The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC on Wednesday, berated the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke on the clandestine plan to demolish the popular iconic Olaiya flyover bridge in Osogbo.
The main opposition party in the state alleged the Adeleke’s government of whipping up sentiment to discredit the life-changing legacies of his predecessor now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for political reasons.
The party insisted that the alleged flyover was constructed with quality materials that can never be faulted anywhere in the world, saying it remains one of the best legacies bequeathed to the state by any government since creation of the state.
The APC made the statements during a Press Conference held at the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Office, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo.
The conference, addressed by the Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal, former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye; former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke; former Special Adviser on Education, Alhaji Jamiu Olawumi, sent a strong warning to the state government to desist from actions capable of undermining the gains of the former Governor and setting Osun to socio-political unrest.
Speaking, the State Chairman of the party who was represented by the state treasurer, Femi Kujembola, described the plan of the government as disruptive, capable of brewing bad blood among citizens of the state along political divides.
Former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr Oluremi Omowaiye, narrated the concept behind project, explaining that the bridge was constructed in line with the international best practices and standard.
According to him, the flyover passed all prescribed tests and it was built to last many years just as he maintained that the project was awarded to a renowned contractor with impeccable track records.
He said the construction of the bridge was a product of due process and a child of necessity to eliminate road mishap and reduce traffic congestion on the axis.
Omowaiye explained further that the state government didn’t put the flyover at the junction for the fun of it but rather to ensure free flow of vehicular movement on that axis, a motive that he said was achieved throughout the period the administration last even till present moment.
“Precisely in December 2020, there was a ghastly motor accident at the Olaiya roundabout then that claimed lives and this informed the decision of the state government then to erect flyover bridge in view of the similar situation on that axis.
“The essence is to eradicate road mishap, traffic congestion and as well bring aesthetic values to the center which our administration did successfully. We carried out an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and we did traffic count to look at the vehicular movement and congestion strength and we were very empirical as that later informed the decision to erect the flyover. We did all this to reduce the accident.
“We equally approached the federal ministry of works before the project was carried out knowing full well that the road is a federal government road. We equally approached a renowned consultant that supervised the project. We also gave the project to the contractor with verifiable record not the fertilizer distributors and cyber cafe operators that the state government are currently using that could not boast of any successful work they have ever done in the past before undertaking contracts in Osun.
“We carried out various capacity tests to ensure the standard and sustainability of the project. We carried out various material tests, including plate loading test, at the University of Lagos laboratory, FUTA laboratory, Lagos State Material Testing Lab, the best laboratory in the Nigeria,” he added.
Corroborating the statement, former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke maintained that the state government under Governor Ademola Adeleke was bent on destroying all the legacies of the previous administration for petty political motive.
Prince Adeleke, who bemoaned the shoddy jobs being done by the state government contractors on many of the ongoing roads infrastructure and bridges, said it was disheartening to note that the Adeleke’s government was not serious with governance as it had shown clearly that he was not prepared before taking the mantle of leadership of the state.
He alleged that the ongoing Okefia and Lameco flyover bridges were awarded to quacks as the projects were allegedly given to “cybercafe operators and fertilizer suppliers”
In his short remarks, the former Special Adviser on Education, Alhaji Jamiu Olawumi said that the current government in the state lacked moral right and integrity to condemn any job done by his predecessor, stating it is troubling that the ongoing Okefia flyover has already failed integrity test even before completion.
According to him, the state government had severally dismantled the erected pillars, a signal to the impeding failure of the project in the engineering parlance.
While calling on the people of the state to discountenance any statement from the government to hamper the smooth usage of the flyover, he said all the Adeleke’s government has been doing is to prepare their minds against the looming default on the ongoing Okefia flyover bridge and other road construction embarked upon by the current government.
He said there is nothing wrong with the flyover as the state government is parroting around, stressing that the government lacks administrative right to condemn the bridge, as only the federal government, who is the rightful owner of the road, could issue a technical report to fault the current status of the flyover.
In attendance are: Former Commissioner of Information, Hon. Sunday Akere; APC Director of Media and Publicity, Chief Kola Olabisi; Mr. Akin Adeyi; former SSA on Students and Social Mobilization, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji; State Women Leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde; Comrade Waheed Adediran; Elder Adebayo Adeyemi; Lukman Rafiu; Deaconess Adesola Ayangbile among others.