In Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, heavy downpours have left commuters, traders, and residents in the Osiele community struggling to move through the increasingly deplorable Eleweron–Osiele road.
Checks on the physical condition of the route revealed that though built as an asphalt roadway, some parts are still uncompleted or poorly linked to surrounding road networks.
Even on the motorable portions of the road, cracks split the asphalt surface, and potholes spread unevenly, exposing structural weaknesses that have worsened with months of rainfall.
As transport fares soar and bad roads continue to impact local trade, residents and road users have been left to bear the consequences of the federal government’s prolonged silence.
This reporter travelled from Lagos to document the plight of the people residing and doing their businesses along the Eleweron-Osiele road.
Although the visit was not during the peak of the rainy season, the impact of months of rainfall on the road network was unmistakable. Between July and November this year, repeated downpours in the state took their toll, leaving the roads structurally compromised, with deep potholes, eroded surfaces and sections weakened by prolonged water exposure.
While some parts of the road remained waterlogged, others appeared dry at the time of the visit. However, the absence of water did so little to mask the extent of the damage.
Navigating the road was nerve-racking, as motorcycles struggled and swerved alongside one another, all engaging in an unspoken battle for the narrow, less-damaged paths that offered the safest passage through the failing roadway.
Eventually, when this reporter arrived, the environment was relatively busy, with the horns of vehicles and motorcycles taking over the atmosphere. This reporter gulped water several times from his bottle due to the frowning sun.
After settling, this reporter noticed a middle-age dark man on one side of the road working on his vehicle, popularly known as korope. As sweats dripped down from his face to his shirt, the man’s eyes paced around the engine of the vehicle.
His hands were slick with oil, and the dark grease blended so deeply into his black skin, an evidence of long hours of battle trying to fix his only source of income. His eyes were still fixed on the work when this reporter greeted him, and he could only muster a brief, distracted nod as his hands rummaged through the toolbox, tightening a stubborn bolt.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he learnt that this reporter was there to document the experience of road users in the hope that the government would be held accountable and responsible for their inactions.
Taiwo Folorunsho, as he later introduced himself, said he had been using the road as a commercial driver.
That Tuesday, Folorunsho would never have thought his day would be disrupted by bad roads, and a faulty vehicle. Now, he’s running against time to get it fixed and pick up enough passengers before calling it a day. To invite a professional mechanic wasn’t in the plan.
“ This is one of the major causes of delay, and traffic on this road. As I was coming, my car got spoiled there, so I had to push it to this place before I could fix it,” Folorunsho told this reporter, while pointing to the vehicle with tools in his hands.
“The condition has gone beyond what we can manage,” he said, while looking at the extent of the damage.
His expression had changed from a breadwinner of the family to an impromptu calculator trying to figure out how much the repair would cost.
“While it was on that road, everything scattered,” he continued.
“I had to beg people to help me push it here so I could do one or two things on it.”
He stated that due to the poor road conditions, transportation fares have increased by 25 per cent.
“Where we are supposed to convey a person for ₦150, we now do so for ₦200. By next year, we won’t even be able to pass this place. It will be worse than the way it is now.”
Folorunsho left home that morning, hopeful for a profitable day. But that would be just a dream now, as he would be spending more on the vehicle than his take-home for the day.
“It is getting out of hand, and it has passed the level of what we can spend money on every day. The way we keep repairing vehicles, and with fuel prices rising, it is becoming too much for us,” he lamented.
Folorunso explained that it is now better to travel interstate than to move along the Osiele road, “because the hours we would use to get to Abeokuta, we can’t use that much to get to Ibadan.”
Like Folorunsho, traders in the area are equally impacted. This reporter met Omodele Sotiwa, sitting in her shop.
She had her arms around a young boy, who was trying to get her attention. Ekasan Ma, this reporter said in the Yoruba local dialect, meaning ‘Good afternoon, ma.’
Sotiwa has been a trader selling provisions for 10 years along the Eleweron-Osiele road. She told this reporter how the state of the Eleweran-Osiele road has affected her business.
“When rain falls, there is always a lot of water. It comes in and doesn’t allow cars to pass. And then, nobody can stop to buy what I’m selling,” she said.
“It is disturbing market sales and not allowing business to move.” Pointing to her neighbour’s shop, she said, “Even Mama Alamala, who is there, is disturbing her.”
Bad road threatens Ogun economy
Eleweron-Osiele road is a federal road located in Odeda Local Government, Abeokuta. The people of Odeda local government are predominantly farmers, who engage in small-scale farming, but also in quarry business, trading, craft and artisan works
Along this road are four major markets named Olodo, Odeda, Khela, and Odugo. These markets contribute significantly to the economic growth of this community; however, this is being threatened as the only road that connects Ibadan to Abeokuta is dilapidated, affecting trade.
