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The barrier over the controversial flyover at Mokola, Ibadan has been pulled down. It was reportedly demolished by a vehicle, which hit the barrier at about 2.30pm yesterday. The driver of the truck has been arrested and detained by the police.
But, the development has sparked off another round of brickbats between the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led state government and the opposition in the state, who had criticized the N3 billion project as a wasteful and substandard venture.
The state Ministry of Works in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Mr. Kayode Adepoju, said it was interesting that only a few weeks ago, the opposition in the state threatened to pull down the barrier. He said the ministry was working on the theory that the barrier had probably been knocked down over night and the carcass left hanging only for it to be hit by truck.
But, an aide to the opposition party leader, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Mr. Lanre Ogundipe, lashed at the regime, saying it was uncharitable to point fingers at the opposition over the destruction of the flyover barrier, more so, as there was supposed to be a large concentration of security and law enforcement agents in the particular area.
According to the government’s statement, about three weeks ago, government had alerted the public, through a press statement, of alleged plan by the opposition to demolish the barrier.
In the release, broadcast on the state Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), the government alleged that it had received security report to the effect that some political thugs had been commissioned by the opposition to demolish the flyover’s barrier which the opposition claimed was an indication that the bridge was substandard.
But Ogundipe, in a reaction last night denied his party’s culpability in the demolition, accusing the administration of merely trying to gain cheap political sympathy from the people and incite the public against the Accord Party that was serving their interest.
