Youths from the Irekari communities of Idoani, Idogun, Imeri, and Afo in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the deplorable state of roads and decayed infrastructure in the axis.
The protesters, armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, lamented that the poor condition of access roads has inflicted untold hardship on residents and caused repeated damage to vehicles.
They appealed to both the Federal and Ondo State Governments to urgently rehabilitate the roads to safeguard lives and revive the economic activities of the LCDA. Leaders of the protest specifically called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to remember the communities in government intervention programmes.
Beyond road challenges, the youths decried lack of electricity supply, dysfunctional health facilities, and an inactive magistrate court—problems they said are compounded by the bad roads which discourage workers and service providers from remaining in the area.
They also accused a marble company operating in Afo of worsening the roads through the movement of heavy-duty trucks and urged government to channel part of the company’s tax revenue into rehabilitation works.
The protesters expressed disappointment over the exclusion of Irekari LCDA from the recently announced Operation Emergency Road Construction programme of the state government.
The two major access roads into the communities—the Ipele-Idoani-Isua Federal Road and the Oba-Ikun-Afo Road—have remained in terrible shape for years, leaving commuters in distress.
Indigenes had resorted to self-help by pooling resources to fix portions of the Ipele-Idoani-Isua Road, but their efforts were described as “a drop in the ocean” as the damage had gone beyond what individuals could repair.
With no respite in sight, the youths vowed to sustain their protests until relevant authorities take concrete action to address their plight.