The Osiele market coordinator, Kolawole Samuel, told this reporter that the poor road conditions have limited the transportation of farm produce into the community, and traders spend longer hours conveying their goods.
“It is because of this bad road that farm produce is not able to enter well. It also makes people go from here to Odeda to spend two hours when the road is bad,” he lamented.
“If you walk there when it rains, you will know the place is like a water field. If you also go to the other side, it is the same thing, to the point that it has even divided the road into two paths.”
The Coordinator said that since the government has abandoned the Asero–Eleweran–Osiele deplorable road, community members have been trying to make the road passable.
Kolawole called on the government’s attention, saying an intervention on the road will improve the transportation of goods.
“What we are begging the government for is help. A person cannot decide to fix the road on their own; the law of the government will catch them. It is the government we are begging to help us do the road,” he said.
“Because if the road is good, you will see that transportation of goods will be easier, and packing things won’t be stressful for drivers. From Mosholashi to Ile Adatan, bringing goods into places like the Odeda market won’t be stressful for people, and people will come from one place to another to buy our goods.”
During the visit, heavy trucks were observed struggling through the damaged sections of the road, now filled with stagnant water and nearly impossible for smaller vehicles to navigate.
For school pupils, the situation was even more dangerous, as they were forced to squeeze through a narrow path where a single misstep could send them into the ditch.
N105 million shows in the budget, but not on the road
Findings showed that In 2023, N50 million was allocated for the repair of the Asero–Eleweran–Osiele road through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. Although the project is officially tagged as “ongoing,” this reporter confirmed that the road remains abandoned, with no visible construction work taking place.
Further research also confirmed that the emergency repairs of Asero-Eleweran-Osiele Road is an ongoing project with code ERGP12190525 and ERGP12190922, respectively, under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing 2023 budget. N 25 million was allocated twice for this.
Further investigation by Within Nigeria revealed that the emergency repair of this road was also included in the 2024 budget under the Federal Ministry of Works with a code number GRGP12190922, and a budget allocation of N55,350,000 (Fifty five million, three hundred and fifty thousand naira only).
When Within Nigeria checked the list of ongoing projects in 2025 under the Ministry of Works and Housing, the Asero–Eleweran–Osiele Road was not among them. This project was also omitted from the 2025 budget despite being uncompleted.
In total, N105,350,000 (One hundred and five million, three hundred and fifty million naira only) has been allocated in two years for the repair of this road, and yet, it remains abandoned.
Citizens are taking charge, however, not enough.
This reporter kept seeing multiple potholes along the Asero–Eleweran–Osiele road, when he met a Shola Afolabi, who told this reporter that he has lived in the community for over 20 years. Beside Afoabi’s house is a big pot hole filled with stagnant water.
Afolabi narrated how residents are providing temporary solutions as the FG is yet to respond to their plights.
“We also dig gutter here yearly. We would dig it straight down. We saw that the water was too much. We had to dig another gutter in the area. We also collected contractors to dig the gutter so the water could move to the other side,” he said, showing this reporter where those gutters are located.
Afolabi said citizens have resorted to using granite to fix the road, ensuring that motorists and commuters can access it temporarily.
“Recently, people came to put granite here. That’s what made the water reduce. When it reduces, those people would put the stones again. It is the stones you are seeing that are blocking the faces of the gutter. If they don’t fix it this year, people will come and put another stone on it. It would reduce again,” he explained.
“Look at the trailer, and small cars that are going now,” he pointed to a bad section of the road. Afolabi continued, “It will get to a stage where small cars, if not for the stones the people are pouring, will not be able to pass here again.”
While calling the government to come to their rescue, Afolabi suggested that only the construction of a bridge and gutters can save this road.
“The solution here is to divide this place properly, build the gutter, and make a bridge. Do you get it? It is not about just patching it and all of that. They should fix it so the water can find its way to flow. Let this other side be fixed too, so water can go its own way,” he said.
Ogun roads are bad – Data
In a recent data released by Statisense, Ogun State was ranked 1st among 12 other states with the worst quality of roads in 2024. This state continues to face a worsening road infrastructure crisis that affects both major highways and inner-community roads
Many communities, particularly in Obafemi-Owode, Odeda, Ifo, and parts of Abeokuta, have reported that their roads have been neglected for years, negatively impacting businesses and livelihoods. The deterioration of these roads has not only slowed transportation but also caused severe damage to vehicles, raising the cost of living for already struggling households.
