Fast-Track Key Abeokuta Link Road Project, Egba Group Urges FG
The Egba Economic Summit Group has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently accelerate work on the Idi-Aba–Abeokuta–Obafemi–Ajebo link road in Ogun State, warning that persistent delays and declining construction quality are threatening economic activities and regional connectivity.
The call was made in Abeokuta through a formal letter addressed to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, by the group’s president, Gbenga Adeoye, who emphasized that the road is vital to commerce, transportation, and access to key institutions in the area.
In the correspondence, the summit group expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work on the project, particularly along critical sections passing through the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, and the Ogun State Television (OGTV) corridor.
According to Adeoye, the group considers it a civic responsibility to draw government attention to infrastructure projects of economic importance “where execution is slow, stagnant or sometimes not even conceived.”
The organization also raised concerns over what it described as a gradual reduction in construction standards beyond the city limits of Abeokuta. It cautioned that such compromises could affect the durability and long-term value of the project.
“We request that you ensure the designed standard is not lowered after the segment that passed through Abeokuta City, especially in areas that passed through villages,” Adeoye stated. “Contractors have a way of dropping standards after leaving the main city, thereby reducing durability in some parts of the road.”
The Idi-Aba–Abeokuta–Obafemi–Ajebo road project, awarded during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has remained under construction for several years. While portions of the road between the Federal Medical Centre and Chrisland University are considered passable, motorists report worsening conditions further along the route, making travel increasingly difficult.
Despite its criticisms, the Egba Economic Summit Group commended the Federal Government for several ongoing infrastructure initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda. The group acknowledged projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry-Sokoto Road corridor, and night repair works on the Sango-Abeokuta Road.
“We appreciate your good works in all highlighted above,” Adeoye noted, reiterating that the summit group remains a non-partisan organization focused on economic growth and development.
Beyond general transportation concerns, the group highlighted the impact of the stalled road project on the newly established Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta. The institution’s permanent campus is located on a 170-hectare site at Ajibayo Village along the unfinished route.
“There is no way they can move from their current temporary site to that location if that road construction remains abandoned, stagnant, or slow,” Adeoye warned.
The group further explained that the road serves as a strategic alternative to the old Ibadan-Abeokuta route and has the potential to ease traffic pressure on existing corridors.
It noted that a properly completed link road would open up the Obafemi-Ajebo axis for industrial development and create new economic opportunities for surrounding communities such as Erunwon, Abiona Mosafejo, and Olosun.
In addition, the road is expected to provide motorists traveling between Ibadan and Abeokuta a more direct route to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, helping to reduce congestion around the Ogere and Abeokuta-Sagamu Interchange.
The summit group lamented that ongoing excavations have further worsened travel conditions, stressing that the road was previously a smooth and shorter alternative route to Ibadan when it was originally constructed during the tenure of former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba.
“Excavation done on the road has now made life very difficult for motorists, whereas it was a smooth drive-through as well as a shortcut to Ibadan,” Adeoye stated.
Describing the project as crucial to the economic future of Egbaland, the group called for immediate federal intervention and adequate funding to ensure its timely completion. It maintained that a functional and well-constructed road would deliver widespread benefits beyond Ogun State.
Adeoye concluded that the completion of the project would have “a direct positive impact on the economy of Egbaland, Ogun State, and Nigeria as a whole.”
Copies of the letter were also forwarded to prominent traditional rulers and leaders in the region, including the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo; the Osile of Oke Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso; the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba (Prof) Saka Adelola Matemilola; former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba; and the Babalaje of Egbaland, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, in a bid to rally wider support for the intervention.
The Egba Economic Summit Group expressed optimism that the Ministry of Works would respond promptly and prioritize the completion of the strategic roadway along with other critical projects nationwide.
