Oyo declares war on potholes

THE Oyo State Government on Wednesday declared Zero tolerance for potholes across the state, noting that it wants to maximize this dry season to maintain its roads not minding whether it is trunk A, B or C.

Also, the government has appealed to the citizens to bear the discomfort when plying the roads currently being rehabilitated, assuring that the maintenance will be of high quality and it will be completed in due course as the staff of the state Public Works Department work day and night everyday including weekends.

Mr. Gbenga Akintola who is the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Infrastructure made the disclosure during a media briefing in Ibadan at the film Theatre, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, explaining that trunk A roads are Federal roads, Trunk B are state roads while Trunk C Are local roads.

The governor’s aide informed that the State Public Works department is carrying out routine maintenance on Command-Apata-Odo Ona-Dugbe-Mokola-Sango-UI-Ojoo-Moniya Road networks.

He added that other road networks undergoing maintenance include Molete-OkeAdo-OkeBola-Dugbe-Ekotedo Queen Cinema, Mokola-UCH-Gate with spur to parliament road, Secretariat-UI with spur to Government  house,  Custom,  Awolowo, Osuntokun, Mary hill and Challenge -Molete-Beere-Oje-Gate Roads.

The Special Adviser hinted that the department has completed the routine maintenance of Asphaltic Improvement of Beere-Oranyan-Orita Aperin road; Asphaltic Rehabilitation of Ogbomoso High School – Baptist High School Road (Phase I); Reconstruction of failed existing double 3m x 3m x 11m Box culvert on Akoko stream along Ilero-Iganna Road and Provision of informatory Traffic Signs around the State High Court at Ring Road and Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Others are Asphaltic Rehabilitation of Oroki – Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo (Phase I); Asphaltic Rehabilitation and underpinning of eroded concrete base of existing culvert outlet near Heritage Bank Iyana Church and Oyeniyan B/Stop along Iwo Road, Olodo Road; Asphaltic rehabilitation of Ariyo Box culvert Approaches, Olorunsogo/Akanran road, Ibadan and Asphaltic Rehabilitation of Idi Arere-Popo Yemoja-Oke Ado with spur to Bode Market.

The completed road networks also included Asphaltic Improvement of Iyaganku – N.T.C Road; Asphaltic Improvement of Eleta – Odinjo-Muslim Overhead Bridge; Repair/Reinstatement of vandalised Steel Barricade under Mokola Flyover at Mokola, Ibadan; Asphaltic Construction of Ologuneru Junction – Abanla – Alafara Junction and Asphaltic Rehabilitation of Oje Ibadan – Mobil, Yemetu Junction with spur to Adeoyo Hospitral, Yemetu Road among others.

Akintola, however appealed to the citizens to bear the discomfort associated with the routine road maintenance, assuring that the department is working assiduously to ensure that the maintenances are completed in due course.

“We are very strategic about our work and we have injected feedback mechanisms. We get enquiry and treat same with the utmost urgency the enquiry might require. We are on the road to make our roads better and we know there will be discomfort during this period but the discomfort is time bound.

“We want to maximize this dry season to cover a lot of grounds and the routine maintenance will be carried out across the state. Where we cannot engage in routine maintenance, we might resolve to palliative measures. We appeal to our citizens to bear with us and get it touch with us in case our attention is needed,” he urged.