Indigenes of Ogbomoso in Oyo State will on Wednesday embark on a protest against the abandonment of the Ogbomoso-Oyo axis of the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway.
The protest comes after several pleas to President Muhammadu Buhari and Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, that the road should be completed by August 1, 2018.
Residents and visitors to Ogbomoso have repeatedly complained about the unsafe condition of the road whose contract was awarded 18 years ago.
The completion of the road, which connects the south-west to the northern part of the country, they say would save the lives of thousands of Nigerians who ply it daily.
Traditional leaders, security chiefs and other residents of the town addressed the issue at a press conference held in the town in June.
Head of churches in Ogbomosoland, Dr Israel Olaniyan, who spoke at the conference, urged President Buhari to fulfil his campaign promise to the people of the town by completing the road project.
“The Ogbomosho-Oyo section of the Ilorin-Ibadan Expressway which spans about 52 kilometres has a history of promises upon promises by successive governments,” he said.
According to Olaniyan, no fewer than 780 lives are lost on the road annually and over 14,000 persons killed in the last 18 years the construction of the road had lasted.
The leadership of Ogbomoso North Local Government has thrown its weight behind the protest while urging organisers to be and not allow hoodlums hijack the protest.
Executive secretary of the council, Akinwole Akinwale, urges the Federal Government to come to the town’s aid before the situation gets worse.
