The images above are not entrances into an ancient shrine in any typical Yoruba, nay African society. Rather, they are four out of the several different dangerous spots, clearly visible even to the blind, along Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji/Alada/Oganla Road, Apata, a state road situated within Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State. The images are those of a community relegated to the backwaters of civilisation, largely due to the impassable road; a community suffering from retarded growth and development due to virtually total darkness, engendered by erratic power supply.
The images, along with some others, and the accompanying video clips in this narrative, are the true realities of the state of abandonment of a community of vital economic importance to a state which takes a pride in its acronym, Pacesetter State.
A Community Suffering From Agelong Abandonment
Ido Local Government Area is one of the biggest among the 11 local councils that make up Ibadan, the ancient capital city of Oyo State. Various administrations have since ruled the state.
However, residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji/Alada/Oganla community and its environs have, over the years, not been fortunate enough to enjoy the dividends of democracy since the advent of current democratic dispensation in 1999.
Residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji/Alada/Oganla Community have been neglected by the successive administrations in Oyo State. The community and its environs, extending to Olude Road- a road that links Ido – and All Saints College/Agbofieti/NIHORT/Jericho/Alesinloye Market- has never and is yet to find favour in the eyes of the various personalities that have had the opportunity to be at the helms of affairs of Oyo State since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
Makinde And His 2019 Electioneering Promise
It is on record that the then Mr ‘Seyi Makinde had a first-hand, eye-witness information on the road. He was at the Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community in the build-up to the 2019 elections. Makinde, now a two-term governor of Oyo State, then made a solemn promise to the people and residents of the community. He promised to make them smile by constructing the road. He promised to get the road fixed within his first 100 days in office.
Believing his word, residents of the Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji/Oganla Community and its environs trouped out enmasse and cast their votes for Makinde in 2019. By virtue of that act, coupled with the votes of the other parts of Ibadan, nay Oyo State, and by the grace of God, he was elected the state governor in March, 2019.
Residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community were jubilant. They were happy that relief and succour have eventually come their way. They were optimistic that the community road, which has never been constructed before, will be remembered by Governor ‘Seyi Makinde.
The Reality On Ground
Throughout the first term of the present administration in the state, from 2019 to 2023, the residents were hopeful that Mr Governor would look their way. They were optimistic that fortune will smile on them and that the road will be constructed.Alas, their hope was dashed…
Between 2019 and 2023, Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community Road turned from bad to worse. It became deserted and almost impassable. Residents and motorists are gnashing their teeth, daily going through the pains of commuting daily on the deplorable road.
The people of the community no longer have access to basic necessities of life, including good health facilities. The road to Alada Primary Health Centre is not passable. Oluwafemi Specialist Hospital, the only private hospital in the community, is long-abandoned as it is no longer accessible, due to bad road.
Economic and commercial activities, as well as educational institutions are mostly affected by the bad condition of the Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community Road. Most of the shops located along the road are permanently under lock and key. It is now very easier for the camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for okada riders (commercial motorcyclists) to ply their trade within the community.
Traders and artisans, including welders, tailors and mechanics among others, are fast relocating from the community to other places where they can have access to good roads and relatively steady power supply. Suppliers of building materials and even soft drinks and table water are permanently on holiday as they cannot afford to risk commuting on Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community Road. Property owners are wailing as tenants refused to rent their properties. Many of the landlords have abandoned their houses to seek for rented accommodations elsewhere in town. Some of them have sold their houses outrightly, in anger and frustration.
Fast-forward To 2023
In spite of the sad picture painted above, eligible voters and residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare Community who have their voter cards domiciled in the community did not lose hope. They were still hopeful that Governor Makinde will surely remember them and the community. They believed that the Makinde-led administration has not forgotten them.
They thus came out, again, in their large numbers in March, 2023 to cast their votes for the incumbent governor. While the same cannot be said of the preceding federal election where the eligible voters in the community voted for individual personalities, rather than the party, majority of residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare Community cast their votes for Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 governorship election.
It is not without any iota of doubt that the people of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare Community contributed in no small measure in ensuring that Governor Makinde became the second incumbent governor to return to office, after his immediate predecessor, the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi who, incidentally, also did not remember the community while his two-term tenure lasted from 2011 to 2015.
Residents Appeal To Governor Makinde
In face of the unbearable pains, the long-suffering residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community are, again on their knees, making a passionate appeal to Governor Makinde to turned his benevolent side to them. They want Mr Governor to, as a matter of urgency, intervene and give them succour. Rather than asking for what belongs to them, as a matter of right, they are begging the governor to accord them the privilege of constructing the road.
Alhaja Moriamo Abdulkareem, a 75-year-old resident spoke thus: I have been living in this community for more than 50 years. This is where I was married to. Our road has never been as bad as it is now. Now, we are finding it very difficult to commute on the road. I want to appeal to our governor, Engineer ‘Seyi Makinde, to remember us and help us to repair our road. It has never been tarred before. We will forever be grateful to him if he can do this for us.”
Another resident, a tailor, spoke in the video above. He narrated his sad experience as he has lost many of his customers and has become redundant due to the bad road.
Yet, another resident, a plumber popularly called Waso also spoke in same vein in the video below:
Will Succour Eventually Come?
Having been re-elected and sworn in on 29 May, 2023, it is almost mid-way into the second term of the Governor Makinde administration. Where lies the fate of the people and residents of Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community thus far? Is it going to be another four years of endless waiting for the hapless residents? Would the listening and promise-keeper, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, hearken to the tears, pleadings and unending calls of the community and be on record as the first governor to construct the long-abandoned Wire and Cable/Orisunmibare/Ita Faaji Community Road and put a permanent smile on the face of the highly-expectant people?
