Aminat Adeyemi, 53, is a businesswoman in the Olomi community under the Oluyole local government area of Oyo State. She used to have issues transporting her agricultural products during the rainy season and before the construction of the bridge because of heavy downpours that led to flooding, making the road in their community impassable.
Mrs Adeyemi recalled how residents found it difficult to access commercial vehicles, as the bridge was not motorable for cars and tricycles.
The previous Olomi Bridge became a floodplain during the rainy seasons, making life unbearable for traders like her.
‘‘We cried out to the government many times because a better bridge would ease our commute and boost our income,” she explained.
But everything changed after the state government intervened and constructed the Olomi Bridge.
“Before, our major problems were bad bridges and drainage during the rainy season. But now, we have a newly constructed bridge and drainage. That is why whenever I see people coming into our community there is this joy in me, because if it was before I can’t even travel to other communities where I buy things more than twice a day, let alone a week,” she said.
Data from Dataphyte’s Anfani portal shows that the N37 million naira bridge project was allocated to Beachnut Nig. Limited for the construction of the bridge. The project was completed in May 2024.
Intervention Brings Reconnection
In September 2024, this reporter observed the newly constructed bridge with a waterway flanking the two sides. Cars and tricycles were seen passing through the bridge without hassle, in contrast to the previous conditions.
The community head of Olomi, Adewale Rasaki, said the bridge has reunited the people and transformed the community into a better place to live, do business, and accommodate visitors.
“You see, in this community, we lacked good bridges and drainage to control the floods. Those who have houses couldn’t stay in their houses because their houses got flooded, and the flood destroyed their properties. People from other communities also found it difficult to visit due to the bridge not being motorable, and we couldn’t move our agricultural products to town because no car wanted to come around our community due to the bad state of the bridge before,” he said.
Afeez Olaoluwa, an Okada driver, said the bridge and waterway will prevent floods they had always experienced in the area.
“You see, in the southwest here, it is always raining, so everything we are experiencing in terms of weather is cold. Now, during rainfall, floods will not destroy our property, or enter our houses again. Likewise, we do not have to worry about our cars or Okada breaking down due to the wrong road we normally pass before the construction of this bridge, and our level of income has also increased,” he explained.
Wasiu Muritala, who plies the road to and from work, said the bridge makes his commute easy.
Similarly, another resident, Tobi Salami, shared a new experience of ease.
“You see, the truth needs to be told. You can’t compare our community to yesterday and today. We have experienced change. Now you can come into your house anytime, whether it’s raining,” Tobi explained.
Mr Salami said that someone encouraged him to build a shop in his house after the construction. “As you can see, it is because of this completed bridge that I built a shop at the front of my house,” he said.
Another resident, Maryam Ilyas, a 25-year-old resident, said the new bridge brought back those who had left the community.
“In my area, the completed houses are few, but now there are more completed houses where the owners are living. The challenges we faced before were bad bridges and waterways in the community. The situation has changed every day. People are coming to buy land and build houses,” she stated.
“Aside from the building development, this construction of the bridge has helped us to reconnect with our nearby communities,” she added.
Government Official Reacts
Chief of Staff to the Oluyole local government chairman, Ibrahim Wasiu, lauded the project, explaining that it has significantly boosted the local economy.
“Farmers can now easily transport their produce to the city from the nearby communities, and commercial drivers find it much more efficient to transport passengers from Olomi to some communities that are under Ogun state in no time. Previously, many farmers struggled with the poor road and bridge conditions, making it difficult to move their goods, and some of their produce was lost because of accidents caused by the bad roads,” he explained.
“Aside from the bridge which was constructed in Olomi that has helped to reconnect communities together, the other thing that needs urgent attention is the road from that bridge which needs to be constructed. How I wish at the local government level we can execute the road. I believe it would have brought more development to the people,” he added.