FG’s Negligence Responsible For Ekiti Collapsed Bridge Death, Says Afe Babalola
The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) Chief Afe Babalola(SAN), has blamed the collapsed of Ureje bridge that led to the death of one man on the negligence of the Federal and Ekiti state governments.
The legal luminary said several efforts he made to both governments to reconstruct the bridge were rebuffed.
Babalola who expressed sadness over the death of a man during the collapse of the bridge after a torrential downpour on Monday evening, described the incident as a national disaster
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti on the development, the elder statesman said the event leading to the collapse of the bridge which linked capital city with his university was a testimony that Ekiti has been grossly neglected by the federal government.
The bridge on Ureje river along Ado-ABUAD-Ikare road was on the said day overran by flood and collapsed with a man drowned while trying to navigate through.
According to him, “for the past nine years, I have been maintaining that road but this year after series of letters , Federal Road Maintenance Agency(FERMA) wrote to me informing that they have awarded the road to a contractor and I have been following the contractor day and night.
“What I know which is true is that, the contactor had done more damage to the road than helping us. I wrote about the bridge to all those concerned; federal ministry of works and copy the President. I also wrote letters to the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi because I knew that road was neglected by the contractor and the federal government.
“Indeed , Ekiti state is the most neglected state in this country. Look at the road between Ilesha and Ado-Ekiti, it was made over 20 years ago. This road from Ado-Ekiti to Ijan to Ode to Ikare to Lokoja was build before I was born over 100 years ago.
“That bridge which you saw was also build over 100 years ago, that narrow bridge. When I was in school, we used to trek from that place to Ogbese river in order to cut what we called prank cane to make chairs and wooden ceilings along that route.
“Nothing has been done to improve the bridge. I have been writing, phoning , sending text messages about that bridge will collapse anytime. I warn all of them, including the governor that it will collapse that something should be done
“When it happened two days ago, I sent text messages to Fayemi that what i told you should not happen has happened. I also got in touch with Minister of Works, who eventually phoned me that they were going to do something about the bridge.
“I sent messages to monarchs and others. In the afternoon, i got a text from Fayemi that some people will come the following day to work on it. Fashola told me they are moving there immediately. I went to the bridge and i saw them working there.
“My team of engineer have been there early in the morning. No heavy truck or vehicle should pass that place otherwise it will go down.
“What we need is a new bridge and a dual carriage road from Ado-Ekiti to the university, which is only 15kilometers. I don’t know why the road has not been repaired. I hope now with what has happened, things will change. I went through Afao to Igbemo to Iluomoba to the university. It takes me about One and half hours to get to the university on Tuesday instead of 15 minutes.
“Like i said, Ekiti is the most neglected state in this part of the world. Secondly, i protested in my usual way. Former President Obasanjo did little work on the road and you can see it has not been completed.
“Again, I was lawyer to federal government, Obasanjo again work on it from Itawure to Ado-Ekiti, a dual carriage, since he left it is all forest”.