Ogun Governor Abiodun pleads for patience over poor road conditions amid criticism

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has appealed to residents to be patient with the deplorable state of roads in the state, citing the enormity of the task and limitations of his administration.

Speaking on Monday, after inspecting roads in Ifo Local Government Area, Abiodun acknowledged the widespread criticism but stressed that rebuilding all damaged roads in three years was not realistic, even for an eight-year tenure.

The governor attributed the current state of the roads to deficits inherited from the previous administration, which he said had good intentions but poorly implemented projects.

He noted that some roads were unnecessarily widened to two-lane roads, but then abandoned, and that his government was working to address the situation.

Abiodun also highlighted the challenges in differentiating between federal and state roads, stressing that citizens often direct their frustrations at state governments regardless of jurisdiction.

Read Also: Bode George calls on state police to fight insecurity

He said, “I would like to appeal to the public to be patient. We cannot rebuild all the damaged roads in three years.

“In fact, no government can rebuild all the roads in Ogun State, even in 8 years.”

He said, “When I took office on May 29, 2019, the deficit we faced when we took office was so large that we began to wonder what the previous administration had done.

“In some cases, they seem to have good intentions, they go down the street, they tear down houses, roads that should be no more than one lane of traffic, they turn them into toll roads. In doing so, they remove all the asphalt that was there that served the community and they abandon the roads.

“We inherited a lot of these roads. Some of them are federal roads, and you know our people can’t tell the difference between a federal road and a state road. They’re going to pinpoint the geographic location where they feel the pain.”

Abiodun’s appeal for patience comes as the state grapples with widespread discontent over the state of its roads.

While the governor’s explanation may provide context, it remains to be seen how his administration will prioritize and address the pressing infrastructure needs in Ogun State.

Ogun Governor Abiodun pleads for patience over poor road conditions amid criticism first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.