AN URGENT APPEAL TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU:
THE AYETORO–ROUNDER–OLORUNDA–IMEKO CORRIDOR MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DETERIORATE
Why the Federal Government Must Give Priority to the Dualisation and Reconstruction of This Strategic Border Corridor with Durable Concrete Pavement
By Otunba (Dr.) Abdulfalil Abayomi Odunowo
Mr President,
I write out of deep concern and a strong sense of responsibility. During a recent journey along the Ayetoro–Rounder–Olorunda–Imeko corridor in Ogun State, I saw firsthand what countless ordinary Nigerians face each day: a road that has ceased to function as a lifeline and has instead become a daily ordeal.
Farmers find it difficult to transport their produce. Commercial drivers put both their vehicles and their lives at risk. Traders lose valuable time and income. Families travelling for medical treatment or education are subjected to needless hardship. The state of this corridor has gone beyond mere inconvenience; for the people of Ogun West, it has become a quiet instrument of economic and social exclusion.
This is not simply a local grievance. It is a national infrastructure failure that warrants presidential attention.
A Corridor of National Importance
The Ayetoro–Rounder–Olorunda–Imeko road is far more than a strip of asphalt. It links communities across Ogun West and provides essential access toward Nigeria’s border with the Republic of Benin. If properly developed, it can boost agricultural trade, ease legitimate regional commerce, support border security activities, and promote economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
At a time when Nigeria is seeking to increase domestic production, strengthen food security, and expand regional trade, roads serving productive border communities must not be relegated to the background. A dependable corridor in this area would reduce vehicle operating costs, widen market access for farmers, sustain local enterprises, and turn a current bottleneck into a driver of growth.
The Need for a Durable Solution
Stopgap repairs and occasional rehabilitation have not solved the problem. The pattern of deterioration persists, draining public funds and weakening public confidence. What is needed is a full, properly engineered reconstruction of the corridor, together with phased dualisation.
In light of the heavy commercial traffic, difficult soil conditions, and recurring drainage challenges affecting many Nigerian highways, rigid concrete pavement should receive serious consideration. Concrete is not a cure-all; it must be supported by proper geotechnical investigation, sound foundation design, effective drainage, and strict quality control. However, where durability and lifecycle cost are major concerns, concrete has consistently shown stronger long-term performance.
Mr President, your administration has appropriately placed emphasis on infrastructure investment and has already backed the use of concrete pavement on major highway projects. Applying that same long-term approach to this strategic border corridor would be both consistent with that policy and transformative in its impact.
A Direct and Specific Appeal
I respectfully urge you to instruct the Honourable Minister of Works and the relevant federal agencies to take the following immediate actions:
1. Commission a detailed engineering survey, along with traffic and axle-load assessment, drainage studies, and geotechnical investigations covering the entire Ayetoro–Rounder–Olorunda–Imeko corridor, including its links to the international border.
2. Develop a comprehensive reconstruction and phased dualisation plan, using concrete pavement where engineering evidence and lifecycle-cost analysis support its adoption.
3. Put in place a clear federal–state implementation framework that addresses issues of jurisdiction, funding, land acquisition, and project delivery in collaboration with the Ogun State Government and the relevant border and transport agencies.
4. Introduce emergency safety measures on the most hazardous sections while the long-term project is being prepared.
5. Release a transparent project roadmap that includes estimated costs, funding structure, procurement milestones, and realistic delivery phases, so that citizens can hold every party accountable.
A Presidential Legacy Worth Leaving
Mr President, the people of Ogun West have made, and continue to make, meaningful contributions to the agricultural, commercial, and social development of our nation. They deserve infrastructure that reflects that contribution.
The Ayetoro–Rounder–Olorunda–Imeko corridor should not continue as a symbol of failed journeys and unfulfilled promises. Instead, it can stand as a practical example of what coordinated federal and state investment can deliver when vision is matched by determination.
I am not appealing for another temporary patchwork solution. I am calling for a well-designed, properly funded, and transparently executed infrastructure project that will serve both this generation and the next. We must break out of the cycle of repair followed by failure. We must build a corridor that is safe, durable, and economically productive one that is worthy of Nigeria’s future and of the people who depend on it every day.
I respectfully call on you, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to give this corridor the urgent national attention it deserves.
Otunba (Dr.) Abdulfalil Abayomi Odunowo
National Chairman, AATSG
Public Affairs Commentator and Advocate for Good Governance and Infrastructure Development
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