Residents seek Adeleke’s intervention over dilapidated Otan-Ayegbaju–Ila-Orangun road

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Oba Lukman Adesola Ojo-Fadipe, the Owa of Otan-Ayegbaju in Boluwaduro Local Government Area of Osun State, and other road users have appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to urgently intervene to prevent the Otan-Ayegbaju–Ila-Orangun road from collapsing.

The appeal was made after heavy flooding and erosion severely damaged critical sections of the highway and made movement increasingly difficult.

Oba Ojo-Fadipe identified Oke-Ola, Akerekete and Popogbooro as the three most affected locations, warning that the deteriorating sections pose serious risks to motorists and pedestrians.

He said the bridge at Oke-Ola was caving in from beneath, while the Akerekete section had become dangerous for commuters travelling between Ila-Orangun and Otan-Ayegbaju, Ikirun and Osogbo.

The monarch also warned that the damaged section at Popogbooro could lead to preventable loss of lives if urgent repairs were not carried out, urging the state government to act before the road collapses completely.

Also reacting, the Chairman of the Commercial Motorcycle Riders Union in Boluwaduro LGA, Azeez Fabunmi, said the road serves as an important transit corridor linking Osun with Kogi, Benue and Abuja, and appealed to the government to protect road users from across the country.

A community leader, Amos Sasona, said damage to the Akerekete bridge had reduced the road to a single lane, making it difficult for two vehicles to pass simultaneously and increasing the risk of accidents, particularly at night.

Transport union representative Dauda Oyeniyi and President of the Otan-Ayegbaju Progressive Union, Aare Adetunji Mosebolatan, also urged urgent government intervention, with Mosebolatan noting that although the community had carried out self-help repairs on internal roads, the scale of damage on the highway required state intervention.