The people of Elerinjare community in the Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State have appealed for the state government’s urgent intervention on their deplorable 3.7 kilometre Idofian-Elerinjare road.
Oba Bello of Elerinjare ibobo community
Making the appeal on behalf of his people, the traditional ruler of Elerinjare Ibobo land, Oba Tajudeen Olanrewaju Bello, the Olushabi of Elerinjare Ibobo land, said the people had for long been subjected to a harrowing experience due to the bad state of the road.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the Elerinjare Ibobo Descendants Union (EIDU), Abdulhakeem Garba, he said that the road had never been constructed by any government.
According to the statement, the road was first awarded for construction during the first term of Governor Bukola Saraki in 2003 as well as during the second term of the immediate past Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, “without its construction seeing the light of the day”.
“It is always a challenge yearly for indigenes who travelled from far and near to access the agrarian community as rain usually flooded the way leading to the area, thereby forcing indigenes to park their vehicles along roadside for days without gaining access to the community, while others would rather turn back,” the statement added.
The statement said that the Idofian-Elerinjare road, when constructed, would benefit other adjoining agrarian communities such as Oko-Okuta and Okoya, adding that it would also reduce man hour spent travelling on the road.
The people also said that the Idofian-Elerinjare road leads to Ojoku in the Oyun local government area of the state as well as Offa, Offa local government area.
Oba Bello, who said that communal efforts had sustained the road from getting dilapidated, added that each household was levied every year, especially, during raining season to maintain the road.
The monarch said that it was collective efforts of members of the community that brought about construction of primary and secondary schools, adding that projects such as electricity, hand pump boreholes were also realised by taxing each household since 1984.
The community, which passionately appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to urgently intervene on the cries of the people, said they are staunch members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Despite being staunch members of the ruling APC in the state, we lament that dividends of democracy is yet to reach the community. We are, therefore, appealing to our able Governor to consider our plight,” the statement added.