Community Leaders in Ijebu Igbo Halt Daniel’s Road Project, Cite Substandard Plan and Lack of Drainage
IJEBU IGBO – A road project facilitated by Senator Gbenga Daniel in Ijebu Igbo has been halted following protests from the Atikori community, who are accusing the Senator’s team of employing deceptive tactics and planning a substandard job. Community leaders insist their opposition is not politically motivated but is a fight for a quality project that serves the public interest.
The conflict centres on the road leading to the General Hospital in Oke Ojowo. According to a detailed account from community representative Saheed Wahab, known as Omo Ijogun, the issues began when local youth and officials, including Councillor Hon. Issa Ayotomiwa, visited the site.
They found engineers laying a stone base without first addressing the inadequate and blocked drainage systems, a move they feared would lead to severe erosion and render the work ineffective.
“When we questioned the engineer on the project’s scope, his initial response was that it was ‘not our concern’,” Wahab stated. After prolonged discussions, the engineer revealed the plan was only to stone-base the road from Itale Oke-Ife junction to the hospital entrance.
The community, demanding a lasting solution over a “fleeting palliative,” compelled the engineer and the Senator’s representative, Mr Jide Onadeko, to provide a formal scope of work.
Allegations of Deceit and “A Ruse”
The document, provided after a three-day deadline, listed items including the “recasting, flooring and plastering of the 3.10km drainage” and the “demolition and reconstruction of all failed sections.” However, community leaders allege this document was a sham.
“Following a comprehensive review, we found that the terminology employed was merely a ruse to deny Atikori effective governance,” Wahab’s account reads. The engineers were allegedly caught continuing with stone base compaction without installing the promised drainage systems, directly contradicting their own document.
Further disputes arose over the asphalt-laying plan, with the community rejecting a proposal that would leave a section of the road without asphalt, calling it a “fragmented approach.”
A Pattern of Poor Quality Projects?
This incident in Ijebu Igbo has sparked broader concerns among constituents about the quality and transparency of Senator Daniel’s constituency projects. Critics point to a perceived pattern where projects are allegedly designed to be visually announced but structurally insufficient, leading to rapid deterioration.
A source within the Ogun East senatorial district, who wished to remain anonymous, cited other projects, including a series of boreholes and classroom blocks, which were commissioned but later found to be non-functional or built with substandard materials.
“The hospital road is not an isolated case,” the source claimed. “There is a consistent modus operandi of doing the bare minimum for publicity, with little regard for engineering standards or long-term community benefit. The people are now wiser and are demanding accountability.”
Broken Promises and a Stalled Project
Despite intervention from the Senator’s Chief of Staff, who assured Councillor Ayotomiwa that the community’s requirements would be met, the community alleges the engineers reneged on the agreement.
“The engineer disregarded the agreement and continued with their deceitful tactics to shortchange the community,” Wahab stated, noting that the community chairman, Mr Tunde, joined in the rejection.
The community has now stopped the work entirely. They maintain they are not against Senator Daniel but are demanding he “do the necessary and provide a better quality job.”
As of the time of this report, there has been no official public statement from Senator Gbenga Daniel’s office regarding the allegations. The stalled project site in Atikori stands as a physical manifestation of a growing demand for transparency and quality in constituency projects.
