Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State:

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

The Oyo State government at the weekend said that it will not relent on the maintenance of roads across the state, saying that road maintenance is however a collective responsibility.

The Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Infrastructure, Mr. Olugbenga Akintola said that Oyo State Public Works Department, OYPWD, commenced roads repair and rehabilitation since the beginning of the dry season, explaining that there was slow pace of work during the festive season by the officials of the agencies due to the end of the year holiday by Asphalt Companies.

Akintola stated that the agency has continued to sketch mark some of the roads to be rehabilitated, noting that the maintenance activities will cut across the state.

According to him, “We have been making a lot of efforts in the rehabilitation of our roads in Ibadan. Currently we are fixing all the bad roads within the city. We are committed to zero tolerance for potholes across the state and we want to maximise this dry season to maintain the roads.  Our maintenance will be of high quality and we shall endeavor to complete it in due course. Our maintenance activities always cut across the seven geo-political zones of the state. So, we will still extend our services to other areas. Let me use this opportunity to appeal to our people, especially those in other zones outside Ibadan, to bear with us. We will strive to ensure that the maintenance cut across all the zones in the state”.

Akintola said that the maintenance of road is a collective responsibility of all and not just the government alone, appealing that people should desist from burning tyres, cooking and setting up mechanical workshops on our roads.

He urged the people to avoid pouring of petroleum and associated products like petrol, diesel, engine oil, break oil and grease on the roads, stressing that domestic waste water should be properly channeled into the right drainages.

“Our people should stop plying roads with excessive axle loads and we must stop indiscriminate cutting and digging of the roads. We must desist from driving vehicles with flat tyres on roads with asphalt pavements as public roads are our collective heritage and we must use it appropriately,” Akintola stated.