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As Ogun moves to preserve Abeokuta-Sagamu road By Funmi Branco

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Gov. Abiodun's Sun Award Well Deserved -Akume

As Ogun moves to preserve Abeokuta-Sagamu road

By Funmi Branco

 

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WHEN in January 2022 President Muhammadu Buhari visited Ogun State to commission projects, he could not help exulting in the sheer beauty of the roads constructed by the Dapo-Abiodun led government in Ogun State. He said: “I arrived early today and commission the 14Km Ijebu-Ode, Mojoda Epe road which is reconstructed to a modern expressway by your administration. This impressive road will complement the Shagamu Benin expressway that the FG is presently reconstructing which is also due commissioning this year. Just across the road is the 42-km Shagamu Interchange Abeokuta road which the state government has reconstructed and equipped with street lights and other modern furniture which I will commission shortly. I am particularly impressed by the quality and standard of the road projects.”

 

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As Ogun moves to preserve Abeokuta-Sagamu road
By Funmi Branco

 

 

 

The president was not being facetious; he was being very real. What he called the “constructive engagement cooperation and collaboration between the state and Federal Government” was evident for all to see. Travelling on the 42 km Abeokuta-Sagamu road had a delightful feel. Electric polls dotted the road, with clear lighting making driving at night such a beauty. The road was adjudged the best in the country given the modern furniture. The fact is well known that the Abeokuta- Sagamu Interchange road, the ceremonial route to the Gateway state capital, Ibara, Kuto, MKO Abiola Stadium, Oke Mosan, Laderin, Kobape, Siun to Sagamu interchange, links the Lagos Sagamu expressway to Lagos and the South-East. With the replacement of new asphalt overlay of both binder and wearing course, the replacement of cleared road shoulders and median with layby, reconstruction of existing earth drains with adequate turnout where necessary, and provision of new street lights for illumination at nights for safety and security purposes, the road was such a soul-lifting sight. Industries and housing estates sprang up and blossomed very quickly. They are now deeply entrenched in the Ogun ecology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving on the road, now in September 2023, is still a great experience, but beyond the beauty lies a huge cost to Ogun State in financial terms. Knowing the strategic importance of the road, the Ogun State government, this week, took a great step to arrest an unsavoury development, reiterating its commitment to ensuring that it remains in good condition for motorists and other road users. It announced a plan to collaborate with truck owners and other stakeholders on the road. Lamenting the continuous deterioration of the road due to the pressure daily put on it by the obvious increase in the number of heavy duty trucks servicing the large number of quarries and housing estates in the area, the state government, in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, said it would continue to seek ways to continue maintaining the road in spite of the huge financial implications to the state government.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s why: there are currently about 40 quarries in Abeokuta, the state capital, while another 20 operate along the road. The weight of the trucks bearing the granite, cement, stone base, laterite and other materials, with some of them often overloaded, continues to cause immense damage to the road, making the government to rehabilitate it at huge costs. That is not all: further pressure is exerted on the road by trucks and other heavy-duty machinery deployed by estate developers in the area. Said Akinsanya: “We all can attest to the growing numbers of housing estates and other companies on that axis of the state…Everyday, you also hear of accidents that leave street lights damaged by overspeading drivers. This, coupled with the incessant vandalism of street lights and other infrastructure on the road by hoodlums, makes constant rehabilitation a must.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If motorists take advantage of the smoothness of the road and engage in speeding, that can only lead to accidents. It is a fact that most of the vehicular accidents witnessed on the road affect the road furniture. This gives room to vandals to cut the cables and cart away iron. The government is then forced to move in and replace them. While security agents have the mandate to enforce traffic rules, the government has to do much more, which is why it now wants a collaboration with the truck owners implicated in the constant damage to the road. They will be required to pay mere stipends when the trucks use the road, with the proceeds used to augment the government’s financial investment in the maintenance of the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As our elders say, if soup is delicious, money has played its part in the story. The Abeoluta-Sagamu road has transformed the Ogun environment, but great care must be taken to ensure that motorists from Ibadan and other parts of the country plying that road continue to escape the hassles that defined travelling to Ogun State till the Dapo Abiodun administration came on board and spawned a new reality. A road of such strategic importance, equipped with state-of-the-art furniture, can only take so much damage. With a network of industries attracted by the road, with developers and estate owners within that corridor doing brisk business, the road will need to be in prime, unblemished condition. If those whose trucks and big lorries leave the road in an unpleasant state are being asked to be part of the conversation on its maintenance, which the Ogun State government has hitherto ensured in order to deliver a pleasant driving experience for the road users, even at night, it is the right thing to do. The truck owners service the construction companies within Sagamu-Ibadan corridor, and within the Sagamu-Ore corridor. The road is overused and this means that the government must continually spend money on it, a responsibility it has undertaken so far without fail. But its resources are not infinite, and the new initiative targeted at sustainable maintenance of the road deserves to be applauded by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branco sent this piece through funmibranco@aol.com
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Primate Ayodele Becomes The Most-Sought After Prophet In Togo* By Serge Ayao, Lome

