Bad Mowe-Ofada road makes life hard for commuters

Residents and commuters on the Mowe-Ofada Road in Mowe, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, are unhappy about the state of the road. They say the road is in bad shape, which has hurt businesses and increased transport costs.

PUNCH Metro reporters visited the area on Thursday. They saw that vehicles were avoiding the bad section of the road. This has forced drivers to use one side of the dual carriageway as a one-way road.

The road project started over eight years ago, but only one side was finished at that time. A tricycle rider, who goes by the name Amadu, told our reporters that the road has been like this for more than eight years.

"We are using the road, but it is painful for us. Each time we drive on this road, we spend too much on tricycle repairs. The road was like the other one, but they completed that side and left this one. They said they had finished it, but they did not," he said.

A businessman, who wished to remain anonymous and identified as Idris Lawal, claimed that some private individuals offered to help fix the road, but their offers were turned down by some government officials.

"Sometimes, business people who just opened supermarkets, filling stations, or schools may want to fix the road, but some elected officials in the local government refuse, saying no to them," he said.

"Also, when people with cars want to buy something, it becomes hard for them to come here. Some say they cannot drive their cars to this side of the road because it is too bad. The road condition also makes transport fares go up," he added.

Another businessman, Mr Tayo, said the bad road is hurting business, and it gets flooded when it rains. "The road floods when it rains. I also heard that someone wanted to fix the road, but the government stopped that person," he said.

A resident named Femi echoed the concerns. He said that whenever it rains, the road becomes a mess. "Nobody uses this road anymore, and when heavy rain falls, this area gets flooded," he said.

Attempts to reach the local government chairman, Lanre Obafemi, did not succeed. The call got cut off when we contacted him on Wednesday.

Also, when we tried to contact the governor's special adviser on information and strategy, Kayode Akinmade, his number was unreachable at the time of this report.

PUNCH Metro reported on July 25 that the unfinished part of the road has become a big issue, leading to long delays, frequent vehicle breakdowns, and higher transport costs for residents, workers, and business owners.