Hannah Anthony
Road transport infrastructure plays an essential role in the development of a country and its local economy. Likewise, poorly managed or abandoned road transport infrastructure hampers a country’s quality of life by preventing rural residents from accessing essential services and local economic opportunities.
Olambe Town, popularly called Lambe in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State is one of the many rural towns in the southwestern part of Nigeria that suffers from poor road network and infrastructure.
Landlords and residents have long cried for the rehabilitation of the continuing deteriorating roads in their Olambe communities.
The current state of the roads paints a grim picture, leaving its residents sad and concerned about their future.
Bad road on Akeredolu , Lambe Ogun state (Photo credit: Hannah Anthony)
Despite the rising population and increasing micro-economic activities in recent years, Olambe roads have been riddled with potholes and cracks that extend across the road while the consequences pose a severe danger and health risks, inconveniences, and frustrations for both residents and commuters alike.
Some of the communities our correspondents visited include Purposeful, Lambe Junction Road connecting Lambe Inside, Akeredolu Road, Odo-Epo, Oko-Filling, Ore-Metta and Akinbo Road.
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident of the Akeredolu community, Promise Boluwatife, said that people residing in Olambe have been facing hardship and seeking a lasting solution to the persistently dilapidated road conditions in the community.
He said, “We have long been enduring the dusty air we breathe in and the bad roads in our community. We usually put on noise masks whenever we want to go out.”
The particles of dust in the air distributed by passing vehicles, and strong winds, create a dusty and dirty environment during the dry season, and the muddy roads during the rainy season with sticky and slippery textures, make it challenging for people to walk, cyclists to ride, and motorists to drive on.
“Somebody like me, as the rainy season ends, the air will be full of dust and it usually affects my breathing. So, I am always indoors and if I want to go out, I must use my noise mask.
“From my street down to Akeredolu Town Hall leads to Oko-Filling, the majority of the streets are of dry dusty mud. The dust in that area is more than the ones we experience here.”
Another resident, a Landlady, Mrs Emmanuel Aiegbena added,” In my area at Oko-Filling, we prefer the dry season to the rainy season. Our roads are hilly, they have twists and turns and are stressful when walking on. Though the dust there is really bad, we take precautionary measures and protect our noses.”
“When it rains all activities standstill, and many people don’t open their shops for weeks. We usually stock our houses with foodstuffs before the rainy season. Going out of our houses has always been a problem during the rainy season.”
Aiegbena said that children are also affected, adding that the surrounding areas have deep gorges which pose significant safety risks. So, the children are not allowed to engage in outdoor activities beyond the confines of their residences.
“Many house owners who work outside Lambe, abandoned their houses and rented apartments in Lagos. Our children, when going to school, take extra pairs of rubber sandals along and change at their school gates because the road is all muddy. We need a quick intervention to address our road problems. Our government should not abandon us, we need help,” she added.
In an interview with a committee member, the Group Area Secretary of the Olambe Saint Lucy Community Development Committee, Mr Olayinka Onigbinde, it was revealed that the communities had severally lodged formal complaints with the Ogun State Ministry of Environment. In response, officials from the Ministry of Environment inspected Lambe Junction road and made a solemn promise to rehabilitate the roads stretching from Akute-Ijoko to Lambe Junction connecting Giwa road.
To the dismay of the residents, however, the ministry’s efforts were short-lived. After commencing the much-needed repairs by digging up the Lambe junction road, the rehabilitation work was halted, leaving the area in a state of utter devastation.
He said, “The communities have resorted to self-help. Everything we do here is based on communal effort right from the installation of electricity poles to the procurement of transformers, road patching and repairs, and the establishment of drainages, among others.”
“This is one of the reasons why a toll system was introduced and began in Lambe in the year 2020 by the Chairman of the Olambe Area Development Committee, Comrade Ganiyu Omolade while Alhaji Wole Odedosu heads the Olambe Road Development Committee as the Chairman.”
“The road committee employed men and women in the community for the collection #50 each as toll fee from motorists and cyclists daily. The proceeds are being used judiciously for the road repair projects which would not have been necessary if the government had done the needful.”
He said further, “Taking decisive action, we had to tackle the challenge head-on and the results are now a little better than previous years. To some extent, the committees and residents’ efforts and the proceeds from the toll gate are helping to lessen the burden of commuting along the neglected Lambe Road to a certain degree when compared to the past two years’ experiences.”
“Lambe town’s road projects are enormous and need the intervention of the Ogun State Government. We are confident that good roads will have a significant positive impact on environmental sustainability in Lambe town.”
“We urge the Ogun State Government to fulfil the promises made to us and help repair all Olambe community roads and inner streets for the wellbeing and prosperity of our town so that we can live peacefully, ” he added.
*Hannah Anthony, a development Journalist, and Fellow of Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals, sent this in from Olambe town as Part of the requirement for Media Entrepreneurship Fellow Training
