COMMUNITIES MUST PROTEST FOR THE REHABILITATION OF BAD ROADS

The Campaign - the subsidiary of LIFEINSLUM - reports the sorry state of bad roads in Ajeromi Ifelodun.

Huge traffic was at Bale Road today, 2 July, 2019. The traffic, which lasted for more than an hour and thirty minutes, was caused by an ongoing celebration of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government, marking the Chairman 56th Birth day party.

All the politicians, supporters and beneficiary were all there to pledge their loyalty, on how the regime in its one gesture, has continue to enrich them through several monumental awarded contracts.

Few weeks before this birth day celebration, the local government want to pretend as if they are up and doing, carry out some  quack patches of the roads in the night, in front of the Local Government Secretariat. 

In the same direction that leads to Mile 2, Ago Hausa, Alaba etc they are all dead trap for commuters.  Both the chairman of LCDA and AJIF respectively have turn blind to these roads. For them, it is State road not local government responsibility to rehabilitate. 

However, the issue here is not about Local or State, but government doing the needful. Providing social welfare without inflicting suffering. The same roads they claim are State roads, are the same they levy and tax commuters piling on daily basis.

In fact, what is currently going on is wastage of public funds. Politicians using public money for jamboree, and to settle their own friends, who are at the corridor of power. Since AJIF was created to bring closer social services to the mass, majority of the roads haven't been rehabilitated for last the 10 years. . 

Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA, which is the second populated dense local government after Alimosho, is mention be receiving the second highest allocation from the Federal Government. However, with this huge money coming in. 75% of the 303 roads have not been constructed. 

Interestingly, the Ayoola/Ajidagba regime noise social media that they are constructing roads. Under Fashola ACN regime, most of the roads constructed were World Bank projects that the people have to pay through cut in social welfare, that is not in place. 

Realistically, areas like Mba/Cardozo road are river to swallow vehicles when its rain; and the same at Kiri-kiri area. The 2019 capital expenditure of the Ayoola regime mention to rehabilitate some of these road but the government has successfully do the direct opposites. 

Commuters, residents who ply these roads has continue to grumble. Meanwhile, the government with the huge allocations coming into its pulse since 1999, has not only awarded patches as rehabilitation but has successfully use it to loot the coffer by filling their drums and that of their chums. 

And because of the messy state of the bad roads in Ajeromi Ifelodun, it is no doubt habitual occurrences of accident (even though not fatal cannot be counted). The government on their part has shifted the cause to the reckless driving of bus drivers, when fundamentally they are the ones' responsible to it. 

In order for these dilapidated roads to be constructed, organize rallies with clear demands must be put in place, to force the government to begin adequate construction of these roads. Commuters, NURTW, RTEAN, Associations, residents etc must mobilise themselves around socialist demands. 

It is only through this that the Ayoola/Ajidagba led AJIF and LCDA can best be expose fundamentally as defenders of the big cats. Without coming out to protest all the bad roads wouldn't be rehabilitated. Not until we come out to agitate, the roads will definitely get worse.

Davy Fidel
LIFEINSLUM