The Ogun state government has reiterated its commitment to rehabilitating key roads in the Ota axis, assuring residents that construction work will start soon on several critical routes.
Oluwasina Ogungbade, the state’s attorney-general and commissioner for justice, spoke on Tuesday during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ota branch, who visited him in his office.
Ogungbade said six major roads—Joju, Koro Otun, Navy, Isikola, Ilo Awela, and Oju Ore—have been assigned to Craneburg, a reputable construction firm, with mobilisation to the sites expected shortly.
The commissioner said additional road projects along the corridor have been divided into four phases, such as the Itele–Ayobo link to Lagos (5.3 km), the Ayobo Mopol–Lafenwa Junction boundary road, the Koro Otun phase, and the Itele–Lafenwa Junction, noting that work on the first two phases would begin immediately.
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He acknowledged the concerns that led to the NBA’s peaceful protest on October 25 and assured that the association’s agitation would receive a constructive response.
He encouraged lawyers to use their privileged access to the government for faster and more effective engagement, highlighting that the Dapo Abiodun administration has constructed or rehabilitated over 1,500 kilometres of roads across the state, including many in Ota.
The government team, which included Olusegun Olaotan, solicitor-general and permanent secretary; Oladimeji Yusuf, permanent secretary at the ministry of works; and Kayode Akinmade, special adviser on media, emphasised that several of the roads under scrutiny are federal roads.
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They explained that work on these routes had been delayed for years because the federal authorities had restricted the state from intervening until President Bola Tinubu approved the ongoing rehabilitation.
Akinmade praised the NBA delegation for constructive engagement but warned them to be wary of political actors attempting to exploit residents’ genuine concerns for self-serving purposes.
He said some individuals have been hired to spotlight poor roads and discredit the government, even when the affected roads fall under federal jurisdiction.
He reaffirmed the government’s openness to ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and revealed that 11 new road projects were approved in November 2025.
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Akinmade assured residents that while temporary inconveniences may occur, a lasting transformation of Ota’s road infrastructure is already underway.
Earlier, Kelubia Ajose, chairperson of the NBA Ota branch, and Sola Ojutalayo, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and elder of the branch, said the protest was driven by widespread frustration among the residents.
Ajose said the association had taken deliberate steps to prevent external forces from hijacking its initiative and highlighted human activities that accelerate road deterioration in the area.
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