Agbara in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State is one of the most industrialised towns in the country but bedevilled with dilapidated infrastructure, particularly roads.
living in Agbara has become a nightmare as the rich and the poor cry over the condition of the Atan-Agbara Road, which has made commuting on it excruciatingly painful.
It is one of the major roads in the local government and leads to Sokoto in the northern part of the country apart from the fact that it links Lagos and Ogun states. Besides, the road connects major industrial establishments in the state to many other areas.
Despite its significance to revenue generation to the Ogun State Government, the road appears to have been abandoned.
When our correspondent visited the area recently, it was observed that the deplorable state of the road had become a major hindrance to productivity for the industries located in the Atan-Agbara-Lusada area of the state.
It was gathered that goods worth millions of naira were lost to frequent accidents on the road.
Further findings revealed that the Atan-Agbara community plays host to over 70 manufacturing industries of various consumer goods being distributed across the country.
Almost on a daily basis, articulated vehicles fall on the road with heavy containers, finished goods and raw materials lost.
Not only goods and materials are lost on the road, human lives, including pregnant women, aged people, children and students have fallen victims as a result of the deplorable condition of the road.
Some residents of Atan, Lusada and Agbara said they had been in agony over the years due to the failed road.
A community leader, Mr Joseph Ajose, told our correspondent that residents of the area were facing enormous challenges as a result of the bad road.
He said the deplorable condition of the road had led to the falling of containers from trucks and the attendant loss of lives.
According to him, the road caused the death of his friend’s only son.
He said, “Adult, youths and children are losing their lives to the bad state of the road.
“Let me give an instance, around 4.30am a few weeks ago, someone woke me up that his daughter was having a stomach upset and she was bleeding heavily; I took my car from Ijuru to Oluwalogbon; I was supposed to drive for five minutes, but I ended up driving for 20 minutes; it is so pathetic. You cannot even dare to drive from here to the General Hospital at Ota. The road is very bad.
“It is not possible to rescue someone, who is in a state of emergency, because of the bad road, and such a person may eventually die. The money being generated on this road is being used to develop other parts Ogun State, because about 70 per cent of the state’s IGR is from this road and nothing is being done to the road.”
Blessing said the road was not conducive for pregnant women and asthmatic patients, because of its dusty and far-from-smooth nature.
A motorcyclist on the Agbara-Lusada Road, Kayode Akinseyinwa, stated that many motorcycles get damaged daily, a development he said was affecting the income of okada riders.
Akinseyinwa said about five pregnant women had died this year due to the condition of the road.
He added that some of his fellow okada riders also died, while others sustained injuries due to the deplorable condition of the road.
Some commuters in Agbara, Lusada and Atan also expressed sadness over the bad nature of the road.
They complained that they had not seen any serious work on the part of the government on the road, which they said was having adverse effects on people’s businesses.
“I have lost three cars to this road; I don’t even use my car again; I commute on okada to Agbara every day,” he stated.
An indigene of the area, who is also a lecturer at the Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, Prince Babatunde Bangbose, described the Atan-Agbara Road as a death trap.
He said, “Plying the road on a daily basis is reducing the life span of those of us working here. We lost a colleague two years ago; he was one of those innocent persons who worked for the well-being of his family on a daily basis plying the road; unfortunately, one day, he collapsed at Lusada and died instantly.
“We will appreciate even smooth two lanes than a failed and fruitless bridge used to bamboozle us.”
The Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkabir Obalanlege, said the situation had of the road shown that the people of the area had been forgotten.
The Olota said, “It is like they have forgotten us in the Awori area and we are part and parcel of the state.
“Though Governor Dapo Abiodun said something would be done soon, but we are still waiting, but my candid opinion is that they are just moving all the businesses in Aworiland to Ijebu and Egba, and that is not fair.”
Also reacting to the development, the Alagbara of Agbara, Oba Jaiyeola Agunbiade, said the bad road had made life difficult for the residents.
He said though the road belongs to the Federal Government, the state governor had assured them that something would be done about it soon.
He stated that the governor had commenced palliative work on it and the road had now been graded.
On the economic loss being suffered, he said, “Agbara is an industrial hub; in fact, Ado-Odo/Ota is an industrial hub of the state.
“If the road is not good, you can imagine the economic loss to the industrialists and residents of the area. We have farmers; we have companies’ employees, who are living there; we have industrialists, truck drivers, who take goods from the companies; so, the economic loss is enormous; that is why we are clamouring for the government to intervene.”
On how the deplorable road is aiding crime in the area, the monarch said, “When a particular road is not good, definitely it will be difficult for law enforcement agents to adequately perform their duties.
“They don’t have access to the area, that is why government is trying to fix the road. It is a federal road called the Sokoto Road. It leads to Sokoto and that tells you the importance of that road to Nigerians economically.
“Agbara, Ota and Igbesa are industrial hubs, the economic importance is not farfetched.”
Industrialists in the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone, whose factories are located along the road in Igbesa, expressed serious concerns over the condition of the road and the adverse effects on the economic activities of the industries.
Our correspondent gathered that the industries were situated on over 10,000 hectares of land.
It was gathered that apart from the over 40 registered companies in the Free Trade Zone, there are over 30 other firms situated along the road.
Speaking on behalf of the registered industries in the area, the Public Affairs Manager, Sebastian Azubuike, described the challenges facing them as enormous and hydra headed.
Azubuike also categorised the challenges facing the industries in the area as both political and economic.
He stated, “We have challenges of infrastructural deficit. The roads are not in good shape; they are very deplorable. The production costs are at very high levels; at the end of the day, the value chain of the industries suffer from the manufacturer to the consumer.
“The costs of products are becoming high and some can’t afford them. If you are on the road, you have to face another problem of extortion on the roads.”
He complained that the task forces employed by local government and the state government were giving them additional problems.
“Just recently, we heard that one of the truck drivers had issues with these guys and it took police intervention to restore sanity to the road,” Azubuike added.
When asked whether they have reached out to the government on the challenges facing the industries, the Public Affairs Manager said, “It is a very complicated problem, and we have made several attempts to reach out to the government for intervention.”
Lamenting the adverse effects of the road on the economic activities of the industries, he said, “No investor will like to invest in a place that cannot guarantee adequate infrastructure and security.
“We implore the government to see what it can do towards alleviating some of these challenges.”
Alluding to the fact that some parts of the roads belong to the Federal Government, Azubuike said fixing it had been tough due to the bureaucracy of government.
“To provide solutions, we understand the complexity of some of these roads; some are federal roads and cannot be worked upon by states until federal approval is obtained,” he added.
He, however, revealed that there was an agreement between the state government through the Ministry of Works and the Free Trade Zone to complete it by next year.
He said, “We have been discussing with stakeholders to see that this particular infrastructural deficit, especially as it applies to road, is addressed.
“We have numerous companies but, I can’t give an accurate number, because not all are registered with the Free Trade Zone.
“But in the Free Trade Zone, we have well over 35 to 40 firms and other big companies facing the same challenges that we are facing.”
Despite that the road belongs to the federal government, Ogun state government was approached on its plans for its people in the area .
Attempted to speak to the Commissioner for Works in the state , Ade Akinsanya failed as he did not answer the calls put to his mobile line.
He did not as well respond to the message sent to him on the plans of the state government on the plight of the industrialists and residents of the area .
