Kwara Traders Lament Poor Road, Appeal To AbdulRazaq For Urgent Rehabilitation

Traders and residents of Ero Omo-Kilanko-Biada community in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State have appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to urgently rehabilitate their deteriorating road, saying its deplorable condition has disrupted commercial activities, restricted movement and threatened nearby buildings with erosion.

The residents said deep gullies caused by erosion had rendered sections of the road almost impassable to motorists, commercial motorcyclists and pedestrians, making it increasingly difficult to access homes and businesses within the community.

They also called for the construction of adequate drainage channels to control erosion, prevent further damage to properties and restore access to the affected communities.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, a businessman in the area, Temitope Olayemi, said the poor condition of the road had significantly affected business operations, as customers, suppliers and transport operators could no longer move freely within the community.

He explained that the situation had resulted in financial losses for traders, urging the state government to intervene before conditions worsened.

Similarly, a businesswoman, Tosin Araoye, said the deteriorating road had disrupted the supply of essential commodities, particularly sachet water, as distributors could no longer drive into the community.

According to her, suppliers now drop their products along the expressway, forcing traders to transport the goods manually to their shops.

Araoye appealed to the government to rehabilitate the road, noting that its poor condition was making business operations increasingly difficult.

Another businessman, Segun John, said the road had become so deplorable that he could no longer drive his vehicle into the community, affecting his daily business activities.

Commercial motorcyclists operating in the area also expressed concern, explaining that the deep gullies had made it difficult to convey passengers to their destinations.

One of the operators, Emmanuel Adeniyi, said riders were often forced to drop passengers before reaching the affected sections, leaving them to complete the remaining journey on foot.

He added that the situation had reduced their daily earnings while creating additional transportation difficulties for residents who depend on commercial motorcycles.

Another operator, Femi Abodurin, warned that continued neglect of the road could completely cut off the community during the next rainy season.

He also raised concerns about the erosion threatening a residential building opposite the affected section, warning that further deterioration could cause additional damage to properties.

While acknowledging the ongoing rehabilitation of Kilanko Road by the state government, Abodurin appealed to the administration to extend its intervention to other roads connecting neighbouring communities.

He warned that rainfall similar to what residents experienced this year could worsen the situation, potentially leaving motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians with no access to the area.

The Secretary of the Ero Omo-Kilanko-Biada Community Association, Saka Abdulkadir, also appealed to the state government to rehabilitate the road and provide adequate drainage infrastructure to tackle the erosion menace.

Abdulkadir said the road served several communities and that its deteriorating condition had made access to residential areas increasingly difficult, particularly for vehicle owners.

He noted that some residents had been forced to use alternative routes because of the poor condition of the road, adding that businesses in the area were also suffering from reduced accessibility.

The appeal comes amid an earlier assurance by the Kwara State Government that it would soon commence the rehabilitation of Kilanko Road in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin, as well as the Gaa Akanbi-Danialu-University of Ilorin road corridor.

The then Commissioner for Works, Qowiyu Olododo, gave the assurance during the state’s third-quarter inter-ministerial briefing in Ilorin, disclosing that engineers from the ministry had inspected the affected locations to assess the level of deterioration and prepare appropriate reconstruction and drainage designs.

Olododo said the government was reviewing the technical requirements for the Kilanko Road project to determine the most suitable design for the terrain.

He also disclosed that a similar assessment was being conducted on the Gaa Akanbi-Danialu-University of Ilorin road corridor, which had equally attracted complaints from residents and motorists.

The former commissioner further stated that the AbdulRazaq administration had constructed more than 300 kilometres of roads across Kwara State since assuming office in 2019.