The people of the Elerinjare community in the Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State have sought the state government’s intervention regarding the deplorable conditions of the 3.7-kilometre Idofian-Elerinjare road.
The traditional ruler of Elerinjare Ibobo land, Oba Tajudeen Bello, said that his people have had harrowing experience due to the bad state of the road.
The monarch, in a statement by the publicity secretary of the Elerinjare Ibobo Descendants Union (EIDU), Abdulhakeem Garba, said that the road had never been constructed by any government.
He said that the road was first awarded for construction 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 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,” he said.
The monarch 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.
He added 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.
Bello, who said communal efforts had sustained the road from getting dilapidated, added that each household was levied every year, especially, during the rainy 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.