PEOPLE living in communities like Ayetoro, Muslim, Egbeda ' Tuba, Foworogi-Elere, Mosfala and other adjoining communities, all in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, last week, trooped out en masse to show their displeasure over the deterioration of roads in their communities, saying they were tired of empty promises from the appropriate organs of the state government.Residents of the protesting communities who trooped out in their hundreds, also told Community News during the peaceful protest at the Tribune House, Imalefalafia, that they were not out to demonstrate against both the state government and the Oluyole Local Government Council, which is in charge of their communities, but to remind the appropriate authorities in the pacesetter state of the need to fulfil the promise made by the state government last year that it would repair the three damaged bridges on the Ayetoro ' Muslim ' Egbeda-Tuba, Pegba ' Foworogi/Elere and Mosfala road.The people also lamented the fast deteriorating nature of all the roads in Ayetoro community which they said linked communities like Mosfala, Muslim, Egbeda ' Tuba, Pegba, Foworogi/Elere and other communities.The residents of the communities who came under the umbrella of Ayetoro Community Development Association, visited Tribune House to register their dissatisfaction about alleged long neglect of roads in their area, stressing that the essence of their road-walk was to sensitise the state government to the need to fulfil its promise to the communities.According to Messrs Segun Dada, Abdulraheem Akeem, Gbolagade Olalere, Pastor Kunle Adeagbo, and Alhaji Mojeed Malemilajo, who claimed to be the representatives of various affected communities in Oluyole Local Government Area, the flood disaster of August 26, 2011, which claimed many lives in the areas, destroyed the three bridges in Ayetoro, Muslim and Egbeda'Tuba communities, adding that it was a serious problem for both pedestrians and motorists to use the road network in the area.According to Alhaji Matemilajo, the Vice-President of Ayetoro Community Development Association (ACDA), Foworogi bridge had been destroyed, likewise the bridges at Ayetoro, Egbeda Tuba, Foworogi/Elere. 'We can't make use of the road again and our children are also experiencing difficulty in making use of the road,' he stated. For Mr Gbolagade Olalere, the General Chairman, Ayetoro Community Development Association, he said over 50 people lost their lives in the area during the August 26, 2011 flood disaster, adding that the community would not want a repeat of that sad occurrence.The people of the area also said they took their peaceful protest to Alhaji Azeez Arisekola's house, the formergovernor of Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, the Olubadan of Ibadan palace, as well as registered their displeasure over the issue at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ibadan, the Broadcasting corporation of Oyo State, (BCOS) and Splash FM's office.Meanwhile, the Caretaker Chairman, Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Honourable Abass Aleshinloye, while reacting to the development, told Community News that people of the communities should be patient with the state government as the appropriate organs of the government were working to solve their problem.He said, 'although, I won't condemn or castigate the people for expressing their displeasure over any issue, there is a modern and matured way of registering one's feelings, grievances or dissatisfaction about any issue. We are going to do the roads and the state government is determined to repair the bridges. They should just exercise patience and give us time,' he stated.
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