After decades of frustration, Osun communities get soldiers to construct connecting bridge

What could have trapped a troop of soldiers in a long abandoned road which connects Ede, Ikoyi and OwuKuta, all in Osun State was the natural question seeking an answer on the mind of our correspondent. Except the recent alert to invasion of the South-West geopolitical zone by suspected kidnappers, nothing should draft the soldiers into the heart of the tropical forest.

A closer look, however, revealed a team drawn from the Engineering Construction Regiment (ECR), situated in Ede, building a bridge over what is known as Osun River, which had, for many decades, constituted a natural barrier to human and vehicular movement of Ede, Ikoyi and Kuta people, especially farmers who have to navigate kilometres to connect the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo road to transport their farm produces to markets. Perhaps, this is one important reason which necessitated the construction of the bridge by the soldiers as their community development service to their hosts.

Only the few informed section of the society understands the purpose of soldiers beyond defending the territorial integrity of any nation. To this class of the public, the ongoing extra security assignment undertaken by the soldiers is a regular duty but for which they deserve credit and applause, especially going by the rate at which they are doing the work.

In just a few weeks after they moved tools to the site, even an independent construction company could not have beaten their pace, watching the soldiers as they were busy firming steels together to make the 85-metre bridge deck in order to ensure that work is completed as soon as possible.

One of the soldiers who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that nothing could stop the work because nothing has been spared by the army authorities to complete it on record time. He specifically said that they had a target which is to build the bridge and make the road passable to the people of the areas. The target, he stressed, is clear, adding that everybody is working towards meeting it.

“You should understand that we have no patience for indolence in our duty. That is what is propelling us on this work. I repeat that nothing would stop us from completing the work and leaving here,” the soldier told Nigerian Tribune.

More evidence of his claim was seen in the make a shift accommodation sighted in the forest, some kilometers to the construction area. The tent, which bears the green colour of the army, sits on a plain surface with two patrol vehicles parked beside it. The tent, it was gathered, is serving as the abode for the construction soldiers.

A farmer from Ikoyi, Mr Sunday Ogunkunle, said he was scared the first time he saw some soldiers on that axis. He recalled that he hastily returned home to brief the elders on what he suspected to be likely an invasion of the area by elements who might have hidden under army uniform to perpetrate crime on the land.

“It was when we got information from Kuta that work would soon commence on the road that I had the courage to start going to the farm again. The soldiers are friendly with the way they go about their work. We see them almost on a daily basis and we pray for them. I did not know that soldiers also build bridges until I was told. Initially I had thought that they were drafted there to provide security for a construction company working on the bridge,” he said.

Ogunkunle added that when the construction is completed, it would be a big relief to farmers to access Ede where lies a big market for their produces because of the presence of two higher institutions of learning— the Federal Polytechnic and Adeleke University— both of which are incidentally located along that road.

“The suffering we pass through in taking our produces to the major markets is much. To get a vehicle down here has always been difficult, and this has affected prices in the market because we have to calculate every cost. But the truth is that some of our produces, especially the perishable ones, end in waste. However, with this development, things would change. The government should not to stop at the bridge; it should help us upgrade the road to a standard level. From here to Ede should not be more than 30 minutes,” he stated.

It was also learnt that the duo of the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude and the Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola had months ago taken a tour of the site during which they were able to ascertain the level of work to be done. Oba Oyelude was said to have served as an interface between the Army headquarters in Abuja and the communities.

Findings revealed that a formal letter was sent to the Army authorities seeking assistance to construct the bridge to end the pains of the people of the three towns. To verify the information, Nigerian Tribune made some efforts to reach the three traditional rulers of the affected communities.

However, the efforts were not fruitful on account of non-availability of the trio. After a while, the Olowu Kuta provided an insight into the details of how the soldiers took up the construction of the bridge.

