Ogun bad roads: Abiodun threatens legal action against critics

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dayo Abiodun has described the recent attack on his person over some roads which are in a state of despair as unwarranted, noting that these attacks were being sponsored.

Abiodun who disclosed this during an interview after inspecting the 20-kilometer Agbara -Lusada-Atan road in the Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area on Wednesday, emphasized the importance of the roads not only to economic wellbeing of the State, but that of the nation.

The Governor said further that he would not be distracted by propaganda but remain focused on serving the people who entrusted their mandates to him.

While seeking cooperation and understanding of residents, Abiodun however, threatened legal action against those critics misrepresenting his govt, just as he promised not to be ferreted by the antics of his detractors.

According to him, “My attention was drawn to various sponsored media attacks on my person and my administration. This media attacks are focusing on roads by attempting to disparage me and accuse me of either neglect or not being responsive or being uncaring.

“When I see this media attacks, at times, my first reaction is to ignore them because I know who I am. I know why I am here. I know what it has taken me to get to where I am. I know what I was before I became Governor.
“The only reason I am here as Governor is to serve the good people of Ogun State and that I am irrevocably committed to. When I now see such a barrage of sponsored media attacks, the first question I ask myself is that where were these people before I became Governor?

“We know how many roads were in a state of disrepair across the country. We know how many federal roads are in a state of disrepair. I just came on another federal road, Lagos- Badagry road, that has been in a state of disrepair.

“When Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was under construction, we were all suffering. At times, we will be on the road for 10 hours. Not once did anybody go there and begin to attack anybody”, the Governor said.

Speaking on Lagos-Sango Abeokuta Expressway, Abiodun said he and his Lagos State counterpart were frustrated by delays from the Federal Government, right from the administration of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.
The Governor said, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in power, the federal govt was approached once again for the transfer of the road to the state, a request that was eventually granted.

He, however, said the state still faces stiff opposition from some federal officials on the transfer, which forced the state government to formally award the contract in May, with or without the necessary transfer papers.

The Governor said, “The Lagos-Sango- Abeokuta road is a federal government road and has been in a very bad shape for long.

“Because of the suffering our people pass through on the road, I and my counterpart in Lagos jointly wrote a letter, using a single letterhead to the Federal Executive Council, seeking for the transfer of that road for us to reconstruct.

“After waiting for a month without reply, we wrote a reminder. That road was not handed over to us until the present federal govt came on board. The contract for the road has since been awarded since May this year”, Abiodun assured.