The Special Adviser to the Ekiti State Governor on Road Infrastructure and Project Coordinator, Rural Assess and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Mr Sunday Adunmo, in this interview by ‘YOMI AYELESO, speaks on the various interventions of the Kayode Fayemi administration on infrastructure and the importance of the ongoing construction of a cargo airport to the state.
There are ongoing massive road constructions and rehabilitations across the state, less than two months to the governorship election. Is the government doing all these because of the coming poll?
Let me start by saying that when Dr Kayode Fayemi was sworn in in 2018, one of the things he said was to prioritise some roads across the state, which he did by taking cognizance of the roads connecting local government areas in the state and we picked one in each of the three senatorial districts. There is the Agbado-Ode-Omuo Road with a bridge of 36 metres at Egbe Dam. Then, we picked Ilupeju-Ire-Igbemo-Ijan Road. That is the road connecting the northern district to the south. Also, we picked Ayede-Oye-Isan-Ikun to Kwara state border. In addition, we picked Aramoko-Ekit-Erijiyan Road. These are the roads that were selected. You can also see the dualisation of Ado-Iyin Road. You know how terrible that place used to be. It has reduced travel time from 12 kilometres to seven kilometres, cutting off about five kilometres. In spite of the economy of the country, the governor still put up those seven roads that run to billions of naira at a go in a state like Ekiti. Mind you, in-between, Ado-Iworoko Road came up, which is still ongoing as we speak with streetlight to Iworoko. In-between, we have Ikole Township Road coming in. So, let me tell you that there was never a time we stopped working, even during Covid-19 that almost crippled the economy. We don’t want to abandon any project, hence the continuation of works across the state.
But despite all of these interventions, the federal roads across the state, including the Ado-Akure Road, are in a deplorable state. What is the state government doing to get the Federal Government to attend to these roads?
We have defined federal roads but we have not been able to define federal being. You and I are from Ekiti, working and living in the state. We have some roads that belong to the Federal Government but it will be difficult for you to know which belong to the Federal Government and which belong to the state. But let me make it clear: of the close to 4,000 kilometres of roads in Ekiti, only 137 kilometres belong to the Federal Government. Issues were raised, suggestions were made, submissions were made on the things that classify a road as a federal road. One of the roads that used to be federal roads is the road from Ipetu-Ijesa to Ogotun to Igbara-Odo to Ado through Ilumoba to Ijan. Also, Ode Agbado to Omuo was a federal road before now. The Oye-Ayede-Isan-Ikun road, where we intervened, belongs to the Federal Government because it connects Kwara State border. But as we speak, it is the state government that did the repair and reconstruction. Go to Ilawe-Igbaraodo-Ibuji Road, this is a road linking Ondo State, which is supposed to be a federal road but is now a state road, on which the state government is spending money.
Ado-Ikere-Akure Road is a federal road. We held a meeting recently with the Federal Ministry of Works. When Governor Fayemi was worried, he met with his Ondo State counterpart, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, and said that this road belonged to the Federal Government but we didn’t have federal beings here; the people plying the road are our people. Due to paucity of fund, the two governors jointly approached the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the president of the bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, graciously agreed to help them facilitate it but they agreed that they would toll the road as part of the repayment plans. Unfortunately, the Federal Government said the road belonged to them and so they would not allow the two states to toll it.
The issue now is that the build-up areas are in the Akure section, the compensation and the rest will take time before demolition. When those things are completed, I can tell you that the construction will commence fully. If you go to the road, the contractors are working according to the fund available to them but when AfDB releases the money to the Federal Government, work will be massive on the road. Most of these federal roads need total reconstruction, not repair, because they are terribly bad.
It appears this year is ambitious to the state government in terms of road projects but considering the fact that the tenure of the governor will end by the second week of October, do you think some of these projects will see the light of day?
Ordinarily, government is a continuum, irrespective of the party that comes to power. Like the RAMP project we are embarking on, we have been on it for the past three years. The project became effective this month and we have some pilot work we are doing. We have six projects; two in each of the senatorial districts. When the project started, somebody signed the agreement. Somebody has worked to make it a reality and we are starting fully. Will that become an abandoned project? The answer is no because it is being financed by the World Bank, AfDB and the state government. The contractors are working and these projects are expected to be completed by October. Look at the Ajebamdele-Omisanjana road whose construction people have been clamouring for over the years, it is part of the projects slated to be done this year. Look at Moferere to agric Olope in Ado-Ekiti; work is also ongoing on Ikere-Ilawe road. Nobody prays that they should be abandoned because these are projects designed to develop, add value to and promote Ekiti.
One of the ambitious projects this year is the airport for which the government has given an August completion date. Is it feasible and how will it improve the economy of Ekiti?
I am happy with the question. Life is a process and believe me, we are looking at Ekiti of tomorrow, not Ekiti of today. Some people are saying we don’t need airport in Ekiti but let me start answering them like this: ours is a cargo airport, 3.2 kilometers runway which is completed already. The stone base is ongoing, the asphalt is ongoing. Indeed, a massive construction is going on there. The foundation of the terminal building is set and I can tell you that the August date is sacrosanct. We are making that place an agricultural hub, a place of connectivity. Don’t forget that we have the iconic Afe Babalola University very close to the airport, and opposite it, we have the state’s knowledge zone, which we call knowledge city where we have industrial park. Going beyond that, that is where we have the last train bus stop that is coming soon, by the grace of God. We are looking at Ekiti as the agricultural hub of Nigeria. Look at the investment of the government in agriculture and that is why we are constructing the airport. We are looking at how we will move out all our agricultural produce because if we are investing heavily on agriculture, then you must look at how to move those goods out. That is the purpose. We want to feed the South-West and even the nation through our produce. We have an airport that will serve its benefits. It is called agro-allied airport. It is different from the conventional airport that we have in Akure. Through the airport, we are making Ekiti the agricultural hub in Nigeria.
Do you think these efforts of the state government are enough to secure victory for the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, at the June 18 poll?
Well, let’s leave the people of the state to decide that. This is a state that another party had governed before, let us compare that party with the APC in the last three and a half years. Go to every town and village in Ekiti. We talk of hospitals, new schools, not just renovations. In every sector, including human development, you will see the impact of the present administration. Ekiti happens to be one of the states with the best road networks. That is why the people are clamouring for continuity, to improve on what we have built. Like you said earlier, the roads that are being awarded, peradventure we were not be able to complete all before October, because of uncontrollable circumstances, we need someone that will complete them and add value to them. We want a friendly government that will attract more interventions to the state. That is why we want the government of APC. It is very important and thank God for the candidate we have in Biodun Oyebanji, he is a unifier. He is a someone who knows what to do at the right time, because he was part of the success story we are talking about in this government. He was part of the creation, what we are doing now and what is coming in the future.
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