Hill gives way for road construction in Ikare Akoko

The Akoko road is one of the busiest roads in the South west region of the country after the Lagos /Ibadan express way. This is because the highway is the gateway to the Northern region of the country and the Ikare Akoko road which is regarded as the headquarters of Akokoland remained a dreaded spot for motorists especially the sleepy hill of Oke Alabojuto, in the ancient town.

This road which lead to center of the town in Ikare Akoko had claimed so many lives in the past and a week never passed without the spot consuming several lives with immeasurable valuables lost to incessant auto crash on this road which made motorists dread the road and tag it blood sucking arena, attaching some myths around the hilly spots of the town.

No indigene or residents of Ikare Akoko believed that the hilly road surrounded by rocks could be leveled to reduce carnage on this spot which is very close to the central market located at the entrance of the ancient palace of Ikare Akoko.

The Myth

There used to be a myth around Oke-Alabojuto, the hilly portion of Ikare-Akoko township road. No native believed the famished and destructive rocky hill could be leveled. To some residents of the community, the Oke Alabojuto, has been in existence from time memorial with some spiritual attachments.

They were of the belief that certain atonement had been left unperformed because of the introduction of Christianity and Islam. According to one of the residents, Olakanmi Sanusi, who observed that the carnage on the particular spot became incessant in the mid 90s. He said “though I would not know maybe there is a deity being worshipped here before but accidents are not common here , but since everybody in the have embraced the new religions, and people tend to abandon the period sacrifice to the hills and rocks, we have been experiencing accidents and carnage on this particular spots for years.”He however said they have tried to unravel this myth with no one to offer the reasons for many deaths on that particular spot.

But the Olukare of Ikare Akoko, Oba Akadiri Momoh, dispelled the insinuation and said there were no facts to establish any myth surrounding the Oke Alabojuto, but explained that the place was named Oke Alabojuto   because the first missionary in the town lived on the hills.

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He said Archdeacon Lennor, the first missionary from Jamaica stayed there and they called it Oke Alabojuto because he was in charge of schools and churches then; that was around 1935. The level of education then automatically picked up because we have no school before then.

I don’t know if any gods or goddess is being worshipped around the place but when I was growing up, there was nothing like that. The missionary built schools and churches and there was nothing like that. It is possible they have before but when the missionaries came in there was nothing like that.

A nonagenarian, Madam Deborah Olaofe said such myth should not be discarded, saying the modern day religion have relegated such practices to the background but maintained it should not be ruled out. Olaofe however said the present adminstration led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has shattered the myth by turning the place to “Isale-Alabojuto”.

New development 

The residents of the community have described the reconstruction of the vital spot of the road which is about 0.5 km as a gateway to development of Ikare Akoko and the entire Akoko land, saying the development would put an end to the age-long nightmare of the people of Ikare and  the road users.

Before it was leveled, the hilly road had consumed several lives and destroyed uncountable valuable properties through auto-crashes, making residents to live in fear for decades. The inhabitants of the four  local government areas as well as commuters have expressed delight over the feat recorded  by the state government in executing the project.

The reconstruction works remains one of the most important infrastructural works being carried out by the Akeredolu government  Many had given up on the road because it has  inflicted untold hardship on the people of the town, while some suggested the road should be permanently closed to stop the carnage while some argued that it would affect the economy of the hilly  town.

The residents of the ancient town who described the road before the construction as death trap, said the reconstruction works will save lives, boost economic activities and smoothing traffic flows.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune, 72 years old Mr.  Pius Olabode, who has been living all his life in Ikare Akoko, said the road will positively affects the  economic, political, and social activities of the people of the community it. He noted that the road had sent so many people to their early grave

He noted the number of casualties during any accident along the hill is usually too many because of the market situated at the bottom of the hill.

He said “at a point, we even took steps to appease the gods to put an end to the recurring accidents on the road. We invited religious leaders like Pastors and Imams to help intercede for us.”

He commended the administration of Akeredolu for taking the giant step to execute the construction of the raid which subsequent government failed to give attention.

The septuagenarian however appealed to the government to extend the construction to the adjoining streets on the road , saying their cars had been trapped inside the streets since the construction began awhile there were no indication that the road will be constructed to accommodation the people living within the streets.

Also speaking, Raphael Omoteloye said he had witnessed over 20 accidents on the hilly toad in his lifetime saying more than 200 lives had been lost on the Oke Alabojuto road. He attributed the causes of the accidents on the axis to “break failure which is very rampant among big vehicles, lovelies and trailers”

He however said the topography and the hills upon which the road was constructed made it difficult for subsequent government to initiate the move in reconstructing the road and saluted the courage of Akeredolu’s government in fulfilling his electioneering promises to the people of Ikare and Akoko in general. He said when they mobiles to the site, very few believed the hill could ever be brought down and reduced to ground level to give way to a dual carriage way, the first in Akokoland.

With this Akeredolu has demonstrated to us that he is a listening governor and with the construction of the road, we are safe now in Ikare, no more weeping or gnashing of teeth”

Speaking, on the construction of the Oke Alabojuto road, the state commissioner for Information, Mr. Yemi Olowolabi said the construction of the road and other road across the state is in line with the state governor mantra of Road to Redemption.

The paramount ruler of Ikare Akoko, Oba Akadiri Momoh, described the construction as a miracle saying it takes a good government with mission and vision to execute such project.

He said the construction of the Oke Alabojuto has endeared Akeredolu to Ikare people, who he said will forever be grateful to the governor for opening up their town to bigger economic activities.

Oba Akadiri said, “I received the news with joy. Everybody in the town was very happy about it because they knew the project was going to put a stop to the recurring needless accidents on the road.

“The construction of the Oke Alabojuto road is a wonderful thing to happen to the people of Ikare,  Akokoland and Nigeria in general, because the road links Ondo State to other parts of the country.

“We do appreciate the governor’s determination to permanently arrest our fears about this road. Our major concern, before the construction of the road by Akeredolu, was how to put a stop to the countless deaths on the road.

“Most vehicles, especially trucks and other big lorries, would lose control and crash while ascending or descending the road due to break failure or other mechanical faults. And these always resorted in loss of lives and properties”

He commended the people for their tolerance and cooperation since the construction work began and urged them to persevere till the end.

Speaking to our correspondent at the site of the construction, type site engineer,  Mr Dusgam Jarboa, of the RCF Nig. Ltd. said the double lane  road would be delivered to the state government in couple of days.

He said the construction company took time to construct the road because of its  peculiarities and assured that it would serve the purpose it was meant to serve, saying with the quality of work done at the site, said when completed, the road can last for more than 50 years.

He said the road revolution taking place across the state was embarked upon “in redeeming the state from the rot that has characterised it for a long time and open up new vistas of opportunities, the Akeredolu-administration is gradually creating platforms for the economic recovery and independence of the Sunshine state.”

Olowolabi commended the people for their love and hospitality and  praised them for being accommodating and peaceful for allowing their communities to witness  development and said the Akeredolu led administration is bent on providing necessary amenities and infrastructure for the benefit and development of the  state and its people.

He said similar projects are ongoing in Owo, Akure, Ore, One’s, Ifedore, Idanre and many others towns and communities.