Residents lament deplorable road, seek Ogun govt intervention

Residents of Cele Phase 2 community in Aseese, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have appealed to the state and local governments to rehabilitate their road, saying its deplorable condition has made movement difficult and worsened flooding during the rainy season.

The residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Saturday, said the road, which becomes muddy, slippery and difficult to navigate whenever it rains, has subjected motorists, commercial motorcyclists and other commuters to hardship.

They alleged that the poor condition of the road has also contributed to motorcycle accidents, frequent vehicle repairs and disruptions to business activities in the community.

A resident, Wale Elegbede, said many motorists avoided the road whenever rainfall began because of the difficulty of navigating it.

“People are afraid of driving their cars here whenever rain starts. Everything about the road becomes an issue. I moved to Aseese five years ago, and since then, it has been a lot.

“Whenever it rains, people become worried about how they will move around, especially those who have cars. This is Ogun State; it is a blessed state. Our communities should not be like this. We need good roads,” she said.

A trader in the community, Kemi Adebisi, said the deteriorating condition of the road was particularly disruptive to residents and businesses during the rainy season.

“The road is really terrible when rain falls. See how sloppy it is. A lot of people here are not happy during the rainy season because the road becomes worse and movement becomes difficult.

“Okada riders sometimes fall, and it affects business too. People will not pass here like that when the road is bad. We need the local government to come and take a look at this road for us,” she said.

Another resident, Tosin Akinwale, said the road had caused him significant financial losses through repeated vehicle repairs.

“This road has cost me a lot during the rainy season. See the steep part of the road now that it is dry; now imagine when rain falls on this road.

“Firstly, everywhere will be so messy, then cars begin to feel it. Only mechanics benefit from this, but we, the commuters, suffer dearly because we will keep paying for repairs. It has been like three occasions now that I have had to deal with problems because of the condition of the road,” he said.

Akinwale added that the road became particularly difficult to navigate after rainfall, forcing residents to contend with muddy and slippery sections.

Similarly, a resident, Adeoye Ogunwale, described the road as “very, very bad”, saying its condition had affected social activities and contributed to flooding in the community.

“This road is very, very bad. Take a look at it by yourself. I sometimes don’t invite my friends over to my house because of this bad road, and it’s not fair at all.

“This road causes flooding sometimes when the rain is heavy. Four to five days after the rainfall, you will still see the effect because the road will still be very messy. We really don’t like it here when rain falls,” he said.

The residents called on the relevant authorities, particularly the Obafemi Owode Local Government and the Ogun State Government, to inspect the road and commence rehabilitation work.

They said fixing the road would improve access to the community, reduce the risk of accidents and vehicle damage, facilitate commercial activities and ease the impact of rainfall on residents.

The appeal comes amid concerns over the condition of access roads in some developing communities in Ogun State, where rapid residential expansion has increased pressure on existing infrastructure.

For residents of Cele Phase 2, however, the immediate concern is more basic: having a motorable road that remains accessible throughout the rainy season.