Dilapidated Soyinka train station road belongs to FG -Ogun

The Ogun State Government has cited bureaucratic complexities and the need for the Federal Government’s approval as the primary reason behind the delay in reconstructing the worn-out pathway leading to the Wole Soyinka Train Station in Abeokuta, the state capital.

In a statement on Tuesday, the government acknowledged that enhancing the route is a matter close to its heart, as it holds the promise of making train travel more enjoyable for commuters.

reports that with the commencement of the rainy season, residents from over 48 communities along the 4km Idi-Aba-Olokuta-Wole Soyinka Train Station-Laderin road in Abeokuta, are unhappy due to the distress the impact the enormous rainfall will have on their already deplorable road.

However, reacting on Tuesday, the state government noted that it has been treading cautiously, refraining from vocalizing its concerns, “lest it is misconstrued as making excuses.”

“Debates ensue, tangled in bureaucratic intricacies, as this particular stretch, albeit short, falls under the purview of the Federal Government, responsible for its upkeep. To embark on reconstruction, the state government requires permission from the minister.

“Obtaining such authorization proves a sluggish ordeal, hindered by bureaucratic inertia,” the state government added.

According to the statement, the station complex was conceptualized to coincide with the development of its surrounding arteries, an integral part of the overarching scheme.

The statement added that in a recent development, the Federal Government approved the state government’s request to reconstruct the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road.

In September 2023, the residents protested the deplorable Olokuta-Abeokuta train station road linking the Prof Wole Soyinka area and about 52 communities under the Abeokuta South Local Government Area.

They expressed their frustration over the bad road, saying that it had not only led to fatal crashes that claimed lives in the past but had also paralyzed socio-economic activities in the area.

They pleaded with the state government to urgently come to their aid.