Why Tinubu needs to fix the potholes on Kabba-Ilorin road

The Kabba-Ilorin highway is an important and strategic trunk-A road linking Kogi and Kwara States. It has long been in a deplorable state, posing significant challenges to commuters, businesses, and the overall economic development of the region, especially, dozens of communities lying along the corridor. It is the shortest and most direct route from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital to Kabba, Lokoja, Okene, and most parts of Kogi State.

Furthermore, it is also the second-fastest route from Ilorin to the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), after the Jebba-Mokwa-Bida-Minna-Suleja route, which is about 9 minutes faster than Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana-Lokoja-Gwagwalada route, per Google map. From Ilorin to anywhere in the south-east (Onitsha, Owerri and Aba) it is the shortest route. What about South South? Ilorin-Kabba-Okene road is still it, traveling from Ilorin (to Asaba, Port Harcourt, Benin, Yenagoa, Uyo, Calabar among others. Given its strategic importance; therefore, below are the reasons for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to prioritize the rehabilitation and expansion of this vital route.

A Critical Economic Corridor

As said earlier, the Kabba-Ilorin highway serves as one of the key economic artery connecting the North Central region to the Southwest and parts of the country. It facilitates trade, transportation of agricultural produce, and movement of goods between major cities such as Ilorin, Lokoja, Abuja, Okene, Ado-Ekiti, Owoh, Akure, and Ibadan, and even Lagos. It passes through no fewer than 5 (Ifelodun, Irepodun, Isin, Oke-Ero, and Ekiti) local government areas in Kwara State, and another 5 (Yagba-west, Yagba-East, Mopa-Amuro, Ijumu, and Kabba-Bunu) local government areas in Kogi state. On getting to Kabba, a nodal town, it splits into 3 major routes, namely Kabba-Obajana-Lokoja, Kabba-Okene-Auchi-Benin City, and then, Kabba-Omuo-Òkè-Ado-Ekiti, down to Akure, Ilesha, Ibadan and all the way to Lagos. Many farmers and traders rely on this road to transport goods to markets in these nearby cities, and beyond. Some who would not take theirs to the more urban centres would display it along the road for travelers who usually take advantage of the lower prices obtainable in such a setting. However, its current dilapidated state hampers these economic activities, leading to increased poverty, costs, and wastage due to lack of patronage, delays, and vehicle damage.

Safety Concerns and Rising Insecurity

One of the most pressing issues caused by the poor state of the highway is the alarming rise in insecurity and total disconnect between the people of Kogi West and Kwara South Senatorial Districts, and the national economy.  Large potholes, eroded surfaces, and collapsed sections have made it difficult for vehicles to navigate, increasing the risk of crashes.

Additionally, the slow movement of vehicles due to the bad state of the road makes commuters vulnerable to armed robberies and kidnappings, which have become rampant lately. No rapid response to distress call arising from insecurity is possible, with the current state of the road. It would be recalled that, on a Saturday, the 1st of May 2021, the Pension Board Commissioner in Kogi State, Honourable Adebayo Solomon, was killed while travelling from Ilorin to Kabba, in company of others, when his vehicle was said to have been shot at Eruku village a few kilometres to Egbe the border town between Kwara and Kogi state by some gunmen believed to be kidnappers on the road in question. He died on the spot, while another high-profile individual traveling with him, the Chairman of Yagba-East Local Government, Pius Kolawole, and some others were kidnapped. This does not include scores of other incidents involving some not-so-high-profiled individuals that would escape national media attention.

Affecting Regional Development

My article on September 14, 2021, published on this column, titled “Lokoja-Kabba-Ilorin road: Kogi west, Kwara south still part of Nigeria” detailing the state of the road, is a pointer to how disconnected, people of the senatorial district feel, from the rest of the country in terms of socio-economic development. A well-maintained road network is a fundamental driver of regional development. It is one of the most attractive incentives for prospective investors to site their businesses in a particular location.

