Residents urge Oyo Govt to complete abandoned Apata–Elere–Oloko road

Residents of Elere and Oloko communities in the Apata area of Ibadan have appealed to the Oyo State Government and the leadership of Ido Local Government to urgently complete the abandoned Apata–Elere–Oloko road project.

The residents, who spoke with Republican Nigeria, lamented that the project, which was meant to connect Apata with Elere and Oloko, has remained incomplete for years despite repeated appeals.

They explained that while the main Apata road was rehabilitated by the state government, the adjoining Elere–Oloko section was reportedly left for the local government to handle, but has since been neglected.

Community leader, Adeyemi Babatope, said the Oyo State Government excused itself from completing the project on the grounds that the road belongs to the local government.

He noted that the abandoned section has now become an eyesore and is undermining the larger rehabilitation works carried out on the Apata road.

“The government claimed the road is under the local government’s jurisdiction and left it out during the Apata rehabilitation. This portion is now disfiguring the entire route, and we are appealing to both the state and Ido Local Government to address our plight,” Babatope said.

Another community leader, Biodun Fashanu, also described the situation as unbearable, especially during the rainy season.

“The condition of this road is very bad. What the government needs to complete it is not much, it is what they can do, so we don’t understand why it has been abandoned for this long,” he lamented.

The residents stressed that the completion of the road would ease transportation challenges, improve economic activities, and bring relief to commuters and traders who use the route daily.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to get an official response from the Oyo State Ministry of Works or the Ido Local Government Authority were unsuccessful.