ABEOKUTA, OGUN — The Ogun State government has refuted a news report that it stopped an ongoing federal road project on the Paddy-Arikawe Oye Igbimo Road due to political differences. The government clarified that it simply requested the contractor, Minim and Tonye Nigeria Limited, to follow due process and obtain the necessary permits.

In a statement released by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, the government labelled the report as an “egregious falsehood.” Akinmade stated that since the road is under state jurisdiction, the contractor was directed to apply for permission to work on it. This application would allow the state government to remove the road from its own planned repair schedule.

The government’s statement challenged the authors of the news report to identify any legal impropriety in the letter from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Engr. Dr Yusuf L.O. instructed the contractor to halt operations until the required clearance was secured. The government emphasised that no entity, including the state, can commence road repairs without obtaining permission from the relevant authorities.

As an example, the statement referenced the challenges the state previously faced in repairing federal roads, such as the Abeokuta-Sango Ota road, due to the refusal of the then Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, to grant permission. The government argued that the news report’s authors exhibited “utter ignorance” by claiming the federal government had approved the construction of a state-owned road.

The statement further highlighted that obtaining approval is standard protocol for such projects. It cited a letter dated February 1, 2025, in which former federal lawmaker Hon. Adewunmi Onanuga requested permission to begin construction on several rural roads. The government asserted that this is the “normal route to take” and that their action was not politically motivated but a matter of standard procedure.