For over six years, Roving Reporters has consistently monitored and reported on the pothole menace ravaging major roads in Akure, the Ondo State capital. Sadly, the story remains the same — bad roads, questionable repairs, and an endless cycle of waste and excuses.
Despite multiple reassurances by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, headed by Engr. Funmilayo Oluwatayo in 2024, the state of Ondo Road and other major roads in Akure remains deplorable.
This year alone, few accidents have been recorded due to failed portions of the road that were supposedly fixed just months prior.
What is really going on?
The Ministry continues to insist that it is using “tested stone-base materials” and following engineering standards. Yet, these “repairs” fail almost as quickly as they are completed — especially once it rains. The excuse? Rain. Every time.
Even more disturbing is the fact that these same spots — Ondo Road, NEPA roundabout, Isikan Roundabout, A division junction, Oba Adesida Road, and FUTA South Gate axis to mention a few — keep getting attention every year with no lasting result. If a pothole returns every rainy season, then it was never fixed in the first place.
There’s growing suspicion among Akure residents and road users that some cabal within the Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Housing may be intentionally doing shoddy jobs just to keep the money flowing. “Feeding the boys,” as it’s called in the streets. This is not just inefficiency — it is economic sabotage.
In functional societies, potholes are fixed with quality materials that last years. In Ondo State, it’s become a lucrative annual ritual — cut, fill, wash away, repeat.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa may have given a standing order to fix all failed portions, but it’s clear someone within his system is sabotaging the directive. The Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands, and Housing, Engr. Ayorinde Abiola Olawoye, must rise to the occasion.
He must dig into this recurring scam and put a stop to it — now. Road maintenance should not be a scheme for enriching cronies. It must serve the people. Bureaucratic complacency and technical incompetence should not be allowed to taint the legacy of a governor who means well.
Akure deserves better. Road users deserve dignity. Public funds must be used for public good — not for patching potholes that reappear in weeks.
Enough is enough.
