Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Thursday inaugurated the construction of the 15.150km Ojoku-Ilemona road in Oyun Local Government.
He emphasised the project’s role in facilitating economic growth and improving travel for communities.
The governor stated that his administration has already completed over 100 kilometers of roads in Kwara South, in addition to significant achievements in health, education, water, and social protection sectors.
He also noted that the administration is either constructing or planning to award contracts for approximately 109 kilometers of road projects in the same region, including those under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
AbdulRazaq urged residents to support the government and ensure the longevity of public infrastructure.
The flag-off ceremony coincided with an inspection tour of the 42.6km Eiyenkorin-Afon-Ojoku-Offa road by AbdulRazaq and the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
They were accompanied by a delegation from the BUA Conglomerate, the project’s contractor, led by Group Executive Director Kabir Rabiu.
The federal road is designed to connect Kwara Central to Kwara South and Osun State, cutting travel time to about 30 minutes.
Both the governor and the minister praised the quality of the concrete road, with minister Umahi projecting its lifespan to be between 50 and 100 years.
During the inspection, Umahi delivered “cheery news” that the Federal Government, FG, has approved the construction of a flyover at Oko Olowo.
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This is expected to resolve years of fatal accidents on the busy corridor.
AbdulRazaq used the opportunity to remind the minister of several other critical federal projects in the state, including the much-needed dualization of the Ilorin-Lokoja Road, as well as the Share-Patigi Road and the Moro Bridge, all of which he described as essential to the people of the state.
The minister, while commending the governor’s effective leadership and his consistent support for President Bola Tinubu, assured him that he would look into the requested projects for the upcoming fiscal year.
He also announced that the Ministry would be in Kwara next month for the state’s segment of the proposed Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway.
In his address, AbdulRazaq hailed the Eiyenkorin-Offa road as a “dividend of democracy” and a result of the Renewed Hope Agenda economic policies, which he noted are already yielding positive results like a stabilizing exchange rate and decreasing inflation.
He described the new Ojoku-Ilemona road as a catalyst for development that will open up agrarian communities and attract investors, citing Olam’s upcoming $25 million soybean processing plant nearby.
The Commissioner for Works, Abdulquawiy Olododo, stated that the Ojoku-Ilemona road will transform the lives and livelihoods of the people who have long been constrained by poor road conditions, assuring that the project will be executed to the highest quality standards.
Traditional rulers, including the Elerin of Erin-Ile, Oba Adesoye Adebowale Jimoh, and the Olojoku of Ojoku, Oba Abdulrazaq Adegboyega Afolabi, praised the governor’s transformational efforts.
The Olojoku, impressed by the gesture, conferred the title of “Aare Bobaselu Ojoku” on the governor.
Stakeholders like the Convener of the Kwara South Development Initiative, Johnson Bamidele Adewumi, emphasised the road’s importance, noting it would cut a journey that currently takes hours to a mere seven minutes.