Oba Oyelude, who is the current chairman of the supreme council of Owu traditional rulers, expressed his pleasant surprise at the attitude of the army authorities towards the project, saying he did not expect that the work would be undertaken so soon given the current challenge faced by the army in quelling the rage of insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country.

After a recent inspection to the site where he praised the soldiers on duty, the traditional ruler explained how two past generations of the people had been cut off from one another by the river, thereby making movement a laborious exercise.

“Now we are moving closer to opening up Kuta and other towns to attract economic activities. We cannot continue to watch the road in that state and say we are traditional rulers. No. We have to take the bull by the horns, and that’s exactly what inspired this project. I do visit the site, to not only see the level of work done, but also to encourage the soldiers because what they are doing is more than the ordinary. What they are doing is an eye-opener of sorts that soldiers can be called the all-rounder in nation building,” he said.

The Olowu stated that the Timi of Ede was initially skeptical about the possibility of the project until he got more assurance during their visit to the site about two months ago. He singled out the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai for his responsiveness to the call for the construction of the bridge, affirming that the COAS is the best thing to have happened to the three towns in recent time.

Oba Oyelude thus made a passionate appeal to the Nigerian public to show understanding to the general with a view to making the job of the army easy in ending insecurity in the country.

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Describing him as gallant and patriotic, the traditional ruler stated that the chief of army staff does not deserve public opprobrium thrown at him, saying the act is capable of demoralising the force on the field.

He said that since General Buratai was appointed in July 2015, he had put up demonstrable leadership which, according to him, is responsible for the success so far recorded in the ongoing battle against insurgency and terrorism in particular.

“It is high time Nigerians realised the fact that military operations anywhere in the world require focus and absolute concentration. And in a situation whereby our soldiers are easily distracted to perform through uncomplimentary statements, the result is coming back to us. No nation can develop in the absence of peace. We should rather encourage our soldiers to bring us lasting peace. Nobody should be happy with the spread of crimes. And these security personnel are the ones to tackle the problem,” he remarked.

The Olowu commended President Muhammadu Buhari for retaining the service chiefs to complete their assignments, saying the president’s decision is evidence of his confidence in their capability to achieve more results.

The traditional ruler reasoned that President Buhari must have realised that change of military leadership would be counterproductive in the grounds so far covered, hence his retention of the service chiefs.

“I think what is required at the moment is change of operational approach and not military leadership. The service chiefs retained by the president did not come as a surprise in that he is also a successful military tactician who knows the nitty-gritty involved in operations as those faced by the Nigerian Army under General Buratai. Mr. President knows the significance of continuity on this assignment. I am very happy at this development. It means we are moving closer to the end of this insecurity,” he noted.

Oba Oyelude, therefore, urged the chief of army staff not to misplace the confidence which President Buhari has reposed in him, calling him to be stiffer in disciplinarian actions where and when necessary because, according to him, discipline makes the military the most respected institution among security organisations world over.

“This development means all eyes are on the service chiefs to prove President Buhari right that they capable to further meet the expectations of his administration. As a traditional ruler, it is part of my responsibilities to commend when necessary. We should all be patriotic and supporting our army at all times,” he said.

Also looking at the bright side of the ongoing construction, a prominent son of Ede, Ridwan Hussein shared the sentiment of the Olowu and commended the military authorities for the job being done. He said the road suffered neglect because of the alternative route from Ibadan through Iwo to Osogbo.

“I have not visited the site of the bridge but with your question I know that work is truly going on, which means attention is going to be given to that road. There is nothing wrong in having alternative roads to reduce pressure on one. Let us hope that it won’t also take many decades to open up the road itself because a bridge is a just a part of road construction,” he noted.

In the same vein, Baale Atomope, Chief Abel Fatoyinbo saluted the Army for giving hope to the people on the road, praying for more successful undertakings.

“I am happy to be a witness to the development which the ongoing construction would bring to us. Governance is about development, failure of which would disenchant the governed. We are looking forward to the completion of the bridge,” he said.