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Primate Ayodele Becomes The Most-Sought After Prophet In Togo* By Serge Ayao, Lome

*Primate Ayodele Becomes The Most-Sought After Prophet In Togo*

By Serge Ayao, Lome

 

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The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Pastor Elijah Ayodele has touched several nations with his dynamic and unique prophetic ministry and it appears Togo is the latest country to experience the heavy wave of the prophet’s ministry.

 

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Primate Ayodele Becomes The Most-Sought After Prophet In Togo*
By Serge Ayao, Lome

The Nigerian-born cleric has suddenly become a household name in Togo due to his remarkable prophecy regarding the country’s parliamentary election which took place last week. There are reports that Primate Ayodele’s prophecy videos and statements concerning the election have become ‘ringing tone’ for people who are yet to recover from the accuracy of his prophecy.

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Primate Ayodele, known for always prophesying ahead of time, had revealed the outcome of the parliamentary election months before it was held. The election was presumed by many to be tough due to the presence of opposition but Primate Ayodele in his prophecy categorically stated that the ruling party will still get more parliamentary seats.

At the release of his 2024 prophecies in December 2023, Primate Ayodele revealed that every plan to remove the president of the country will be aborted. He made it known that the incumbent president will still return to his position after the election.

These were his words

‘’TOGO: I foresee there will be an election in Togo even as people will not be satisfied with the performances of the government. The country will be troubleshooting on how to revamp the economy. There will be total confusion in Togo before, during and after the election. The country will not find things so easy. I foresee that all the plans designed to remove the president will be aborted.’’

In another prophecy he shared a few hours to the election, Primate Ayodele asserted that the ruling party will get more seats in the election because the opposition parties failed to form a coalition as he earlier advised.

These were his words

‘’The union of forces and other parties should have come together for this election but as it stands, Union for the Republic party’’

@primateayodele

#primateayodele #iescworldwide #togo #togolais228🇹🇬 #gnassimgbefaure #fulfillment #election #prophecyfulfilled #capcut

♬ original sound – Primate Ayodele

In fulfillment of this prophecy, the ruling party, Union for the Republic party (UNIR) won 108 of 113 seats in the new assembly, according to provisional results from Monday’s vote.

Under the new constitution approved by lawmakers in April, Gnassingbé will now be able to take a new post as “president of the council of ministers” – a role similar to prime minister that is automatically assumed by the leader of the majority party in parliament.

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Mende Estate: Lagos homeowners decry demolition, seek compensation

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Mende Estate: Lagos homeowners decry demolition, seek compensation

Mende Estate: Lagos homeowners decry demolition, seek compensation

 

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Sadly, the residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State have decried the recent demolition of their multimillion naira houses in the area by the Lagos State Government while seeking compensation for a new shelter.

 

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Our correspondent, who visited the area on Sunday, observed how the estate’s homes were destroyed and how the occupants hastily packed their possessions to leave.

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Speaking with PUNCH Metro, some residents bemoaned how terrible it was to exit their houses without having a backup plan and a comfortable place to sleep.

 

 

 

 

PUNCH Metro had reported that the state Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, had said the demolition was needed to reclaim the Odo Iya Laro drainage channel.

 

Also, a popular Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, had decried the demolition carried out at the estate while stating that such action would discourage those interested in investing in real estate in the state.

