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Thousands of residents from more than 40 communities in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State have staged a peaceful walk to draw the attention of the federal and Ogun State governments to the deplorable condition of the 10.5-kilometre road linking their communities and providing access to the historic Lisa Memorial Arcade.
The protesters, drawn from communities including Oyero, Arugudu, Oluke, Okungbolu, Sonde, Lisa, Ademokunla, Olayemi, Alagba, Ayegbe, Alapandi, Onireke, Megi and Awure, among others, marched along the road carrying placards with inscriptions appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to urgently intervene in the reconstruction of the road.
The peace walk was not only a protest against years of neglect but also a collective appeal for the rehabilitation of a road regarded by the communities as a critical link to their homes, farms, businesses and other economic activities, as well as an important historical site.
At the centre of the communities’ concern is the Lisa Memorial Arcade, a memorial site associated with a plane crash that occurred in the area years ago and which has since become a place of remembrance and historical significance. Residents say the poor condition of the access road has made it increasingly difficult for families of victims, visitors and others who wish to visit the memorial site.
Speaking during the peaceful procession, the Onilisa of Lisa Kingdom, Oba Nojeemdeen Oladele Odugbemi, said the communities deliberately chose a peace walk as a responsible and united way of bringing their concerns before the authorities.
The traditional ruler commended the residents for maintaining peace and unity, stressing that the collective action demonstrated the seriousness of the hardship being experienced by communities along the road.
He said the people were not seeking confrontation with government but were appealing to the authorities to respond to a long-standing need that affects the daily lives of thousands of residents.
The monarch particularly drew attention to the importance of the Lisa Memorial Arcade, describing it as a site of national significance that should be properly preserved and made readily accessible to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash, visitors and Nigerians who may wish to pay their respects.
According to him, allowing the road leading to such a memorial site to remain in a deplorable condition undermines not only the development needs of the surrounding communities but also efforts to preserve places connected to important moments in the nation’s history.
Other traditional rulers, community leaders, youth representatives and residents also participated in the peaceful walk, using the occasion to recount the difficulties created by the bad condition of the road.
They said the 10.5-kilometre route has become increasingly difficult to navigate, particularly during the rainy season, affecting movement of people and goods and creating additional hardship for residents who depend on the road for access to markets, schools, healthcare facilities, farms and other destinations.
The community leaders appealed to President Tinubu and Governor Abiodun to treat the reconstruction of the road as an urgent development priority, arguing that intervention would simultaneously address the infrastructure needs of the communities and restore dignified access to the Lisa Memorial Arcade.
The protesters stressed that their peaceful demonstration should be seen as a call for partnership between the communities and government rather than a confrontation, expressing confidence that the authorities would respond positively to their appeal.
For the residents, the demand is therefore not simply for another road project, but for the restoration of a vital corridor connecting more than 40 communities and the preservation of access to a memorial site that carries a painful but important chapter of Nigeria’s history.
