Ogun State Government said it would not be held accountable, that it is unjust and naughty for anyone to hold it responsible for the professor’s death of Prof. Oladipo Ademuyiwa, a resident of Wole Soyinka-Kemta-Idi-Aba-Somorin road.
IREPORT247NEW reports that Oladipo Ademuyiwa, a professor at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver on the recently rehabilitated Kemta-Somorin Road on Sunday, causing the residents of Ajebo Road Housing Estate, Kemta, Abeokuta, to enter a state of mourning.
Ademuyiwa had just gotten out of a taxi and was trying to cross the street from the Prof. Wole Soyinka end. He was left for dead when the driver allegedly ran away from the scene.
In a Tuesday statement, Dr. Ayo Ajasa, the chairman of the Ajebo Road Housing Estate Community Development Association, called the occurrence a preventable tragedy and blamed the Ogun State Government for failing to place speed breakers on the road despite repeated requests.
He said, “It is disheartening that despite our numerous appeals to the Ogun State Government and relevant agencies, no effort has been made to install speed breakers and other necessary safety measures.
“The government did not hesitate to install speed bumps on the Ilugun end of the road but has continually ignored our pleas to safeguard lives in Ajebo Road Housing Estate.
“It is unacceptable that a community of law-abiding citizens must endure repeated accidents, near-fatal encounters, and now the death of an esteemed professor, simply due to government inaction.
“Another accident occurred within 24 hours of this tragic incident, proving that this road remains a death trap.”
However, the government claimed in a statement released by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media and Strategy, that it is unjust and naughty for anyone to hold it responsible for the professor’s death.
It reads, “Apart from providing necessary infrastructure in line with international standards, speed breakers and other safety measures were also installed to protect road users and their properties and check reckless driving on the road.
“Just last December, in response to the call of the communities in the area, the government installed a total of 11-speed breakers in addition to the one earlier installed on the road.
“This is apart from other relevant road signs that have been strategically placed to guide drivers and other commuters plying the road.
“While we deeply sympathize with the family, colleagues and other community members of the late Prof. Ademuyiwa, we wish to call on all relevant stakeholders to embark on sensitisation of all categories of road users, particularly motorists, on the importance of obeying traffic rules and regulations across the state at all times in order to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future.”