Residents of Osogbo, Osun state capital, on Monday, expressed joy as the newly constructed flyover bridge at Orita Olaiya opens to traffic.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola at about 12:00 pm took the first ride on the bridge alongside his Deputy, Mr Benedict Alabi and other members of the State Executive Council.
Declaring the bridge open to traffic, Oyetola said it was a dream come true and a triumph of creativity in leadership in an era of economic crunch. Pictures below:
“We must always think out of the box. We cannot be lamenting paucity of funds all the time. If I’ve spent three and half years and all I tell you is that there is no fund to do anything, then I’m not supposed to be a governor.
“We have formulated our own approach to infrastructure development, Alternative Project Fund approach which makes it very easy for us to have partnership with contractors who have the money to do the project and then we can work out modalities for repayment, without affecting our obligations to the workers and to other people in the state”, he said.
The Governor, who thanked residents for their patience while the project was under construction, urged them to be responsible while using it.
“I want to enjoin motorists to observe all the necessary precautions and follow the signs. They should not overspeed.
I want to guarantee that we are going to do proper maintenance of this project”.
“I commend the contractor for doing a very wonderful job. I thank the people of the state for bearing with us, particularly the traders. I’m very happy and I believe this is one iconic project”.
“What we have done is to allow people to make use of the bridge. They have been waiting for it. So we believe this is the right time for them to start using it. At the appropriate time, we’ll do the commissioning”.
Apart from being a facilitator of vehicular movement around the Olaiya area of the state capital, the newly constructed flyover bridge also features modern aesthetics like fountains, artworks and traffic lights.
Governor Oyetola hailed the residents of Osogbo for their patience and understanding throughout the period of the construction of the project.
He said the flyover was opened for use in fulfillment of his Administration’s commitment to alleviate possible hardship the closure of the area might have caused motorists and other road users during the construction period.
He also reiterated the Adminstration’s commitment to continue to raise the bar of infrastructural development and advance the socioeconomic activities of the people of the State.
Governor Oyetola who described the bridge as iconic and beautiful in view of its state-of-the-art aesthetics, assured of adequate maintenance of the facility.
He added that security measures had been put in place particularly around the bridge, to ensure safety for all, adding that no effort would be spared to continue to guarantee the security of lives and property of the citizens.
Governor Oyetola promised that the project would be adequately maintained with 24 hour security to preserve human and material safety around the bridge.