Imagine the presence of Mangal Industries (Cement) Limited in Iluagba-Gbede along the route, with Dangote Cement factory also at Obajana, about 100 kilometers further. With the road rehabilitated, it would go a long way in attracting other businesses, considering the economy of scale advantages that comes with such. Talking about the economy of scale arising from localisation of businesses, it would create, before you know it, an industrial hub that would, in ripple effect, create thousands of jobs in direct and indirect labour for the people of the area and beyond. But the current condition of the Kabba-Ilorin highway is a major discouragement for investment in the region.

Businesses that rely on smooth logistics are forced to seek alternative locations, that are more easily accessible, albeit, often at higher costs. Rehabilitating this road will boost economic activities, attract investors, and enhance the ease of doing business in those parts of Kogi and Kwara States.

The last time Senator Sunday Karimi, who currently represents Kogi West senatorial district, came on a national television to defend an atrocious procurement of SUVs for national assembly member, he referenced the terrible states of Nigerian roads, as the reason the legislators must be appeased with those heaps of metals, against the tide of public mood, as far as the economic situation is concerned. He sounded as though, it is no longer the responsibility of the government to fix those roads, but that of spirits.

His media team, on Monday this week, issue a press statement, detailing his purported efforts at getting the road fixed. They stated that, he has been able to secure at least, ₦9 billion Naira in funding for the completion of the road, in the 2025 appropriation act. And I shudder to ask: is this (2025) the first budget to be passed, since Karimi assumed office in June 2023? There are similar roads with the same degree of importance in other parts of the country that have been awarded, completed, and even rewarded for modification/expansion. How do Senators representing those areas do it such that, they get the attention of the executive?

As these projects are included in the annual appropriation bill, and they’re passed through the same Senate where Senator Karimi attends sitting like the 108 remaining Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; what could be going through the mind of our dear Senator Karimi while this took place? But in fairness to the incumbent, he inherited this culture of poor representation, starting from Smart Adeyemi, to Dino Melaye, back to Adeyemi again, before he came on board. But there’s no crime in him trying to change the narrative.

May I let Senator Karimi know that, he still has a chance of being on the good side of history, by working his socks off, and ensuring that the road is fixed, ASAP? Imagine spending between 7 and 8 hours, traveling through Ekiti State, going from Ilorin to Kabba, a journey that ordinarily should not take more than 2 hours (150 minutes).

Impact on Education and Healthcare

The poor state of the highway also affects access to essential services such as education and healthcare. Students and lecturers commuting to institutions such as the University of Ilorin and Kogi State University face constant difficulties. They spend more, having to detour to Ekiti, before reconnecting again after about 4 hours on the better-but-overstretched Ekiti intra-state roads. Similarly, patients requiring urgent medical attention struggle to reach hospitals in time, leading to avoidable deaths. Imagine a patient, traveling from Ayetoro-Gbede to Ègbé ECWA Hospital that ought not to be more than an hour’s journey, assuming the road is in a good condition, would spend up to 3 hours choosing which of the numerous potholes to enter — choosing between the bad and the less-bad. How the patient would be feeling can better be imagined, than experienced. Another example is a resident from Egbe, Odo-Ere, Ejiba, Isanlu or Mopa, having to travel to Lokoja of Anyigba. Someone jocularly said, traveling through Kabba-Ẹgbẹ́ road should be made a part of punishment for anyone serving prison term for whatever offence in Nigeria. Yes, it is that bad!

The Need for Presidential Intervention

While previous administrations have acknowledged the road’s importance, little has been done to ensure a lasting solution. President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda must include fixing the Kabba-Ilorin highway as part of his administration’s broader infrastructure development plan. A payback of sort for the people of Kogi West for their support for his candidacy in the last presidential election, in they gave him about 53.9% of their valid votes. Immediate intervention through a well-structured reconstruction project will not only improve mobility but also enhance national integration and economic growth.

