THISDAYonline

Can a road project serve the purpose of redressing inequity; rekindling historical ties, easing communication problems, displaying political magnanimity as well as eliminating tears of suffering for many people? All these posers were answered in the affirmative when the Suin Ilisan road project was completed and commissioned by Chief Olusegun Osoba late last year in Ogun State.

The project lends itself to a critical analysis in the sense that if the road can potentially serve all the above purposes, why was it left for many years in a state of total disrepair and neglect by successive administrations in Ogun State? Well, one cannot readily conjecture rationale for the neglect but suffice it to say that only a forward-looking and people-oriented administration could have committed men and resources to a road that passes through an area that voted for the opposing party to the one in power.

The 26 kilometers Siun-Ilisan Road passes through such major towns as siun, form the Abeokuta-Sagamu road thorough Ajura Ogere, Iperu and Ilisan where it terminates at the Sagamu-Benin Express Road. The initial rationale for embarking on the construction of the road was to end the exploitation of Ogun state indigenes thorough payment of multiple tolls at toll plaza. For a citizen of the state moving from Abeokuta to the farthest part of Ijebu area along the sagamu - Benin Express way, toll must be paid at the Sagamu Inter-change, Sagamu and at the Ijebu Ode. As a policy, these plazas are usually located at the boundaries areas of states where commuters crossing inter-state boundaries pay toll only once. But for years, Ogun state indigenes have had to live with the inequity of multiple payments of tolls despite series of agitations. By the time the construction of Siun-Ilisan road began, the federal government reluctantly abolished the toll plaza of Sagamu Inter-change which still left Ogun indigenes with double payment of the toll during inter-state commuting. With the construction of Siun-Ilisan road, commuters from Abeokuta to Ijebu areas or vice versa can now "escape" the exploitation of toll payment at the sagamu toll plaza.

But there certainly were other reasons for the construction of the road besides ending inequity and exploitation of indigenes and residents of Ogun state. There is the historical aspect of the road in question. According to Chief Osoba, as a young man, he recalled the roads as the only link road between the Egbas and there Ijebus in years gone by before the construction of the Abeokuta-Sagamu Road. Osoba recalled commuting from Abeokuta via Obafemi to Siun onward to Ijebu areas of the state and wondered during the commissioning why such a historical link road was forgotten in a state of despair for over 20 years.

The roads also serve to ease transportation among the people of the state. Hitherto, residents of the towns the roads transverse and its numerous satellite villages and hamlets had to first join the Sagamu - Benin Expressway before heading for Lagos, Abeokuta or Ibadan as the case may be or subjecting their vehicles and themselves to an arduous journey on the decrepit road. According to the Ologere of Ogere, Oba Oladele Ogungbade, the later option usually takes over one hour between Ilisan and Siun with serious wear and tear on vehicles and humans. But according to the monarch in a news report, it takes only about ten minutes using one gear to transverse the asphalt road now.

Related to the above in its stimulus for economic growth is the reversing of the rural-urban drift. With a good road that ease transportation to and fro the towns and villages, residents of these areas can afford to live in their towns and villages and work in Abeokuta or Lagos as their commuting time has been greatly reduced. The salutary effects of this on urban population pressure can only be imagined, as are the effects on rural development with indigenes now taking daily interest in the affairs of their hometowns.

More importantly, the construction of the road confirmed Osoba as an apostle of politics without bitterness as well as demonstrated the largeness of his heart in forgiving political foes. The road traversed sections of Ogun State that voted against Osoba during the election and ordinarily, Osoba might have considered consigning their fate to the party they voted for in faraway Abuja. Specifically, Osoba lost the town of Ajura, where he got his first traditional title, the Akinrogun of Igbore, to opposition party.

Kayode Oduaro, Abeokuta