By AbdulFatai Beki
Some of residents of the ldofian community in lfelodun local government area of Kwara on Saturday embarked on a protest over non completions of one kilometer excavated portion of the ongoing rehabilitation of Ilorin-ldofian road project.
The residents including aged and children blocked the Federal highway that links the community with other towns, condemning what they described as abandonment of one kilometer portion of the road which had been excavated.
The protest, which lasted for over four hours led to long queue of vehicles passing through the community that also led to disruption of both vehicular and human traffic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters mounted road blocks and bonfire of tyres on the road.
It deprived motorists and pedestrians from going about their normal business activities in the town.
Leader of the protesters and personal Assistant to Oludofian of Idofian, Alhaji Salihu Balogun, while speaking with newsmen said the road was causing various health implications and obstructing business activities in the town.
“The heavy dust emanating from the abandoned portion of the road had led to closure of many shops including some houses on the road,” he said.
Some shop owners, who decried the effect of the dust on their health and their businesses, appealed to the government to do the needful.
The youth leader in the community, Mr Kamaldeen Jimoh, said that the community had written many letters to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency and the Kwara State Government to assist in the rehabilitation of the road without response.
In a reaction, the Federal Controller of Works in Kwara, Mr Wasiu Atitebi, while speaking with NAN, appealed to the community to exercise patience with the federal government on the completion of one project.
Atitebi said that the contractor handing the project was still on site and would start the job as soon as he got mobilisation.
“The road project has been captured in 2021 Appropriation bill, the community should give the federal government time to start implementing the budget,” the Controller said. (NAN)
