Arepo residents laud Governor Dapo Abiodun over road infrastructure
By Zion Rufus, Ebuka Otada
Residents of Arepo and its neighboring communities have applauded Ogun State Governor, His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun for the near completion of a dualised 2.35km road complimented with proper drainage system, and streetlights in the satellite town inhabited by elites.
After past governments had reneged on their decades-old promises to fix the road, the long-anticipated relief was made real when reconstruction finally kicked off in 2021 upon the intervention of the incumbent governor of the state.
Slated to be completed within the next one month, a reliable source within the company handling the project, who spoke on condition of anonymity said the project would soon be completed, noting that it is fully dualised and electrified. “As you can see, the road is dualised, and when we are done, you will see the street lights, the interlocked roads, and the pavement, minus other things we still intend to do. He stated further that the state government is highly concerned about this town. ‘’I can tell you for free, this place will be well up to standard. You can’t compare what we have here to what they have in other notable estates we have close to this axis. The water will be channeled through the proper area so it can run through to the canal. The drainage will also be covered, we don’t want to risk people throwing dirt into it, that’s another havoc entirely. So the gutters will be covered, people can even walk on it if they see fit.”
As the reconstruction nears completion, elated residents of the Journalists’ Estate, Arepo and other residents in the community have applauded the governor for his intervention even as they acknowledged the implication of the top-notch transformation that will become the lot of the people in the community.
“I am grateful to the government for finally doing this because it’s been long overdue, past governments have promised and failed,” said a resident, Mr Ajibola Ojo in an interview with MARKETING EDGE.
“I’ve lived here for 8years and trust me, there is no better time to live in Arepo than now. I wish I had a picture of how this place looked before they started the construction, I don’t even know the right word to use to describe it, it was bad. Very bad, especially during the rainy seasons, infact back then, we used to pray for rain not to fall because the road would get so muddy, people won’t take their cars out. But now you can see, movement is easy for everyone. Bikes, cars, and people walking. It’s smooth now.”
Reassuring residents on the durability of the road, another engineer working on the road revealed that so much effort had been put into the reconstruction of the road.
He said: “There was much consideration for the fact that the Arepo area is water logged, and we needed to ensure it has a structurally sound base as the road is also intended for constant vehicular traffic. After properly grading the road, an extra thick gravel layer was created to set the stone base, then topped with concrete sand before installing the pavers/interlocks. We did this to provide a strong and long-lasting surface that will enable the road to withstand extra-heavy vehicle traffic. The planning of the drainage too was well considered, it has been networked to pass water outside Arepo.”
Ecstatic about how the reconstruction will usher in a turn-around in the fortunes of businessmen and traders in the area, the proprietor of David Bakery, Mr. Ikechuckwu Anagho revealed that transportation had been the only challenge hindering the growth of his business.
In his words: “When the road construction began, I was happy, because now transportation will be easier. Now that the road is good, I can even carry my bread outside Arepo to market. And now new people are coming in, which is good, because now they find it easier to move about, and that is also great for my business. As at 2017, I think we had only four bakeries, now we have almost 10. People will move in when they see that the area is getting fully developed.”
On his part, a resident of Journalist Estate, and former General Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Sylva Okereke stated that the singular achievement of Abiodun appears to be a sharp deviation from the administrations of Governors Daniel and Amosun.
According to Okereke, the first former governor had constructed the Arepo road, but it had failed a test of quality, as the road caved in less than two years after its construction as a result of the “naked truth”, that it was built on quicksand without a waterway, otherwise known as the gutter.
He said: “Quality of materials used for the reconstruction are super-standard, hence the road would withstand the test of time. The contractor is unequalled in his choice of materials for the reconstruction works. The simple law of value analysis shows that by implication, the value of landed properties in and around Arepo axis would shore up after the completion of the all-important community feeder road. The governor has walked his talk when he promised residents a face-lift in infrastructural developments in the area. We thank God that today; there is a reprieve in sight. A big thank you to Governor Abiodun, and cheers to Arepo residents for their resilience amid sufferings over the years.”
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