Following the incessant accidents on the Kemta-Somorin road, residents of the Ajebo Road Housing Estate, Kemta, in Abeokuta, on Tuesday, called on the state government to intervene in ensuring the safety of its roads for pedestrians.
The call followed the loss of one Oladipo Ademuyiwa, a professor in the Biochemistry department at FUNAAB, who fell victim to a reckless hit-and-run driver on Prof Wole Soyinka Road within the Kemta-Somorin road on Sunday.
Members of the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association in Ogun State had also protested the death of three of their colleagues by a truck driver in the Kemta area.
The technicians blocked the recently constructed Ajebo/OGTV motorway and promised never to permit truck drivers to use it again until there is a tangible remedy for the ongoing loss of lives on the road.
However, the chairman of the Ajebo Road Housing Estate, Ayo Ajasa, stated that despite repeated appeals to the government and relevant agencies, no concrete action has been taken to install speed breakers and other necessary safety measures on the road.
Ajasa asserted that the incessant and avoidable accidents could be prevented if the state government intervened.
He said, โIt is disheartening that despite repeated appeals to the Ogun State Government and relevant agencies, no concrete action has been taken to install speed breakers and other necessary safety measures on this road.
โThe government did not hesitate in installing speed bumps on the Ilugun end of the road, but ignored our persistent requests to safeguard lives in the Ajebo Road Housing Estate.โ
The chairman called for the installation of speed breakers along Prof Wole Soyinka Road, the installation of lorry barriers, and clear traffic signage to caution motorists against reckless driving.
He opined that stricter laws to curb excessive speeding within the estate should be enforced.
โIt is unacceptable that a community of law-abiding citizens must suffer repeated accidents, near-fatal encounters, and now the loss of an esteemed professor, simply due to government inaction.
โAnother accident occurred within 24 hours of this tragic incident, proving that this road remains a death trap. However, we hold the government accountable and call on the Governor of Ogun State to intervene immediately before more lives are lost.
โWe also appeal to the media, civil society organizations, and well-meaning Nigerians to amplify this call for justice and safer roads in our community,โ Ajasa added.
