Ogun Residents Cry Out Over Neglect and Poor Access to Basic Amenities

Residents of Eleworo community in Ofada, located within Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have voiced their frustration over what they describe as government neglect and the absence of essential amenities in the area.

During a visit to the community on Wednesday, a resident, Hannah Haruna, expressed concern over the poor state of the Ofada–Eleworo road, noting its adverse impact on her business.

“It’s extremely challenging to transport my goods to the market because of the terrible condition of the road,” she said. “The market opens at 6 a.m., but I couldn’t get any vehicle to move my goods until 9 a.m. Tricycle operators avoid this route because of how bad the road is.”

A chief in the community, Dauda Lambo, also decried the government’s negligence noting that the residents of Eleworo had had to provide basic amenities like electricity, water, and schools for themselves.

Lambo said the Local Government Area chairman visited two years ago, but still nothing has been done, instead, residents have resorted to contributing money to fix the roads.

He said, “We are facing so many challenges here which make living difficult.”

“The electricity supply is irregular, and there’s no hospital or public schools in this community. It is now our responsibility to provide these things for ourselves.

Due to the lack of electricity in the area, residents say they are forced to contribute money to buy petrol for generators to pump water. Despite reaching out to several government officials about these challenges, no action has been taken. Residents also contribute funds to fill potholes and carry out basic road maintenance themselves.

Lambo also decried the negative impact of the poor road network on businesses, noting that it has led to increased transportation costs.

“The bad roads are seriously affecting our businesses,” Haruna added. “Whenever the women try to move their goods from the farms to the market, the motorcycle and tricycle operators charge excessively because of the road conditions.”

Another resident, who identified herself as Iya Orisa, raised concerns over the lack of a secondary school in the area. She explained that children are forced to travel long distances to attend Ofada Community High School.

“There is no secondary school in Eleworo, so our children have to go all the way to Ofada, which is very far. It’s a major concern because they are too young to be making such long trips every day,” she said.

When contacted on Thursday, the Chairman of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, Lanre Ogunsola, declined to speak, responding only with a text message after multiple unanswered calls: “Can’t talk now. Please text me.”

As of the time of filing this report, he had not responded to the text message.