…Says new 10km road project self-serving
…Calls for completion of ongoing roads
The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has come hard on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over the recent flag-off of a 10-kilometre road project from Oke Aro Junction to Idanre, accusing the governor of abandoning a similar ongoing road project along the Ijoka-Idanre axis.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Leye Igbabo, the PDP described the governor’s action as “a self-centred move driven by pecuniary interest” and questioned the rationale behind neglecting the Ijoka road project which also links Akure to Idanre.
The opposition party alleged that the governor’s interest in the new road project was financially motivated, claiming that Aiyedatiwa could no longer extract monetary gains from the abandoned Ijoka project.
“Much as the flag-off of a new road project might have appeared as people-oriented, our Party could see that the move was, after all, extremely self-centred in that Mr Governor’s pecuniary interest could no longer be covered in the abandoned Ijoka road project, thus the need to embark on the new road project that can accommodate his own financial kickbacks,” the statement reads.
Challenging the governor to come clean on the reasons for abandoning the Ijoka road, the PDP demanded an explanation to the people of the state, particularly residents and road users who, according to the party, have been subjected to untold hardship daily due to the terrible condition of the road.
It added that the government’s decision to initiate another capital-intensive road project while the Ijoka road and several others across the state remain uncompleted is tantamount to gross misapplication of public funds.
“We are deeply worried about the imminent fleecing away of another round of several billions of taxpayers’ money under the guise of a new road project. A fraction of such funds, if genuinely committed, could have completed the ongoing Ijoka project which serves the same purpose, while the rest could be deployed to complete other abandoned roads in the state,” the party lamented.
The party further recommended that if there was any urgent need to construct a road in the Idanre axis, perhaps for political expediency, the Governor should have prioritised the Idanre-Ofosu road which connects to the Benin-Ore-Lagos expressway and holds greater potential for economic development.
Calling on the governor to prioritise the welfare of the people and their security, the PDP warned against pursuing “white elephant projects” that only serve personal interests.
“We further counsel that all the ongoing road projects left behind by his boss, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, be completed rather than embarking on a wild goose chase and white elephant project that is ostensibly being mounted for personal aggrandizement but cunningly wrapped in public clothing,” the statement concluded.
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