Osun proposed flyover: Residents react
‘It will benefit the people’ —Oyetola
Abimbola Abatta, Osogbo
As Osun State Government prepares to kick off the proposed flyover project at the popular Olaiya junction in Osogbo, Osun State, residents and citizens of the state have expressed their thoughts.
On Friday, the State government had carried out a construction demonstration whereby major roads were shut down and road users were redirected to alternative routes.
The demonstration closure was aimed at identifying ways of improving the traffic diversion plan ahead of when the actual closure will take place.
During the demonstration which started at about 2.05 pm and ended at 5.00 pm, vehicles we grounded to gridlock as motorists were compelled to seek other routes.
While monitoring the flow of traffic from Alekunwodo, Okefia, and Old Garage down to Orisumbare in Osogbo, the roads were noticed to be busier than usual.
Security operatives were deployed to man these major routes and direct the movement of vehicles.
As a result of the partial gridlock triggered by the construction demonstration, there was a momentary hike in the cost of transport fare.
A male resident who simply identified himself as Olamide, lamented his plight as he narrated how he had to trek from Oke-fia to Orisumbare after a long day at work.
He explained that: “Bike men were charging exorbitant rates. Can you imagine an Okada man telling me I have to pay N200 from Orisumbare to Fagbewesa?
“I would have taken a minibus, but all those buses were just filled up with passengers. I even heard one okada man charging N300 to convey someone to Ogo-Oluwa.
“Any small thing, these people will not allow us to rest.”
While some residents welcomed the development as part of the efforts of the government to improve the economic activities of the State, others displayed outright indifference to the project.
Madam Akinsola, a vegetable seller at Alekunwodo market said, “If the project will affect our market, the government would not have proposed it. So, what they want to do is good.”
On the part of Ayomide SNG, a motorcyclist, he noted that the government is doing its job, adding that though the project may affect residents’ source of livelihood, it will eventually boost economic activities of the State.
“What I noticed is that it is part of their job, and I know that everything is step by step. If they say they want to do it, it is okay. It will even boost the economic activities of Olaiya.
“It will affect us, especially the korope drivers, but for us as motorcyclists, we can still pass through certain routes. A project like this is for the government, and the government knows better.
“Besides, no pain; no gain. So I am pleased with whatever they do.”
Ayomide, however, appealed to the Oyetola-led administration to put measures in place to reduce the cost of goods and services.
“My message for Oyetola is that he should try his best for students and workers’ welfare. He should provide job opportunities for graduates. He should also work on reducing the cost of goods and services by,” he said.
Another resident, who declined to provide his name, said he is less concerned about what is going on with the flyover.
Governor Gboyega Oyetola on Friday while explaining the rationale behind the construction, said: “the flyover is not just an iconic project designed for ostentatious purposes, but one of the government’s measures to ensure the safety of citizens’ lives.”
The governor disclosed this during his inspection tour of the diversion points during the demonstration closure of the Ogo-Oluwa-Olaiya-MDS corridor on Friday.
According to Oyetola: “The Olaiya flyover is meant to take care of the traffic bottleneck around that intersection. The project will take about nine to ten months, but it could be completed earlier than that. The length is about 500 metres.
“But we actually appeal to our people, and I believe they understand what the government is doing. At the end of the day, it will be of greater benefit to the people.”
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Remi Omowaiye said the demonstration closure was the government’s empirical way of gathering data to improve the traffic diversion model during the eventual closure.
He said: “We know this is a major road. So, if we will be closing down the entire Olaiya, we need to do a demo to ascertain what the total closure will look like. We have created a lot of alternative routes which we also need to observe how they will work out.”
