HOW does a road receive more than ₦1.6 billion in federal payments, attract another ₦2.1 billion allocation, and still remain unfinished? That is the troubling question raised by the 17-kilometre Ayegun-Oleyo federal road in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State. Residents continue to battle dust, mud and worsening transport conditions while the Federal Government budgets more money for a project that remains unfinished. The more the allocations grow, the worse this project appears to become. That is not merely an engineering failure; it is a failure of governance. The Ayegun-Oleyo Road is a strategic corridor linking Oyo and Ogun states, with the potential to unlock agricultural production, commerce and investment across communities that have remained economically underserved. Every year the road remains unfinished is another year of lost opportunities for farmers, traders, transporters and businesses. Instead of becoming a gateway to economic development between the two states, it has become a symbol of squandered public funds.

According to the Federal Government’s GovSpend portal, the Ayegun-Oleyo Project (Code: SUP2023116) received a ₦1.5 billion allocation under the 2023 Supplementary Budget, while the Federal Executive Council awarded the main construction contract on March 25, 2024. The sum of ₦1,279,800,055.81 was released to the contractor on September 24, 2024, as part payment for construction. Six days later, on September 30, another ₦359,069,767.44 followed, also described as part payment. Thus, within one week alone, the contractor had received ₦1.639 billion while government records still described both payments merely as “part payment”. Earlier, ₦61,526,734.88 had been paid for engineering design consultancy. Before the main contract was even awarded, FERMA had released ₦38,137,740.62 on March 8, 2023 for rehabilitation of Taska Junction–Ayegun Oleyo–Baare Road, and another ₦24,255,877.72 on December 15, 2023. Although the latter payment reportedly described the location as being in Ogun State despite identifying the Ayegun-Oleyo route in Oyo State—a discrepancy that deserves federal government clarification.

The two payments to the contractor alone exceeded the project’s original appropriation by about ₦138 million, including consultancy and FERMA expenditure. Federal agencies have already disbursed close to ₦1.73 billion on the road. Yet instead of accounting for the billions already released, the Federal Government has returned the project to the 2026 Appropriation Bill as an ongoing project under Project Code ERGP12231274, with another ₦2.1 billion allocation, bringing its total commitment to about ₦3.8 billion. What happened to the money already released, and what work on the ground justifies these payments? Every naira appropriated belongs to the Nigerian people and should produce measurable progress that citizens can verify. Anything less amounts to a brazen robbery of public funds.

On February 12 this year, Senator Yunus Abiodun Akintunde, who represents Oyo Central Senatorial District and facilitated the road’s inclusion as a federal project, posted footage of the project on Facebook with the caption: “Work in progress… Promise made and kept to the glory of God.” The video showed graded earthworks and drainage construction. However, repeated visits to the site by this newspaper found no contractor personnel and no active construction. Even more troubling, the project signboards that once displayed the identity of the contractor, contract details and President Bola Tinubu’s photograph had disappeared from both ends of the road. Those signboards existed so that citizens could know who was executing the project, under whose supervision, at what cost, and within what completion period. Their disappearance only deepens public concern because transparency should not disappear when questions arise.

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Senator Akintunde deserves credit for attracting the project, but representation does not end with budgetary approval. Having celebrated it publicly, he also owes his constituents sustained oversight until completion. Members of the House of Representatives representing the affected communities should be leading the demand for answers. Oversight is the legislature’s principal constitutional responsibility. The Minister of Works should immediately explain the work completed, the payments certified, the reason construction has stalled, and the timetable for completion. Infrastructure projects do not spend themselves. Every payment carries engineering certifications, procurement records, treasury authorisations and supervisory responsibilities. If over ₦1.6 billion has been released, the records should demonstrate the work executed to justify those payments.

The civic organisations and citizens who exposed this matter deserve commendation. Democracy depends upon vigilant citizens. Traditional rulers, community associations, transport unions and other stakeholders should equally mobilise until this strategic road receives the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, the Ayegun-Oleyo Road reflects a broader institutional challenge. Public confidence has eroded because allegations of compromised contract administration have become commonplace. What is beyond dispute is that ministries that fail to supervise contracts diligently lose the moral authority to discipline erring contractors. The condition under which many Nigerians survive should trouble every public official. Across the country, motorists navigate broken roads, communities endure seasonal dust and mud, farmers lose produce, and businesses bear avoidable costs. Yet budget after budget, billions of naira are appropriated while infrastructure continues to deteriorate. This is one of the starkest contradictions of Nigerian democracy.

Too many citizens have come to accept abandoned projects as normal, while too many politicians appear neither afraid of nor accountable to the people. Those seeking another term should first explain why previous promises remain unfulfilled. Where votes are easier to buy than public confidence is to earn, accountability inevitably suffers. The Federal Government must therefore act without further delay. If Abuja cannot move with the urgency this project demands, the Oyo State government should explore every lawful avenue to intervene in the interest of the affected communities. The Ayegun-Oleyo Road is no longer merely an unfinished highway; it has become a test of governmental credibility. The Federal Ministry of Works must account for the billions already released and complete the project, while the National Assembly and all elected representatives from the area must exercise meaningful oversight.

Roads connect communities, but accountability connects citizens to democracy. Until both are restored, the Ayegun-Oleyo Road—and countless others across Nigeria—will remain buried beneath dust, mud and unanswered questions.