RESIDENTS OF ILOTIN COMMUNITY LAMENT GOVERNMENT NEGLIGENCE OF POOR ROAD CONDITIONS
By Sanya Adegbenro
The residents of Ilotin Community in Ijoka, Akure South local government area of Ondo State have lamented government negligence regarding the poor road conditions in every nook and crannies of their community.
Numbers of residents in the area came out on Tuesday February 3, a day after a heavy rein down pour on Monday to check the damage which the rein with heavy brees has caused the only linking bridge of the community that links Ijoka road through Ilotin Community to Kajola Oda road.
A resident, Mr. Eresusi Sunday is a retired National Football Coach and a representative for the Chairman of the Ilotin Community Landlord Association. He currently serves in a leadership capacity within his local community (Ilotin Community) where he lamented on the state condition of the community road.
Eresusi said the community had been abandoned for over 25 years saying the only bridge that links the community to the other communities almost collapsed, he said, this is what they have been trying to prevent, even before the death of former governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu that several letters had been written and forwarded to the ministry of works, Land and housing for assistance but nothing was done.
He said, “Since Gov. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatwa came, we have tried as as possible to get in touch with him, but we are yet to scale true, we have really suffered in this community, the bridge you are seeing, is the only link to the major road of Ijoka and if the bridge collapses, then, to go out, will be so difficult,” He said.
One of the residents of Ilotin Community, Mr Ogundowole Joseph said the community had been abandoned for a very long time as nothing they are enjoying from the government.
He said, “in our community, we don’t have a single deplorable road, no Community health centre, no public school or market centre. The road is an access road that connects Ijoka to Kajola Oda road.
“It is like, we are not existing in Ondo State, the Ondo State government has not attended any of our problems, even when we wrote a letter to the ministry of works, Land and housing, nothing was done,” He emphasized.
Also speaking, a member of Ilotin Community Association, Mrs Oseni, said, “I have been in this community since 1997. As you can see the state of the road and the only bridge that links the road together, is almost collapse,
“In those days, the place was managed to be constructed with planks which many of us were playing, including nursing mothers, before it was turned to rings, our husbands will assist our children whenever they are going to school to cross to the other side.
“That was how we have been using it before the community contributed money and turned it to a bridge and the bridge is now almost collapsed, then, the house was not many, but now, there were many houses in the community”, She noted.
Mrs Oseni said, the bridge which was managed to be constructed by the community then, has been divided into 2 saying almost every year the community spends on it so that, it could still be managed, she said because of the recent heavy downpour, the bridge was totally damaged beyond repair.
The residents of Ilotin Community have taken the responsibility of the road and the only linking bridge of the community upon themselves for years and now, the government should think of what to do to repay them in order to complement their efforts.
All efforts to reach the state commissioner of works proved abortive as calls made to his phone were not responded as well as text messages sent to him has not been replied as of the time of this report.
