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Economic and social
activities were paralysed for several hours on Wednesday in Ilorin, the
Kwara State capital, following a violent demonstration by youth who
were protesting the abandoned construction work on the
Olulande-Ita-Alamu-Offa Garage road. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that several people including one policeman were seriously
injured during the protest. The violent protest started as early as
6.30am by youth in the area, who barricaded major roads and link roads
to the Offa Garage-Ajasse Ipo road with bricks and blocks. The angry
youth also set up several bonfire along the road from Michael Imodu
Labour Studies Institute junction up to Ola-Olu-Stella Obasanjo
junction. The youth in their thousands were chanting anti government
slogans like: “Kwara must be free”, “No to slavery by Saraki, Bukola
and Gbemi”, “Leave our state now Saraki”, among others.

It took the
anti-riot policemen several hours before they could restore order and
normalcy to the road as several canister of tear gas were fired to
disperse the protesters. Kwara state Fire Service were also brought in
by the government to put out the bonfire and tyres set ablaze by the
angry mob. Speaking with NAN, one of the protesters, who spoke under
condition of anonymity, explained that life had become unbearable for
people living along the 2.5 kilometre road. Reacting to the incident,
Bode Olayemi, the state commissioner for works and transport, told
journalists that the road was a federal road being constructed by the
state because of its concern for the people. He pointed out that the
road was still ongoing and not an abandoned project as claimed by the
protesting youth. The commissioner said that the government was not
unaware of the difficulties being faced by the people. Mr. Olayemi
noted that the sum of N363 million had been paid as mobilisation fee to
the contractor handling the project, which is due for completion before
the expiration of the tenure of the present administration. Mr.
Olayemi, who addressed the news briefing together with the state
commissioner for information and communication, Ben Duntoye, appealed
to members of the public and protesting youth to exercise patience. He
said that incidentally the contractor was expected to move back to site
on Wednesday but could not due to the disturbance. Mr. Olayemi said
that the contractor had been instructed to put speed breaker on the
road in order to reduce the dust in the area. Ezekiel Dabo, the police
public relations officer for the Kwara Command, in his reaction urged
the people of Kwara not to take laws into their hands as government was
doing everything within its reach to fix the road. Mr. Dabo told NAN
that normalcy had since returned to the area following the early hours
disturbances by the youth, which disrupted vehicular movement for
several hours.