By Adekola Afolabi

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The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, yesterday said the state government decided to repair the failed portions of the ever busy Ayede-Ogbese road to alleviate the daily suffering of commuters and the people.
Akeredolu spoke while inspecting the rehabilitation works done on the Ayede-Ogbese road in Akure North Local Government Area. The Governor was accompanied to the site by the state Commissioner for Lands and Infrastructure, Mr. Raimi Aminu.
He disclosed that hundreds of millions have been expended by the state government to fix some federal government roads without getting refunds, adding that his administration would continue to ease the suffering of the people.
The Governor explained that the state had earlier carried out several intervention works on many Federal roads in the state despite the dwindling resources, without getting refunds from the Federal Government.
He described the road as the link to the Northern part of the country from the South, just as he urged the Federal Government to allocate more funds to the states to be able to carry out more developmental projects in the areas for the benefit of the people.
According to the Governor, the Ayede-Ogbese road which was constructed long ago around 1998-1999/2000 needed major maintenance including resurfacing, even as he charged the Ogbese residents and traders to desist from dumping refuse in gutter and drainage system.
“We can say it that the Federal Government has bitten off more than it can chew. So, often times most of the federal roads get spoilt. Even the Federal Road Maintenance Agency set up by government is not able to rise up to the occasion on time.
“But whether we like it or not, these roads are being used by our people, and we have no option than to look for money, in spite of lack of finances, to carry out this sort of intervention.
“A numbers of times we have this type of intervention we don’t get refunds. We have done this in few places like when we had the big bomb blast last time at Ilu-Abo, along this road, which cost us hundreds of millions. We did it but till tomorrow Federal Government has not refunded us.
Until state government intervention, motorists, passengers and other road users were groaning over the deplorable state of the Ayede- Ogbese road as it has become a death trap amidst heavy traffic jam.
But with the urgent intervention all road users now heaved a sigh of relief as the damaged portions of the road have been fixed by the state government for the comfort of the people.