The Governor has highlighted his road achievements over the years, stating that “ his administration has delivered hundreds of kilometres of reconstructed, rehabilitated, and newly built roads across Ogun Central, Ogun East, and Ogun West Senatorial Districts.”
Despite the governor’s claims, findings have revealed a sharp contrast. Residents of these communities have also denied that they enjoy good road networks.
Residents have had to call out the Dapo Abiodun-led administration through Social media campaigns. Findings showed that the movement tagged #DapoFixOgunRoads has gathered momentum on X (formerly Twitter) as people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the state’s road networks.
One Abiodun, posting through his X handle, @olabamidele2015, said that the deplorable Ogijo road has caused him to spend his entire salary on transportation.
“Teeming youths with shattered dreams under a failed government. Dapo is power-hungry with no ideas. 1000 graduates are chasing 1 job, and the roads in Ogijo are a nightmare. I spend my whole salary on transport. A whole lot is just wrong with Ogun State,” he lamented.
Osiele road is a death trap for students
In November 2025, students from the Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele, protested the deplorable state of the Eleweron-Osiele road, tagging it a death trap for students and commuters.
A month before then, Adewale Richard, a student of FCE, encountered a near-death situation on his way to the campus. He narrated to this reporter how he barely escaped being hit by a heavy truck trying to manoeuvre the waterlogged potholes of the Osiele road.
“ The trailer was coming, he wanted to manoeuvre the potholes, and the trailer drove towards us, and our motorcyclist had to leave the road totally. We had to jump off the motorcycle,” he said.
Richard, while yet to recover from this situation, encountered another incident weeks later. But this time, he was unable to escape.
His plans to attend church service that Sunday morning ended abruptly, as he and his colleague sustained several injuries from an accident on the Eleweran-Osiele road on their way to church.
“It was a black lexus who hit us when trying to manoeuvre the potholes. I think he wasn’t familiar with the road. He rammed into our motorcycle and we fell, sustaining injuries. We were taken to the hospital for treatment,” Richard said.
This road, which leads to the institution, is now feared, as several students have been involved in different accidents. Also, this has led to a hike in transportation fares, which many students cannot afford.
Within Nigeria correspondent met Ogungbe Adebowale, the Student Union president of FCE, who stated that the union has made several efforts to draw the attention of the government to the deplorable Osiele road, including sending letters to the Senator representing Ogun Central senatorial district, Shuaib Salisu, and yet nothing has been done.
Adebowale explained that the lack of response from relevant authorities led them to the protest ground.
“During a project commissioning at OLT Obatoku, we met with the Speaker and the Deputy Governor of the state. They gave us about three minutes to share our concerns, which we did. In response, the Speaker said the road was a federal road, but assured us that some patchwork would be done.
“ The Local Government Chairman, the Speaker, and even the Senator are all from this local government. With these people in power, one would expect at least some form of palliative work on the road, but we have not seen anything,” Adebowale explained.
Adebowale called on the federal government to come to their rescue before more students fall victim to accidents as a result of the deplorable road conditions.
Several residents told this reporter that the Lake in FCE has contributed to the stagnant water found on the Eleweron-Osiele road, a claim Adebowale refuted.
Government officials quiet, unresponsive
Within Nigeria tried speaking to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing through the contact number provided on the ministry’s website, but the number was switched off, casting doubt on the ministry’s seriousness to ensure citizens can reach out for complaints and information sharing.
An email was also sent to the email address provided on the ministry’s website, and response was yet to be received at the time of this report.
Within Nigeria also contacted the Odeda Local Government Chairman, Folasade Adeyemo.
Adeyemo refuted claims that the LGA has abandoned the Osiele community. Confirming that the road has been awarded in past years, she said the National Assembly recently, through a stakeholders meeting, decided that palliative to fix the potholes on the Eleweron-Osiele road should commence.
“Recently, the House of Assembly called all stakeholders to their chamber, where a decision was taken for us to start a palliative. Palliative has started, right from Obatoko area, and it is coming down to Osiele. Now that we have the dry season, of course something tangible will be done, not by the local government, but by the state and federal,” she said.
Further efforts to speak to other stakeholders, including Olumide Osoba, the member of the House of Representatives for the Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda Federal Constituency and Shuaib Salisu, the Senator representing the Ogun Central Senatorial District proved abortive. They kept declining calls and refused to respond to text messages and whatsapp messages.
Road users cling to hope
While road users are bearing the brunt of government’s inaction and the crippling economy, the people continue to hope that the authorities will be responsible for their election promises and will not use the road repair for another shot at winning during the next election cycle.
