Residents of the Rondo community in Offa were happy when the Kwara State Government awarded and began constructing the multimillion-naira St. Claires-Rondo-Ikotun road project in February 2022. 

Unfortunately, what Sanusi Abdulrauf, a commercial cyclist and resident of the community, thought would bring a panacea to his headache came to a halt abruptly. 

FIJ observed that the 1.6-kilometer road ended almost halfway. It has, however, been mentioned several times as one of the remarkable achievements of the state government. 

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Being an agrarian community, transportation to farms in distant places comes with a price. Farmers endure potholes and stagnant water on the erosion-washed road. Thus, when it became clear that their hope had been dashed due to a halt in the construction process, residents took their pains to the government, and Rafiu Ajakaye, the chief press secretary to AbdulRahman AbdrulRasaq, the state governor, brought a message that his principal had “promised to fast-track work on the Offa/Ikotun road project” afterwards.

Since October 2022, when he made the statement, nothing has been done, and the road has deteriorated. When contacted for comments, he denied ever speaking on the road. We shared with him the link to the press release signed by him and then he directed our reporter to the ministry in charge. 

FIJ phoned Shawal Multilinks Service Ltd., the contractor in charge of the project, to ascertain the cause of the delay. Engineer Sharafadeen Olumoh, the managing director of the construction firm, told this newspaper that although he was aware of the ordeals of the locals, he couldn’t offer any help until the government agreed to his new terms. 

In the late hours of December 2023, youths and stakeholders from the community staged a peaceful protest to air their pain over the prolonged delay.

“Your campaign is that you’ll complete the road when the rainy period is over. We’re done with the rainy period and we didn’t see you. Our markets are shut down; save our souls; it’s a new year soon,” said one of the community activists in a video sent to this medium. 

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KWSG REACTS, BLAMES INFLATION… 

FIJ confronted Abdulquawiy A. Olododo, the Supervisory Commissioner for Works and Transport, Kwara State, with our findings. He said that inflation and the rising cost of materials were the barricades holding the government back from completing the road.

“We only have about 800m of asphalt left to complete the job,” he claimed. “Unfortunately, inflation and the rising cost of materials caught up with the road project and have led to the contractor seeking a variation of price, which is currently under review in order to be able to complete the job.”

“Work is in progress to ensure that we maximise the opportunity of the dry season to complete the work.”