The long suffering people of Ora-Ayetoro in the Ekiti local government area of Kwara state now have cause to smile, after suffering 20 years of neglect when the bridge linking them to other communities in the local government area collapsed.

The people of Ora-Ayetoro had to contend with the dangerous option of swimming across to the neighbouring Ejiu and surrounding regions and vice versa, and were forced to transport their farm produce by carrying it on their heads when crossing the river.

But relief came their way when the state government included their 16 kilometres of the Obbo-Ora-Ayetoro road in its N2.5 billion rural road project. While the project is still ongoing and billed for completion by October this year, the newly constructed bridge over the Ora river has been completed.

The elated monarch of the town, Oba Christopher Olatunji Odeyemi expressed gratitude to God and to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for bailing the people of the community out of ‘bondage.'

"The collapsed bridge greatly hampered our socio-economic activities," he stated.  "And all the efforts by our people to erect temporary structures to allow for easy passage on the river proved abortive as the river kept sweeping away such structures."

He was also full of praise for the state's Commissioner of Works, Dr. Abubakar Kannike who recently visited to inspect the road project.

Other communities where such rural road projects are on-going include Oro-Ago, Edidi-Igbesi and Oro-Ijomu-Oro, which are all situated in the Kwara South senatorial district.

Similar projects scattered across the Ilorin metropolis such as Ejiba, off stadium road, Muyideen College road, Danialu area, Tanke-Fate road are at various levels of completion, while the Adualere road has been completed.

Speaking with newsmen at the end of the inspection visit, Dr. Kannike said most of the rural roads would be completed by October – November this year, and similar projects are on-going in Kwara North.

He disclosed the government's plan to laminate some of the roads to ensure durability, explaining that they are experimenting with laminated laterite roads similar to those in Cotonou and Niger Republic, adding that if the government succeeds in that it would become the standard that would be used for all rural roads.

"We decided to give the contractor some locations to test run, as we expect the roads would be durable and last for more than 10 years and would not get pot holes easily," he added.

Dr Kannike thanked Governor Ahmed for approving the huge sum of N2.5 billion for the road projects and expressed optimism that the concrete drainages on the roads will go a long way in preventing the flooding of the water-logged areas in the Ilorin metropolis.

He added that the heavy congestion on the major roads in the state capital will be reduced to the barest minimum upon completion.

As a way of ensuring that all roads in the state, especially the Ilorin metropolis remain motorable all year round, the state government has constituted a 17-man road minders committee to monitor acts of vandalism on the roads.

When the committee is fully operational, they will enforce the state environmental sanitation law that makes it unlawful to cut roads or erect speed bumps in the state without the consent of relevant authorities.

During their inauguration in Ilorin, Dr. Kannike said that the committee was strategic to the sustenance of the state roads.

"I am sure those of you who are used to the nooks and crannies of the state must have witnessed a series of indiscriminate cutting and digging of our roads without approval. This has seriously hindered the free flow of traffic, free flow of flood water within our drainage system and indeed caused a lot of hardship to the good people of this state.

"Therefore, the state government's decision to put in place a committee to checkmate the indiscriminate damage of our roads is to halt the hardship being encountered by the people."

Dr. Kannike encouraged the members of the committee to see their assignment as a call to serve their fatherland and should therefore justify the confidence reposed in them by the state government.

In his remarks, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, Alh. Alabi Amuda said the committee would carry out daily patrols of the roads across Kwara state.

In response, the head of the committee Engr. Abdulrazak thanked the state government for entrusting them with the task and pledged to carry out their assignment without fear or favour.