Declare state of emergency on Oka Road, lawmaker asks Akeredolu

The Ondo State Government has been asked to declare a state of emergency on the notorious Oke Oka Hill in Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state.

The dreadful road links the state to the northern part of the country while many lives and properties have been lost due to its hilly and bendy nature.

Daily Times gathered that the affected portion of the hilly road has become a death trap and a den for perpetrating crimes such as robbery and kidnapping.

The hilly road had claimed the lives of prominent people among them were a former council chairman, Lady Ope Adefarati and some family members.

Speaking, Kaseem Suleiman, lawmaker who is representing Akoko South West Constituency in the Ondo State House of Assembly said the road has suffered many years of neglect and disrepair.

Suleiman who spoke on Wednesday at the plenary sitting of the State Assembly disclosed that the road is now a danger zone and death trap.

He noted that there is urgent need for the government to speedily act in fixing the notorious road for the best interest of the people plying the route.

“You would remember that some weeks ago, I moved a motion on the bad state of the road under matters of urgent public importance.

“Many people are dying on that road every time and I have several times called the attention of the House to it that something urgent must be done” The lawmakers maintained that the road belongs to the state government against the rumor that it belonged to the Federal Government.

“Some people believe that the road is a Federal Government road, but it is not and actually It belongs to Ondo state.

“During Abacha regime, he tried in his own magnanimity to put asphalt on the road. May be that is the reason some people believe the road belong to the Federal Government”.

Hon. Suleiman said over concentration on the road by heavy duty vehicles and trucks in spite of alternative routes had made it worse and prone to accident.

He suggested that the state government should bar the heavy duty trucks from plying the road in order to check the incessant carnage on the hilly road.

According to him, the gully beside the Oke Oka hill of the road had made many innocent people lost their lives stressing that it has become a mass grave.

The lawmaker further called on the State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to urgently raised a team to visit the road for its onward rehabilitation.

“We believe we have a listening Governor and we believe something good would happen there very soon,” he added.
Penultimate week, no fewer than seven trucks including petrol tankers heading to the north caught fire on the busy road causing pandemonium among residents and commuters