A member of the resident association who pleaded anonymity claimed that the residents tried to negotiate with the Lagos State Government but were ignored and that they were not given any prior notice before the demolition began on Saturday.

“The Lagos State Government came and said they wanted to demolish the place. They did not serve us any letter of demolition. We were negotiating with the government yesterday (on Saturday), and before we knew it, they just moved in with their bulldozer.”

 

He added that although there were miscreants in the estate, the security guards were making every effort to stop them from stealing their possessions.

“They have not told us what they want the estate for. All they said was that we were too close to the canal. Miscreants are everywhere, and the security officers are trying to prevent them from stealing anything because residents’ properties are scattered everywhere,” he lamented.

Another resident in the area, simply identified as Kayode, said the government asserted that the houses were too close to the canal and that they had yet to discuss with the residents.

Kayode added, “Nothing has been said so far. We are hoping that they will come and have a discussion with us. For now, all we know is that we have to move out. They do not care where we will move. They have started demolishing areas around a bridge in the area, and we never thought it would get to our area.”

 

He stated that the issue might potentially end in court, and he was hoping that the appropriate party would win.

“They said the houses are too close to the canal, but they should have known before now because before we all built all the houses, we got approval from the government. I am sure the issue will end up in court, and the court can decide who they think is right,“ he said.

Another resident, simply identified as Tega, claimed that the residents’ biggest nightmare came true when the government gave them two hours to leave their houses.

 

 

 

She said, “We did not get any prior notification. They gave us two hours to exit the estate. They told us yesterday (on Saturday). Most people have moved out since then, and we are just trying to get the pieces today. It is the worst nightmare for some of the families here.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, stated that before the demolition, several meetings were held with the residents.

Omotoso said, “The government cannot be so heartless as to tell people to leave their homes in two hours. The Commissioner for Environment was on Arise News Television this morning (Sunday), and he explained everything.

“He explained how many years they had been at it, even before he came to office. On his social media page, he released a series of videos of meetings he had with them.

He added that the state Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources paid a visit to the estate two weeks ago and engaged in negotiations with the residents, adding that the community at large needed to be prevented from flooding.

“He was there last week and two weeks ago. It is not true that they were given two hours. They have been negotiating with them, but the thing is, we do not look at the larger picture.

“If we say one house must stay and the whole community will have to suffer when there is flooding, then that is not right. No one can exit them without prior notice in a country that is governed by law. Should they be compensated for building on drainage channels? I have never heard of that, and the law does not say so.”

 

@PUNCHNG

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Residents of Odo Iragbushi protest the 10 years delay in appointing a new traditional ruler

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Residents of Odo Iragbushi protest the 10 years delay in appointing a new traditional ruler

Residents of Odo Iragbushi protest the 10 years delay in appointing a new traditional ruler in the area

 

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Residents and leaders of Odo Iragbushi, a community in Eredo Local Council Development Area, of Epe, Lagos State on Friday staged a peaceful protest demanding an expedited action on the appointment and installation of a new traditional ruler for the town.

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The residents noted that the ancient town had no monarch for more than 10 years after the demise of the late traditional ruler Oba Julius Aladegbusi.

The protesters, who were led by the youth leaders of the community argued that the lack of a traditional ruler in the community for almost ten years has had a negative impact on its development.

They appealed to the Lagos State Government to ratify the community’s choice of a new king, Prince Tomina Odutuga.

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A youth leader in the community, Comrade Babatunde Moshood who spoke on behalf of the residents asked the government to consider the people’s choice and speed up the process of installing a new king for the community while warning that any manipulation against people’s wish may plunge the town into chaos.

He noted that all their efforts on this matter were truncated by the bigwigs in and outside the community while the two contenders for the kingship post have been an issue in the community.

He noted that the community leaders and the youth on several occasions had dialogued with the two contenders to allow peace to reign but none of them was ready to step down for each other.

Meanwhile, the community had early last year staged a peaceful protest to the Governor’s Office and the State House of Assembly this year where they sent petition letters to the Lagos State Governor, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs and other concerned ministries. Today again, a peaceful protest was staged in the community as a reminder.

 

Residents of Odo Iragbushi protest the 10 years delay in appointing a new traditional ruler

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