Residents blame fare hike on deteriorating Ogun community road

Ogun map

Residents and business owners in the Pakuro area of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, have blamed the soaring transport fares in the community on the deteriorating state of the road.

The residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro correspondents on Monday, lamented that they paid double the amount for transport since the rains began, due to the state of the road.

Our correspondents, who visited the area, observed that the road was riddled with potholes, clogged with water from the downpour.

In interviews with our correspondents, the road users lamented that the bad road had caused some accidents and led to a hike in transport costs.

A store owner, who identified herself simply as Halimah, told our correspondents that the cost of transport in the area had doubled because of the bad road.

Halimah further explained that the potholes on the road also damaged vehicles that plied the route and caused accidents.

She said, “Transportation is now very expensive. We used to take a bike for N300 before, but now, it’s between N700 and N1,000. This just increases the cost of living.

“Most times, cars get stuck in the potholes when there’s a flood. This bad road has also caused several accidents. Sometimes, the large trucks that ply this road collide with the motorcyclists because of how narrow the road is.

“One day, a truck crashed into a bike, and the rider only narrowly escaped because he got off quickly.”

She also condemned the negligence of the government regarding the road.

According to her, “Our leaders don’t care about us or our well-being. They don’t care if the roads are good or bad. If they cared, the road would not be in a state of neglect; they would have fixed it.”