By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Senate on Wednesday pressed the Federal Government to expand the ongoing rehabilitation of the Akure–Ore Road to cover the long-neglected Ore–Okitipupa–Igbokoda Unity Road, a stretch linking multiple oil-producing communities in Ondo State.
Leading the charge, Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, warned that continued exclusion of the Unity Road from federal intervention amounted to a glaring injustice to a zone that plays a pivotal role in national revenue.
Moving a motion titled “Achieving Fair and Balanced Infrastructure Development: Expansion of Akure–Ore Road Repairs to the Ore–Okitipupa–Igbokoda Unity Road,” Ibrahim stressed that infrastructure development must reflect the country’s economic realities particularly in coastal oil belts where road access dictates productivity and growth.
He revealed that the Akure–Ore rehabilitation, coded Project C/No. 6509 (ERGP12190717), already received ₦31.02 million in the 2022 and 2023 federal budgets, but argued that the true economic backbone of the corridor lies in the Unity Road which serves multiple oil-bearing communities across Ondo South.
“Ondo State contributes over seven per cent of Nigeria’s crude oil revenue, yet the primary access road to these communities remains abandoned, excluding this road from federal intervention is not just an oversight; it is a disservice,”the senator said.
Describing the corridor as a strategic artery for over two million residents and 1.5 million voters, Ibrahim warned that years of neglect have deepened feelings of marginalisation in a region considered vital to the country’s development calculus.
Lawmakers across political divides supported the motion, insisting that inclusion of the road aligns with Nigeria’s broader push for equitable, balanced and economically-sensitive infrastructure delivery.
Following deliberations, the Senate resolved to urge the Federal Ministry of Works to incorporate the Ore–Okitipupa–Igbokoda Federal Road into the ongoing Akure–Ore rehabilitation project, a directive many senators said was overdue.