Who’s to be blamed?

Members representing the various Federal constituencies, located along the corridor, have their respective shares of the blame for the failure. This is because they also part-take in the process of passing the appropriation bill into law, without the presence of mind to put it on the table for their colleagues to consider. Since 1999 to date, Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal constituency Representatives, from Honourables Abiodun Ojo, Dúró Meseko, Dino Melaye, and Tajudeen Yusuf, to the incumbent, Arch. Salman Idris have as much to share in the blame, as their senatorial counterparts. Ditto for their counterparts from Yagba-East/Yagba-West/Mopa-Amuro Federal Constituency, starting from Honourables Sola Ojo, Tolorunjuwon Faniyi , Sam Aro, Sunday Karimi (the incumbent Senator representing Kogi West), to Leke Abejide who currently represents the constituency. What about Senators Tunde Ogbeha, Smart Adeyemi, and Dino Melaye? They’re as guilty as it comes. They’re also in one way or the other, parts of the failure to do what is necessary over time. Although Senator Karimi had served as a House of Representatives member before becoming a senator, he like Salman Idris is in his second financial year as a current member of the National Assembly, while Honourable Leke Abejide is a few months shy of his 6th year on the job, but they all (the three of them) have an ample opportunity now to etch their names in gold, by seeing to it that the road receives the required attention from relevant authorities for it to become motorable again, with reduced travel-hour for commuters.

Another article I wrote on the subject-matter, titled “Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road: Kogi-west politicians and the shame of a constituency”, published on July 27, 2023, also on this column, highlighted how much the political elite have failed the people of Kogi West, and Kwara South on the issue of this road. It must be made clear that, the road from Ilorin to Kabba is bad, but the Kogi State end of it is the worst. This is because, there are pockets of palliative measures carried out by National Assembly members in Kwara State, as parts of their constituency projects, from Ajase-Ipo to Eruku. But from Egbe to Ayetoro-Gbede in Kogi State, it is worse than a grazing route. That, however, does not completely absolve their Kwara counterparts of poor representation, too. But, like the saying goes, it is better late than never. They can still do something now, especially that Karimi’s media team in their press release said, it is an old contract whose contractor has been given an ultimatum to return to site. What that means again is that, there has been no oversight duty (one of the three core cardinal functions of legislature across the globe) on the project, since it was awarded during president Muhammadu Buhari’s first term in office. That speaks volumes about the negligence on the part of our representatives at the national assembly.

Talking about collaborative efforts, it won’t be a bad idea too, if the members of the National Assembly from Kwara South senatorial District – Senator Lola Ashiru, Hon. Abdulraheem Tunji Olawuyi Ajuloopin (Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-ero Federal Constituency), and Hon. Ismail Tijani(Offa/Oyun/Ifelodun Federal Constituency) liaise with their Kogi West counterparts to push for the inclusion of the road in the national assembly’s high-priority list of projects. This road in question passes through their respective constituencies with a massive socio-economic significance, and therefore deserves their legislative attentions. The Governors of the two States (Kogi and Kwara) – Governors Òdodo Ahmed Usman, and Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, would also also do well to collaborate on how they can attract the attention of the federal government to the strategic but abandoned road, for their States’ mutual benefits.

Conclusion

Rehabilitating the Kabba-Ilorin highway should be a top priority for the Tinubu administration. It is a critical road that affects commerce, security, education, and healthcare. The last repair on the road was carried out on the road by an Italian construction company, “Borini Prono and Company (Nigeria) Limited”, over 30 years ago. And it completely collapsed in the first five years of this century. So, by investing in its reconstruction, or rehabilitation, at least, the federal government will not only improve the lives of millions of Nigerians dwelling along the corridor, but also boost economic growth and regional connectivity. Now is the time for action to transform this long-neglected route into a modern, efficient part of the entire gamut of our national road network.

Abubakar writes from Ilorin, Kwara state. He can be reached via 08051388285 or [email protected]