Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ota, Protest Againt BAD ROADS in Ota and Environs.

NBA Ota, turned out massively for a peaceful protest today 31st Oct, 2019 on the state of the bad roads.

PRESS  STATEMENT RELEASED BY ISSAC OGBAH, CHAIRMAN NBA OTA DURING THE PROTEST OF THE NBA OTA BRANCH ON 31ST, October, 2019.

Good day gentleman of the press, learned colleagues, ladies and Gentleman.
According to Mr. Sapara William, the first Nigerian lawyer who was called to the Bar in 1879:

“The legal practitioner lives for the direction of his people and the advancement of the cause of his country”.
We are here today, as lawyer living and practicing in Ota, and its environs. We are here to give direction to our people, and ensure the advancement of the cause of our country.

For now, these resolve around the issues of the bad state of our roads.
Like every other person who resides, work or passes through Ota, our live’s are being adversely affected by the bad road network in Ota and its environs.

Researches have shown that the road network in Nigeria is about 194,000kms. Many of these road are bad. Owing to the carelessness of the concerned authorities. In many instances, though budget allocations are made, nothing reasonable happen at the end of the day.

Among the major bad road that are of utmost concern to us are the Sango-Ota-Owode-Idiroko Expressway, the Atan-Agbara Expressway and the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, among others.

Bad road in Nigeria cause Nigerians, annual loses in term of vehicle maintenance the estimate sum of N133.7 billion out of every two (2) vehicle you see on Nigeria road today, one must be damaged and perhaps, off the road, within a month,

Most of those vehicle are found on this Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, which has been adjudged as one of Nigeria busiest highway. It is Nigeria’s busiest inter-state and intra-city route. It handles more than 250,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

Good roads aid the economic development of the national society, through speedy transportation of commodities, and quick movement people. Good roads also save the time people spend on their daily activities. Good road also aid efficient security system (internal & external). Good road ensure improvement in the living standard of the people.

Despite the foregoing, Ota people, and every other person passing through Ota, have been consigned to the harrowing experience of going through bad road, every time and everywhere: by the government especially the federal Government.

We note the effort of the Ogun State Government. We appreciate the rehabilitation of the Ota-Ikola Road, and the old Ota-Lagos Road, being carried out. Presently; people are going through hell, passing through the roads. But the Ogun state Government can still do more, considering the densely populated nature of the Ota metropolis and same being the industrial hub of the state.

Most of the other roads in the Ota area are terrible. Obasanjo and Oju-Ore area in particular has become a nightmare, and a source of heart  aches/attacks to the Ota people. It has taken the notoriety of Oshodi-Lagos of the old.

Mention must also be made to the Ogun State Government of the Anglican Road, Ota Ilogbo Road, Sango-Ijoko Road, Alagbole-Akute_Lambe area etc. After the destruction of several properties, it is unfortunate that people still find it difficult to access Lagos State through the Ijoko axis of Ogun State.

Last year May (2018), the Federal Government was reported to have awarded the total re-habilitation of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, to Julius Berger Plc. The contract sum was N22.387billion. The project was to last 21/2 years.

Unfortunately, up till this moment, no substantial improvement has occurred on the road, it now takes an average of 3-4 Hours to get to Abeokuta from Ota. A journey that should not be more than 30 minutes normally.

  There have been day that commuters and motorists spent up to six (6) Hours at a spot the Iyana-Ilogbo area. On some other occasion, people have had to trek to their destination, or slept on the road. In this process some have been sexually molested, while some people were robbed of their properties. The most terrible portion of the road is the iyana-Ilogbo area. But the Itori-ewekoro-papa axis is now seriously competing with Iyana-Ilogbo area. The Papa-Sagamu Road is something else. Sona-Igbala-joju areas are presently death traps!

While we do not have the statistics of the number of death on this bad road, we know that everybody, people’s health is being impaired. Millions of naira is spent to repair vehicles transport fares have gone up astronomically. Many car owners now have no cars they can call their own.

As Lawyers in the Ota judicial division/jurisdiction, we can no longer keep quiet. We are seen by the people as the voice and conscience of the society; we are trained ad meant to uphold the Rule of Law and Democracy. These involve asking the relevant question making the necessary statements, and demanding for corresponding answer and actions.

Hence the questions/statements you can see on our placards. They include:

GOVERNOR DAPO ABIODUN

RIGHT THE WRONG OF PAST GOVERNORS METED AGAINST OTA AND 

ITS ENVIRONS 

FIX OTA ROADS

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:       

STOP KILLING PEOPLE INSTALMENTALLY VIA BAD ROAD!!!

OWODE/IYANA ILOGBO, SANGO/IJOKO

ROAD ARE DEATH TRAPS

DAPO ABIODUN:

WILL YOU ALLOW BAD ROADS TO CONTINUE TO KILL OGUN PEOPLE?    

NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION OTA BRANCH

OTA LAWYERS SAY NO TO BAD ROADS

OTA ROADS BEGGING FOR GOVERNMENT ATTENTION

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN RUINS IN OTA BECAUSE OF BAD ROADS

BAD ROADS HAVE TURNED MANY CHILDREN TO ORPHANS

OTA ROADS:

HELL ON EARTH

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:

WHERE ARE THE BILLIONS BUDGETED FOR OUR ROADS?

We demand answer within seven (7) days from today. We demand ACTIONS, within fourteen (14) days from today, Thursday, 31st October, 2019. We demand the commencement of the reasonable fixing of the roads, we demand that the completion period be made certain and reasonable. 

Note that we shall not condone increasing the suffering of commuters in the name of road repairs. As the work is going on, reasonable traffic management measures must be put in place by the Ogun State and the federal Government.

Take notice that should the concerned governments, Ogun State and Federal Governments fail, neglect or refuse to take the necessary REASONABLE, CONCRETE SWIFT and URGENT ACTIONS, we shall not hesitate to mobilize the entire citizenry of Ogun State and the federal Government as it relates to the bad roads.

Be rest assured that we shall also take some other legal actions which may not be palatable to the governments.

LONG LIVE NBA Ota Branch!

Long Live NBA National

Headquarters!

Long live OGUN STATE!

Long live NIGERIA!