The Landlords and Landladies Association of Ebedi Community Phase 11, in Iseyin Local Government, yesterday, lauded the gesture of Governor Seyi Makinde, for approving the construction of the 2.65 kilometer road in the community.
The road network was sponsored by the Iseyin Local Government after the governor ordered its construction because of the effects of flooding and erosion on the residents and it spanned along Asado road, Bayo Raji road, Iseyin Local Government's Quater's road among others.
The association commended the local government Chairman, Mufutau Abilawon, for making necessary supports available for the project completion to be achieved.
They also showed their gratitude to the contractor of the project while speaking with journalists after an emergency meeting which they held at Odo-Oro area of the community, where members of the association met with a special road construction monitoring committee, set up to ensure due process during the project execution.
The Chairman, Landlords and Landladies Association of Ebedi Community Phase 11, Mr Mustapha Ibrahim, said the construction of the community road has eased the burden of motorists and motorcycle riders and opened the area to further development.
He mentioned that the area, where the largest assemblage of Garri Processing factories were located would benefit more as trucks offloading cassava and those loading bags of Garri to Lagos and other commercial cities will have easy access to the area, adding that the construction of the road and culverts has saved residents from hazards of gully erosion and flooding, that have claimed lives of some people in the past.
He said: "We appreciate our dear governor for doing this for us, it will be in the record that this road was constructed during his time to alleviate the suffering of residents, it used to be a terrible network of roads within this community, today, we can see the criss-cross of tarred roads that has contributed to the development of our area."
"The big gullies that used to cut off the roads and claim lives during flooding have gone, we are grateful to the Governor and the Chairman of the local government for being there for us."
"It is our intention to also appreciate the Contractor of this project for his humility and listening ear whenever our Construction Monitoring Committee met with him on any of our demands, he is really a fatherly figure and an experienced engineer."
The treasurer of the association, Mrs Ojo Oluyemisi in her words, prayed for the governor and the Chairman for deeming it fit to show good leadership traits to the people of Ebedi Community Phase 11.
She said the community will also benefit from its closeness to the Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road which will make residents enjoy less travel time and stress of bad road.
The Chairman of Garri Processing Factory owners in the area, popularly known as Garri-Gbayi Association, Mr Olaitan Sunday also took time to show his appreciation on behalf of his members to the Governor, saying that the gesture has reestablished their belief in good governance.
Olaitan said the ease of doing business that the road engendered will create more wealth for farmers, Garri producers and more job opportunities for young and old who work in the Garri industry.
A member of the community's Road Construction Monitoring Committee, Alhaji Sulaimon Ganiyu, said the community was happy for the project and called for an extension of the road by the local government authority, to link the close-by Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road.
He claimed that the community road will add more value to land and other properties in the area while the government will also have access to more revenue from the cluster of Garri Processing factories in the area.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Speaking on his experience during the construction, Engr. Raji Adebayo Ganiyu who is the Managing Director of R.A & O.A Integrated Nig. Ltd., the construction company that handled the project, expressed his appreciation to the people of the community for their support at the outset of the project, during and after the road construction.
He noted the efforts of the Construction Monitoring Committee of the community for their roles in assuring a time-tested road construction of the 2.65kilometer road, two major culverts and twenty-one small culverts in the area.
The contractor also commended the state government for giving the construction company the opportunity to impact on the people of Ebedi Phase 11 in Iseyin and others that will be using the road.
