The Petrol Tankers Drivers (PTD) in Ogun has renewed its calls on the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate the Ikorodu-Sagamu Road, now in a deplorable state.
Its Chairman at Mosimi Depot, Alhaji Ganiyu Adurogangan, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta.
Adurogangan decried the poor condition of the road, describing it as devastating.
He said that the road had caused members of his association huge financial loss.
Adurogangan appealed to the Federal Government to “have mercy” on them, saying that the road posed deadly threat to many commuters and road users.
He added that failure to fix the road might lead to huge loss of lives and property as a result of an explosion of petroleum product.
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Adurogangan, reacting to the gridlock caused by a tanker which got stuck in a muddy portion of the road recently, said that quick intervention of some security agencies saved the situation.
According to him, this is not the first or second time we have been begging the Federal Government to fix this road.
“We will keep begging and telling them until they heed to our cries.
“Just this Tuesday, one of our tankers, fully loaded with petrol, got stuck on the road.
“Thank God for our security agencies who took charge of the situation and ensured transloading was done with caution.
“What would have happened if they were not on ground or if it was a sunny hot day?
“We are losing huge amount of money everyday, because whether or not we pass the road, it is either a loss of money or loss of lives.
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“When moving product from our Mosimi Depot, which should take us like 30 minutes, we have to go all the ways to pass through Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and you know what’s going on on that road now.
“This cost us more money and more time; since we cannot pass through that horrible road for fear of product spillage when some of our trucks fell due to the bad shape of the road.
“This particular one might have chosen to manage the road because he didn’t want to go and waste time on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway and it got stuck. Imagine if it fell and spilled its content,” he said.
Adurogangan stressed the need for government to fix the road and make it motorable, which according to him, would reduce travel time.
“It is a federal road, so the Federal Government should be concerned about the road. It has been awarded lots of times, but we’re yet to see any major improvement.
“If the road is fixed, it would take a huge burden off the Lagos/Ibadan Road, and even, reduce the travel time,” he added. (NAN)
