Kwara, Oyo residents lament hardship over collapsed Ohan bridge

Residents of Kwara State and neighbouring communities in Oyo State have appealed to the Federal Government through the Minister for Works to repair the collapsed Ohan bridge which connects the two states.

In an appeal by members of the state transport unions and people of Kwara state, especially farmers, they said they face a lot of hardship accessing both sides of the state most especially the transport workers and farmers who use the road on a daily basis.

Speaking on the development, the state sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Frederick Ogidan, said that members of the road transport unions in the state, precisely NURTW drew the attention of FRSC RS8.1 Kwara Sector Command to the collapsed bridge that connects Kwara and Oyo states from Okolowo junction of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

“In view of the above, the good people of Kwara State are appealing to the federal ministry of works, Federal Road Safety Corps, and especially the Minister for Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, to come to their aid in the rehabilitation of the Ohan bridge which is very close to Alapa village in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

“They made an appeal to the minister to save their soul as there is no other source of income than driving and farming, saying that they have dependants like elderly parents, wives and children.

“The sector commander, Frederick Ogidan, represented by the (DCC) Admin and Human Resources Deputy Corps Commander Akinwumi Fasakin, and Sector Public Enlightenment Officer (SPEO), O. B. Basambo, visited the scene for on the sport assessment.

“He further pleaded with the union to be patient with the government and assured them that the FRSC will make a presentation to the relevant agency,” he said.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Also, a Non-Governmental Organisation that is concerned with grassroots engagement, African Grassroots Women Empowerment Foundation, has lamented over the deplorable states of Moro and Ohan bridges that connect Kwara State to its neighbouring state of Oyo.

The group aired their frustration in a message by its President, Ramatu Abake Gbadamosi, who noted that the state of the bridges which are very crucial to businesses in the two states is taking a huge toll on the NGO operation as well as the grassroots dwellers.

“Moro and Ohan bridges, right now Ohan bridge is no longer passable. Up till now the road which links Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state, which is where we people from the grassroots from the North of Kwara and Oyo use to link Ilorin where we mostly do our purchases is bad.

“Right now, I’m speaking from Igbeti, Olohunsogo local government area of Oyo, we only go to our State capital, Ibadan to do official assignments, but domestically we in Oyo North do most of our activities in Ilorin and for more than a week now, Ohan bridge has been unpassable,” she said.

She added that the horrible state of the bridges is holding the commerce of the region by the jugular, saying that,“ our rural markets are no longer functioning because customers are not having access due to the bad road, lamenting that as food baskets the urban areas get their food from the grassroots.”

Gbadamasi, however, appealed to the governments in both Kwara and Oyo, as well as private businesses to contribute in order to make the roads usable again, lamenting that the women at the grassroots are suffering from the state of the bridges.

“I’m using this medium to call on all political functionaries in Oyo North senatorial district and Kwara North senatorial district to please come to our aid, let us contribute to maintaining the bridge, so as to make the road passable.

“We the women at the grassroots are suffering because we can’t travel to buy things to come and sell even those of us in our rural areas have no customers to buy our goods because the road is unpassable, some of us are widows who survive on petty trading.

How Ekweremadu, Wife Planned To Traffic Boy To UK To Harvest His Kidney For Ailing Daughter ― British Police

Kwara, Oyo residents lament hardship over collapsed Ohan bridge

Ògògó Taiwo Hassan Spotted Fighting With A Street Boy In His Hometown

Kwara, Oyo residents lament hardship over collapsed Ohan bridge

Biola Azeez