OBADA OKO’S DAM JUNCTION: WHERE DEVELOPMENT GOES TO DIE

Inside Ewekoro’s Road Nightmare as New City Area Remains Cut Off

Sulaimon Adekoya: A resident frustrated living with road nightmare that is affecting businesses and communities

HISTORY: FROM FARM SETTLEMENT TO INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR 

Obada Oko has a history that stretches back over a century. The community began as a farm settlement linked to the Owu people of Abeokuta, with "Obada" meaning "farm" and "Oko" meaning "farmstead." 

For generations it was known for agriculture — cocoa, kolanut, and food crops — and for its proximity to the Ogun River and the dam that still serves surrounding communities. 

That changed in the 1980s and 1990s when Ewekoro LGA became the cement capital of Nigeria. With Lafarge and later Dangote setting up plants, Obada Oko found itself on the edge of an industrial boom. Land value rose. Traders came. The "new city area" behind the dam began to take shape as workers, artisans and business owners moved in hoping for a better life.

Today Obada Oko sits at the crossroads of farming heritage and industrial Ogun. But while factories grew, the roads that feed the people did not.

A JUNCTION THAT EATS PEOPLE

 When it rains in Obada Oko, nobody crosses the complex junction that leads to the dam and the "new city area" unless they have no choice.  Motorcycles slide. Cars bury their tires in mud. Women with baskets on their heads fall. And for the past three years, business has been falling too.

"This place has swallowed people," said Abubakar, a trader at Abule Oko Market. "Broken legs. Broken arms. Head wounds. All because of one junction."

In a community that sits on one of Ogun State’s biggest industrial corridors, the road to the future is literally impassable.

THE HEART OF THE NIGHTMARE

The junction connects the three things Obada Oko cannot live without: Obada Oko Main Market, the Dam and New City Area — a growing residential and light-industrial zone, and the Abeokuta–Sango Ota Expressway that feeds Ewekoro’s cement factories.

But during dry season it’s potholes. During rainy season it’s a swamp.

"In most cases, people fall and sustain injuries. Motorcycles lose balance, and even cars struggle to pass," a trader told Punch.  Another said: "When cars try to avoid potholes or slippery sections, they lose control and hit motorcycles."

Mummy Pemisire, a trader, still talks about last month: "A fish seller recently slipped, fell and broke her arm while attempting to access the market." 

For bike men, it’s worse. "We spend more on repairs than we make," one Okada rider said. That’s why fare from the Complex Junction  to the Hilltop, Dam, New City and environs jumped from N100 to between N600 and N1000

PROMINENT BUSINESSES HOLDING ON  

Despite the road, Obada Oko has names that people know across Ewekoro.

There is Ololade Mr. Money Hotel, one of the biggest hospitality spots in the area. It hosts workers from the cement factories, event guests, and travelers who pass through the corridor. Owners and staff say patronage has dropped because guests complain they "cannot enter when it rains."

Then there is King Ola Frozen Foods, a major supplier of frozen chicken, fish and meat to markets across Obada Oko, Papalanto and Itori. The business depends on trucks getting in and out daily. The owner says delivery vans now avoid the dam junction entirely, forcing longer, costlier routes.
Other businesses struggling include Abule Oko Market traders, block-making factories, and haulage service providers who serve the Lafarge and Dangote plants. For all of them, the bad junction is a tax on survival.

ECONOMY IN FREEFALL  

The junction isn’t just dangerous. It’s expensive.
Traders say customers stopped coming the day the road turned to mud.  "This road is very important to us. If it is repaired, people will still come even when it rains," said Alamu, a market leader.  

"Many traders have already left because of low patronage. When traders leave, buyers will go elsewhere, even though everything they need is available here."

The result is empty stalls, closed shops, and LG officials still coming for levies.

"They continue to demand taxes," a trader lamented. "But who will buy when nobody can enter?"
Residents also allege sabotage. "Past efforts by two organisations to rehabilitate the road were unsuccessful after a community leader reportedly demanded a financial settlement," one source claimed.

A COMMUNITY SURROUNDED BY INDUSTRY, STARVED OF ROADS

 The irony isn’t lost on Obada Oko people. 
Ewekoro LGA hosts Lafarge Cement, Dangote Cement, and dozens of haulage companies. The Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway passes through here. It’s a federal corridor and a gateway to Benin Republic.

Yet the "new city area" behind the dam has no motorable access.
"Next month will be my second year in Ogun State. This road is not good at all," said Funke Ogunwumi, a resident. "Is it that the state government does not always include capital projects such as road construction in its budget?"

Another resident, Sola Adeleke: "It seems the Ogun State government is happy about the condition of the road. If it is happiness, we residents are not happy. It is causing us intense pain."
Flooding makes it worse.

 Landlords say houses get flooded on several occasions, especially during rainy season. Some families have started packing out.

WHAT GOVERNMENT IS SAYING

Ogun State Government insists work is ongoing — just not fast enough for Obada Oko.

In a statement, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, said the Abeokuta–Sango Ota road was being rebuilt with concrete because of the area’s "high water level."  

He specifically listed Obada Oko, Ilese Awo, Onijanganjangan, and Ewekoro as sections "receiving focused attention."

Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, told Punch: "We have done a lot of work in some corridors. Our people are still working, but we cannot fix all the roads at the same time. It is one step at a time."

CRANEBURG Construction, handling the expressway, said the project is "over 50% completed" and asphalt is being laid on some portions.

Gov Dapo Abiodun, who flagged off the project at Itori, blamed "failure of past administrations" and promised 18-month delivery.

THE GAP: BIG ROAD VS SMALL JUNCTION 

Here’s the problem residents point out: The expressway is getting concrete. But the feeder junction to the dam and new city area is not in the current phase.

So trucks can pass the highway, but cannot enter the community. Workers can get to Lafarge, but cannot get to their homes in Obada Oko without wading through mud.

"Government is fixing the big road and forgetting the small road that feeds people," said a community youth leader who asked not to be named.

VOICES FROM THE MUD  

A market woman: "I used to sell five baskets of tomatoes a day. Now I’m lucky to sell one. People say ‘the road is bad.’"  An Okada rider: "If rain falls today, we will not work tomorrow. Bike will spoil."  

A resident: "We pay tax, we vote, but when it comes to road, government says ‘wait.’ How long?"  A trader: "The day they fix this junction, Obada Oko will come back to life."

WHAT EXPERTS SAY 

Urban planners note that Ewekoro is a classic "industrial-residential mismatch." Factories bring traffic and dust, but feeder roads are not upgraded. 

With Ogun spending N34.3bn on govt vehicles in one budget cycle, residents ask: could that money have built more than 170 kilometres of critical road networks including Obada Oko?

PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN  

For now, the sign at the dam junction says one thing: "Enter at your own risk."

Government says "patience." Contractors say "phases." But for the mother who broke her arm, the trader who closed shop, the hotelier losing guests, and the frozen foods dealer paying extra for diesel, patience ran out long ago.

Until concrete reaches that complex junction, Obada Oko’s "new city area" will remain old — old roads, old problems, and old promises.

Until then, development in Ewekoro will continue to stop at the junction.