BY ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has succeeded in breaking a long-running jinx on the construction of the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Highway. It was a jinx that stared the people of the state in their faces.
The construction of the dual carriageway which started sometimes in 2007 during the administration of the former Governor, Chief Segun Oni, has lasted not less than five administrations. It was indeed a topsy-turvy experience that had lasted eighteen years.
The project which commenced with the Oni Administration was inherited by Fayemi 1 Administration, Fayose 2 Administration, Fayemi 2 Administration and now Oyebanji Administration.
It should be noted that Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Highway is a Trunk ‘A’ road, otherwise known as federal road and it is a major transportation artery that connects Ado Ekiti, the state capital, with other towns in Ekiti North Senatorial District.
Apart from this, the road also serves a major alternative corridor to reach neighbouring states like Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Federal Capital Territory and other northern states.
For many residents who are living in Ado Ekiti and working in key institutions like Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti; Federal University, Oye Ekiti; Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan Ekiti, among others, the road is an indispensable route they must ply on daily basis to reach their destinations.
Before the Oyebanji Administration came to office, work on the road project was stalled due to some contractual and legal issues. Determined to ensure that the delay was overcome, the Oyebanji Administration decided to surmount the challenges in the interest of road users.
Governor Oyebanji had always maintained that whether any road belongs to the federal government or the state government, as long as the road is domiciled on Ekiti soil, it is the people of the state that would be the major beneficiaries if the road is good and that is why his administration would not discriminate in giving it due attention.
Having resolved the knotty issues that held down the project, the Governor ensured that the contractor moved back to site to restart the project from the Ado end and the Iworoko end connecting to the Ifaki intersection.
With his avowed steely determination to crack a seemingly hard nut, Governor Oyebanji ensured adequate monitoring of the project with several visits to the site asking the contractor and the engineers questions and seeking clarifications.
In fact, the several days of rock blasting and using the chips of the rock as the stone base of the highway, especially the lane that had not been concluded, left motorists and commuters wondering what was going on and pondering on when it would be concluded.
The Governor, even on days he attended ceremonial functions, would stop his convoy and alight from his official vehicle to assess the level of work carried out in a bid to ensure that the project is completed to the relief of the people in good time.
A drive on the highway today would elicit smiles on the faces of the road users and a sense of delight and fulfillment in their hearts because the patience, inconvenience and perseverance they had endured in the past had paid off.
Both from the Ado end and the Iworoko-Ifaki end, it has been a pleasant story in the past few days that major work has been done on the road which has been crowned with the asphalt overlay.
There are no longer potholes which gave motorists and commuters discomfort. The days of dust are now over; what we have not is a smooth road with a shiny surface owing to the recent overlay of asphalt.
Governor Oyebanji has done it again and history would be kind to him long after he might have left office. He has proved again what determination and resilience can do. The Governor has surmounted a huge barrier and had endured so many inconvenience and sleepless nights to deliver comfort for the people of Ekiti State and others road users passing through the state.
It is noteworthy that this same highway also links with the new Ring Road under construction that connects Iworoko, Are with Ago Aduloju and ultimately on to the Ekiti State International Agro Cargo Airport. The benefits of this Ring Road on completion are mouthwatering and unquantifiable.
The people of Ado Ekiti, Iworoko Ekiti, Ifaki Ekiti and many others who rely on the newly reconstructed highway for daily economic survival cannot wait for the day of its official inauguration to show their joy and appreciation to a Governor that has brought ease to them.
Finally, the jinx has been broken, the celebration has just begun.
Ogunmola is Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Print Media).