the portion executed for the Ila constituency.
He further confirmed that the project was facilitated by Hon. Akanni in collaboration with the World Bank as part of a broader constituency road development initiative.
Although residents underscored the impacts of the project within the short period of time it was constructed, several concerns have been raised in connection to the road. Adijah Iyabo, another resident of the community expressed serious concerns about the inadequate drainage system. She explained that the drainage channels are not properly fixed which causes water to overflow whenever there’s downpour.
She said “if the drainage problem is not addressed on time, rainwater will continue to deepen the road and eventually cause severe damage to the entire road structure.”
As the residents continue to endure the physical hardship and other economic difficulties arising from a good road connecting their community, they continue to pray and hope that government and other stakeholders would deliver an intervention that would stand the test of time, and bring their sufferings to an end, once and for all.
