Oyo to lobby FG on rehabilitation of federal roads

The Oyo State Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Prof. Rapahel Afonja, has hinted that the State Government would make efforts to attract the Federal Government to fix the federal roads within the State.
He said this while speaking with newsmen after an inspection of the Oyo-Iseyin Road for a detailed assessment necessitated by the rising complaints from the public.
Afonja said it was impossible for the State to fix the road because of paucity of funds, noting that the Federal Government has declared that it has stopped reimbursing States for such purpose.
He said: “We are currently working on the Moniya-Iseyin Road, which also needs prompt attention.
“On Iseyin-Oyo Road, we have been monitoring public outcry on this road and the State does not have much financial muscle to embark on reconstruction of Oyo-Iseyin Road now.
“Our concern is on Moniya-Iseyin Road.
“The Federal Government recently announced that it was not refunding States that constructed federal roads.
“You know Oyo State had done that and we have not been refunded yet, so we cannot expend fund on that road.
“We can only work on having more efforts on lobbying to attract Federal Government’s attention to the road among other federal roads in the State for maintenance and reconstruction.”
The Commissioner asserted that the State Government would open a channel of communication with the Federal Government to ensure that roads in Oyo State make the priority list of those the Federal Government intended to fix soon.
Afonja added that the State would also reach out to the State representatives in the National Assembly to ensure that they guarantee that some of the federal roads that were death traps were added to the priority list of the Federal Government.