By Tayo Mabeweje
Residents celebrate as long-neglected communities finally see modern roads, more projects coming across Ogun State.
For years, the people of Akute, Ajuwon, and Alagbole journeyed through dust, potholes, and despair — a once-vibrant corridor reduced to a trail of hardship and lost opportunities. But on a bright afternoon in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, joy returned to the land. Songs rose, drums thundered, and hearts swelled with gratitude as Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, cut the ribbon that reopened their world to progress.
The newly reconstructed Akute–Ajuwon–Alagbole road was not just asphalt and concrete; it was the restoration of dignity, the rekindling of dreams long deferred. Traders left their stalls, transporters honked in rhythm, and residents filled the streets chanting “Dapo Abiodun ti se e!” — “Abiodun has done it!” Their voices carried both relief and triumph, echoing through streets that had once been symbols of abandonment.
The governor, visibly moved by the waves of jubilation, spoke with the calm satisfaction of a man whose promise had matured into reality. He said the project stood as a living testimony of his administration’s covenant with the people — a clear statement that good governance is not in words but in visible transformation.
The Akute–Ajuwon–Alagbole axis, once forgotten, has now been rewritten into Ogun’s story of renewal.
He (Abiodun) explained that the completed 1.5-kilometre Alagbole–Ajuwon road and 4.5-kilometre Akute–Ajuwon road were part of a larger network designed to open communities, ignite trade, and improve livelihoods. He added that work was progressing on the Alagbole–Akute road, while the Hercules–Oke Aro–Giwa road, once impassable, now gleamed with fresh asphalt and would soon be commissioned.
He further revealed that construction along the Akute–Lanbe–Oke Aro–Agbado–Ijoko–Sango corridor had reached an advanced phase, with plans to award the second stretch extending to Sango — a 17-kilometre artery once left to decay.
In his words, the vision was to ensure that no community remained trapped behind the walls of neglect; that every road becomes a path to opportunity and growth. He assured the crowd that 11 new road projects would soon be awarded across the state, continuing the rhythm of development under the Urban Renewal Programme, which embodies the ISEYA mantra — Infrastructure, Social Welfare, Education, Youth Empowerment, and Agriculture.
Around him, gratitude overflowed. Mr. Lekan Kusimo, Chairman of Ifo Local Government, captured the collective relief of his people when he noted that for more than two decades, the communities had suffered in silence; but Abiodun’s intervention had restored their dignity and given life back to their towns.
From the state legislature, Hon. Fola Salami, representing Ifo II, described the day as the truest expression of democracy — when promises made in campaigns were fulfilled in concrete reality.
For Alhaji Bashiru Akande, a respected community leader, the scene felt almost surreal. He recalled how residents had waited endlessly for change that never came, only for the present administration to turn waiting into witnessing — and hope into happiness.
The traditional ruler, Oba Sulaimon Bamgbade, the Odofin of Isheri, reflected on the broader meaning of the moment. He likened the governor’s gesture to rain falling after a long dry spell, reviving the soil of progress and restoring movement, trade, and pride to a weary people.
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, observed that the road’s completion would unclog traffic, rejuvenate commerce, and raise property values across the corridor, urging residents to safeguard the new infrastructure as their own.
As the event wound down, the air shimmered with celebration. Drummers beat their talking drums in salute, traders danced beside their shops, and green-white-green flags fluttered in the evening breeze. What had once been a landscape of frustration now pulsed with life and laughter.
In Akute, Ajuwon, and Alagbole, the story had turned full circle — from despair to delight, from neglect to renewal.
And at the heart of it all stood a governor who had proven, once again, that leadership is not just about building roads, but about building faith, restoring hope, and giving forgotten communities a new lease of life.
*Mabeweje is Senior Special Assistant (Media),
Office of the Governor, Ogun State
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