At least 30 people died in the last year on the Gbongan axis of the Gbongan-Akoda motorway in Osun State because of the lack of a speed limit on the newly completed road, FIJ can report.

Between December 24 and 25, three people died as racing vehicles ran into them while crossing. The road, which suffered construction delays under Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of the state, was completed about six months ago.

Aregbesola’s administration had allocated N30 billion to the 30 kilometers dual-carriage road and interchange bridge at Gbongan junction, but it was not completed until Gboyega Oyetola, the current governor, took over.

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“Since the cessation of work on the road, commercial drivers have applied no self-restraint while plying the road,” Timothy Faboade, a community indigene, told FIJ. “Some of them go as fast as 150km/hour because there are no contours or bumps on the road.”

Alape town near the expressway has become the hotspot of this unfortunate accident. The area hosts the Magistrate Court, Gbongan, and Ode-Omu School of Science, among other public facilities. 

“There is a growing development in Alape which has led to a population explosion in the area. Unfortunately, whenever people are returning home from the market, they get killed on the wide road. We are tired!,” Faboade noted.

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Over the recurring deaths on the road, the community members protested in May. FIJ learned that Iyiola Omisore, one-time deputy governor of the state and governorship candidate, was caught up in the traffic jam caused by the protest. Omisore promised to speak with the governor over the people’s plight.

“True to his words, he called us back in the evening while he was with the governor. The governor promised to do something about it, although the road was still undergoing construction at the time,” Yinka Oyeniyi, the president of the GbonganYouth Emancipation Group, told FIJ.

“We are also aware that branches of Nigeria’s security outfits, including the Department of State Service (DSS), have brought the issue of that road to the attention of the governor, yet nothing has been done on this issue.”

“The last two unfortunate cases on that road on December 24 and 25 triggered our new resolution for a protest coming Saturday, for the whole country to hear us and know what we are going through.”

On Thursday, a bus conductor travelling along the road to Osogbo, the capital of the state, was knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle. About 24 hours later, on December 24, two indigenes were similarly crushed to death. One of the two indigenes was said to be a policeman who had just relocated to his new house in town. He had invited his brother for a housewarming before the duo were killed on the road.

“If we keep having calamities, who is next?” Oyeniyi asked. “We are not asking for money. We only want the authorities to erect road bumps or speed limits so that road users can be safe.”

Remi Omowaye, the commissioner of works and transport, did not answer FIJ’s calls or respond to a text message for comments. However, FIJ learned that he had promised to fix the road two times.