Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke’s visit to Iwo, the political headquarters of Osun West senatorial district on February 15 to flag off Imole Free Medical and Surgical treatment was without a premonition that a sustainable, live-saving intervention was on its way to the community.
As a people-centred administrator, His Excellency was going on an unscheduled inspection tour of the Reality Radiovision Services, which has become an eyesore to every patriotic person, but he was rather confounded to see the Adẹẹkẹ bridge in an impassable state.
Many political naysayers who are familiar with some promise-breaking governors in the past had thought Adeleke’s marching order for the immediate reconstruction of the connecting point was a mere statement to give the governor scorelines. With the reconstruction nearing completion now, they must have been positively flabbergasted, to put it nicely.
The last construction of the bridge and channelisation of the river was done by late Alhaji Babatunde. Sources close to this respected prince and community leader are not even sure if the government at the time completed paying him the contract.
It may not be necessary to talk about the centrality of of the bridge to their economic and social security. For visitors and others alike, it would serve an educative purpose.
For one, the bridge is a connecting point for people going out and coming to Iwo from Ibadan and other value-producing towns and villages for varying reasons, not limited to commercial transactions. When it became impassable, the resultant challenge to the people and business was better left to be imagined.
The Adẹẹkẹ bridge also provides the shortest route to the Iwo divisional police station, a strategic state institution at the heart of people’s safety and protection. Its previous bad state made policing and crime reporting a big challenge to Iwo residents.
The destruction of the bridge also took away a priceless convenience from residents and commuters using that route was the compulsory. Motorcycle riders were forced to ride on the river from either the left or right sides while many who could not pass through that resorted to plying the longest routes.
Car owners were most hit by this situation. It ultimately increased commuting time and reduced productivity. It did no one any good, not even the politic pessimists.
Restoring this invaluable convenience to the residents and aquatic animals whose abode is the river is what some low-thinkers consider as less worthy of celebration. But we must let them know that timely interventions like this that costs the government less and enables it refocus resources in other directions are more important than waiting for a doom to happen.
While we are excited that we have a prudent resource manager as our governor, we must remind the already-dejected, weakened All Progressives Congress (APC) that the generality of Osun people have now realised the extent of its 12 years maladministration packaged as ‘good governance.’
We must also educate then that this development only confirms that Adeleke is not only proactive, must action-inclined.
We have it on record how directionless the APC at local and state levels were when an ordinary culvert was damaged by a downpour at Ọbatẹ area of the same town. Despite public outrcy, the government of Oyetola did not do anything until months after.
I commend the governor for this laudable effort. This has further cemented the increasing love and support the people of Iwo are giving this government.
It is completely energising for us that all our party members have solid programmes to reference when speaking about the dividends of democracy and sincerity of purpose Adeleke has brought to the state and Iwo in this context.
Fact, they say, speaks for itself. Evidence is the enemy of mischief makers. We have evidence that the governor is doing more with little resources available to the state.
By Oladipupo Sefiu B-urself
