Kunle ADELABU
When every effort to get the Lagos State Government and Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) to fix the Igbe road, which has collapsed for about two decades,had failed to bring the desired result, the residents of the area, who have been ensuring that regular palliative repair is done on the road, are back in action to make it motorable .
The hugely dilapidated condition of the road has badly affected the social and economic lives of residents of the area located within Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA of Ikorodu Division of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria.
The latest rehabilitation works commenced on June 17 and it would involve clearing the drainages and making the road passable for motorists and other road users.
The renewed efforts, we gathered, was at the instance of the Oluwomoju’s family whose patriarch, Pa Samuel Abiodun Oluwomoju, recently passed away at the age of 104.
Pa Oluwomoju, the Baba Ijo CAC (WOSEM), Igbogbo, Grand Patron, Ikorodu Diocese, Methodist Church of Nigeria and head of Lisaku, Egun-Aya and Olusarada Descendant families, is slated to be buried between Tuesday, July 23 and Friday, July 26, 2019.
As part of the family’s quest to give its highly revered patriarch a befitting burial, THE IMPACT gathered that the family approached the Community Development Associations (CDAs) in the area for collaboration in stabilizing the road to enable guests coming to the burial event from near and far to have easy access and also, to give back to the community where late Pa Oluwomo lived and died.
The six CDAs in the area namely; Igbeyin Adun CDA, Ife Oluwa CDA, Itedo CDA, Onolu CDA, Igbe Road Zone and Otitoloju CDA, have since sprung into action to partner the family to make the road motorable .
The Igbe Road Rehabilitation Committee (IRRC), which has Pastor Adeniyi J. A as head and Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and General Secretaries as well as other few selected members of the 6 CDAs, is charged with the task of providing strategies for improving the worst condition of the road.
Sub Committees, such as Project, Finance and Supervisory committees, were equally set up to ensure actualization of the set objectives.
According to Mr Bolaji Isikalu, the Chief Executive Officer, Bytes n Bites, grandson of late Pa Oluwomoju and the Secretary, Rehabilitation Committee, the plan of the family and entire people of Igbe area is to make the collapsed road motorable again through the joint rehabilitation efforts .
“The focus of the rehabilitation is to clear the drainage and makes the road motorable from Igbe Junction to De- Sleek. Since we don’t know how soon the government will come to our aid, we have decided to help ourselves through community effort”, he stated.
Meanwhile, Pastor Adeniyi, Chairman, IRRC, has appealed to the residents and other members of the community to join the committee in making the road passable.
Speaking on the group’s platform on Saturday, he stated that the first phase of the project, slated to be completed by next week, requires N700, 000 to be completed.
“At this point, to complete phase1 of this project ( let say by next week Wednesday) , we need close to N700,000. We also need your prayers”.
While appealing to residents to contribute to the project, the chairman also announced the official account details for the rehabilitation project.
“I, therefore, further appeal to members to join other donors for the project by sending their donations to: Amazing Grace Consult Ltd, Account Number 1011306989, Zenith Bank”.
To mobilize all residents and other users of the road, THE IMPACT gathered that the committee of the six chairmen in the area resolved to levying every house in the area the sum of N5, 000 each while shop owners are levied N1, 000 each.
Also, commercial motorcyclists plying the area are expected to pay N50 while non-residential motorists and residential car owners are to pay N1, 000 each.
When contacted on phone, Comrade Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA,told our reporter that he has sent a letter to the Ministry of Works concerning the repair of the road and also pledged that his administration would be involved in the rehabilitation works .
“I have seen their letter and it has been forwarded to the Ministry of Works and I’m sure that they are in contact with them.
“As a council Chairman, I have also briefed our engineering department. We are going to meet with them next week (this week) to see how we can intervene”, he stated.
