Ekiti Residents Rejoice As Work Commences On Dilapidated Ifaki-Oye-Ilupeju Road

The development comes after the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, visited the troubled section of the road to assess its condition and pledged that the Federal Government would restore access for road users.

Residents, motorists, transporters and commuters plying the Ifaki-Oye-Ilupeju axis of Ekiti State have breathed a sigh of relief following renewed intervention by the Federal Government on the badly deteriorated road.

The development comes after the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, visited the troubled section of the road to assess its condition and pledged that the Federal Government would restore access for road users.

The deplorable state of the route had recently caused significant disruption to transportation and commercial activities, with hundreds of fully loaded trailers stranded for days along the Oye-Ilupeju axis.

The prolonged gridlock not only caused hardship for motorists and commuters but also threatened the smooth movement of goods between the South-West and northern parts of the country, raising concerns over its wider impact on economic activities.

Speaking with journalists, Goronyo described the Ifaki-Oye-Ilupeju road as a critical economic corridor, stressing its strategic importance to the movement of people, agricultural produce and other goods across the country.

According to the minister, the road project was awarded to a Contractor in 2025, and the contractor had already been mobilised to commence work.

He, however, acknowledged that funding challenges could have contributed to the slow pace of construction, assuring that the Federal Government would review the contractor’s mobilisation to ensure that work progresses effectively at the site.

“This contract was awarded in 2025. He has been mobilised, but I’m sure he is complaining of funding. We will go back and see that we mobilise him adequately to ensure that he mobilises the site.

“We want to assure Nigerians, particularly the people that are plying this road, that this is a very important road and it is connecting the South-West to the northern part of this country.

“This is a very important economic corridor. We can understand the plight of the people, but we want to assure Nigerians that Mr. President has given us directives through the Honourable Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi, who is currently in Benin, and I was directed to come here and inspect what is going on.

“The directive of Mr. President is that we should ensure that no road is cut in this country”.