The Egba Economic Summit Group has called on the Federal Government to ensure the speedy and qualitative completion of the Idi-Aba–Abeokuta–Obafemi–Ajebo link road, which connects to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, describing the project as critical to Ogun State’s economy and regional mobility.
In a letter written to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, by the President of the Egba Economic Summit Group, Gbenga Adeoye, the group warned that delays and declining construction standards could undermine the economic benefits of the road.
Adeoye noted that the group had a responsibility to draw the government’s attention to projects of economic importance “where execution is slow, stagnant or sometimes not even conceived.”
It said the pace of work on the Idi-Aba–Abeokuta–Obafemi–Ajebo link road had remained unsatisfactory, especially along the stretch passing through the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, and the Ogun State Television, OGTV corridor.
The summit group specifically urged the minister to prevent a drop in construction standards after the road exits Abeokuta city.
“We request that you ensure the designed standard is not lowered after the segment that passed through Abeokuta City, especially in areas that passed through villages,” Adeoye stated. “Contractors have a way of dropping standards after leaving the main city, thereby reducing durability in some parts of the road.”
The group lamented that the project had dragged on for years, having been awarded during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
It was observed that while the segment from the Federal Medical Centre to Chrisland University appeared motorable, conditions deteriorated shortly after, making the road difficult for motorists to navigate.
Adeoye commended the Federal Government for ongoing road infrastructure projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry-Sokoto Road corridor passing through Abeokuta, and the night repairs on the Sango-Abeokuta Road.
“We appreciate your good works in all highlighted above,” Adeoye said, adding that the summit group remained a non-partisan body committed to economic development.
Meanwhile, the group also raised concerns about the impact of the stalled project on the newly established Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta, whose permanent 170-hectare site is located along the road at Ajibayo Village.
“There is no way they can move from their current temporary site to that location if that road construction remains abandoned, stagnant, or slow,” Adeoye warned.
The group added that the road serves as an important alternative route to the old Ibadan-Abeokuta Road via Apata, Bakatari, Ilugun, and Odeda to Adatan, becoming even more crucial due to traffic pressures on existing corridors.
The group further stressed that the road could transform the economic landscape of the Obafemi-Ajebo axis by causing the diversion at Owojo to pass through Oyebola to Alapako-Oni, creating an industrial hub around Ajebo and neighbouring villages such as Erunwon, Abiona Mosafejo, and Olosun.
It also stated that the link road could help decongest the Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by providing motorists travelling between Ibadan and Abeokuta an alternative that bypasses the Abeokuta-Sagamu Interchange.
The Egba summit group lamented that excavations on the road had worsened driving conditions, noting that the route previously served as a smooth and shorter alternative to Ibadan when it was constructed during the administration of former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba.
“Excavation done on the road has now made life very difficult for motorists, whereas it was a smooth drive-through as well as a shortcut to Ibadan,” the ESG president stated.
Adeoye called for urgent intervention, stating that the completion of the road would have “a direct positive impact on the economy of Egbaland, Ogun State, and Nigeria as a whole.”
The group said it had forwarded copies of the letter to key traditional rulers and leaders in Egbaland, including the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo; the Osile of Oke Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso; the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba (Prof) Saka Adelola Matemilola; former Ogun State Governor Osoba; and the Babalaje of Egbaland, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye.
The summit group expressed hope that the Ministry of Works will provide adequate funding to complete the project and other ongoing road constructions across the country.
