My attention has been drawn to Orita-Isale Alubo Okeho road in Kajola Local Government, Area of Oyo State where incessant accidents keep orchestrating sustenance of severe injuries to many, amputation of victims’ legs and untimely deaths that were consequent upon inability to fix speed breakers to where necessary on the road.
Painstaking efforts have been made to get accurate records and numerical strength of those who have become victims as a result of bruises, sustained injuries and catastrophic deaths among others.
But I shall neither disclose the victims’ identities nor spots where such ugly incidents and catastrophes had happened, as such disclosure would unequivocally amount to sadness of the concerned victims’ families.
With a view to knowing the true position of the community leaders and what they are doing to arrest the sad situation, a courtesy visit was recently paid to Ex-Chairman, Kajola Local Government, Hon.(Alhaji) Isiaka Olalekan Salami popularly known as ‘Obè’ who spoke spoke in respect of melancholic phenomenon and exclusively revealed that, letter had been written to appropriate and concerned quarter on a request for placement of speed breakers to where necessary on the road.
Obè added that, receipt and acknowledgement was given to the letter and community is however allowed to erect speed breakers to appropriate places on said road.
Having granted such permission to proceed, he expatiated that they could not act on it till this moment, because the road is still under construction with placement of additional layer before anything could be done.
On why the road has not got the stage of completion, he stressed that he and other community leaders have renewed efforts in reaching out to those creme de la creme whose instant interventions would enhance and trigger its completion.
However, it would be recalled that, Federal Government had begun its construction from Okeho to Iseyin for almost four(4) years, while there are no traces of seriousness nor readiness to make it standby and motorable on time.
Suffice to say that, since work had commenced on it, it would sound surprise to many that, its construction has sent many to early graves while countless had sustained bruises and various degrees of injuries.
Community leaders should please not fold their arms and watch how these motorcyclists with inexperience, over speeding and lacked caution keep injuring and killing people.
It is understood that, good road network makes infrastructures, easy travelings, promotes trades & commerce, determines business scope & innovation, remains the backbone of a country’s economy and part of everyday life, but should not be at the expense of claiming lives.
