From the Asa local government secretariat junction in Afon town, the car moved gently towards Eyenkorin’s direction. The road is littered with potholes, causing this reporter to mutter a few words of complaint about the poor state of the road. The driver’s attention was caught by the complaints. He faced this reporter who sat at the left angle of the car’s back seat, chuckling.
He told this reporter that his eyes would soon see the worst a few distances ahead. Soon, the car crossed a bridge and hit a river that flows across the road.
“This is where I will stop,” said the driver. He dropped down to open the back door for the passengers to alight and he continued, “As you can see, no car can move beyond here on this road because of that river. It is a big river and passing through it will amount to attempting suicide.”
That is the current situation of Afon-Eyekorin road in Asa local government area, Kwara state. This is the road that links many agrarian communities in Asa local government to the Ilorin metropolis to promote social-economic development and enhance food production in the state.
Asa local government area covers a total area of 1,286 square kilometers and a population of 126,435 as of the 2006 census. It features two distinct seasons which are the rainy and dry seasons. Asa LGA is known for the cultivation of a wide range of crops such as rice, corn, coconut, and vegetables. Cloth weaving and dyeing are other key economic enterprises in the area.
Trade is also popular amongst dwellers of Asa LGA with markets such as the Alapa market and the Ogbondoroko main market attracting thousands of buyers and sellers of various commodities in Kwara and other neighbouring states like Oyo, Osun state.
But the bad state of major roads —like Afon-Eyenkorin road— in Asa LGA has hindered the agricultural productivity of the people and led to food scarcity which resulted in inflation of food prices in the state.
The Road Tour
A tour visit on the road by this reporter revealed the dilapidated state of the road. The road surface has been ravaged by erosion and as his journey progressed, what began as tiny potholes turned into gullies.
The absence of a drainage system on the highway has made a river —the famous Asa river— forced its way on the road, making transportation of people and goods in the local government a tough task.
While car owners resigned to fate, the Okada riders were seen struggling to carry their bikes across the waterlogged road to proceed with their journeys.
Yunusa Lamidi, a resident of the Afon community, Asa LGA, said the situation of the road has been for over eight(8) years without any proper intervention from the government.
“When this road was constructed many years back, it grew our economic activities and improved inter-communities social relation in Asa and nearby towns in Oyo and Osun states.
“But it is quite unfortunate that the road is no longer motorable for those who have cars and if you have Okada, you have to carry it on your head to pass the road.
“The best thing any government can do to Asa local government is to bring back this road to life,” Mr Yunusa declared.
Farmers’ Headache
Usman Alade, 52, a farmer who was found on his farm along the road route, told how the poor state of the road has been a major headache to farmers in the community.
He said, “All farmers in Afon and nearby villages know how this bad road is causing a major setback to the farming business. Many times it will take more than a month to see a lorry that will unwillingly help us carry our farm produces to Ilorin and the nearest markets for sale because of the bad road and that is always with exorbitant charges.
“Certainly this will affect our income and has deterred many from a farming business.”
Another farmer who identified himself as Saliu Issa narrated how his siblings dropped farming business for Okada riding because of huge debt caused to them by the bad road.
“Anytime my brothers farmed, their crops always got rotten and damaged at their farms because of no car to transport and sell them at the nearby market because of the dilapidated state of this road.
“This is what stopped them from farming,” Mr. Saliu narrated.
Bad Road, A Cause of Food Scarcity in Kwara — Expert
An agricultural economist, Mr. Ganyu Razaq, ruled that a bad road is a bane to rural farming which has resulted in food scarcity nationwide, particularly in Kwara.
He said, “Food scarcity is when foods produced are lesser to what people will eat and scarcity will definitely bring about a hike in prices of these food items. This is what is happening nationwide presently.
“In Kwara, absence of good road network has dissuaded many locals from farming business and this has affected food production capacity of the state.”
Survey, Data on Food Prices in Kwara
A food price survey was done by this reporter on Monday 21st September 2021 at major markets in Ilorin showed that a bag of foreign rice is now sold for N26,000, while a bag of Nigerian local rice costs between N18,000 to N20,000
A local measure(Mudu) of Garri is now between N400, N450, or N500, depending on the quality. While a Mudu of raw beans costs N900 or above now and a Mudu of rice is sold for N850 or above.
A 10kg bag of Semovita now costs N4,150, while a five kg bag attracts N2,100.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics report shows that in November 2020, prices of food items rose highest in Kwara, Edo and Sokoto states in October, the consumer price index (CPI) report released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown.
The report revealed that on a month-on-month basis, food price inflation was highest in Kwara at 3.88 percent, Edo at 3.81 percent, and Sokoto at 3.65 percent.
And, In May 2021 NBS reported that In Kwara State, one kilogram of white Garri, sold loose, cost on average 197 Naira (around 0.48 U.S. dollars). One kilogram of local rice, instead, reached 410 Naira, which equals one U.S. dollar, while one bottle of palm oil cost on average 401 Naira per litre, less than one U.S. dollar.
In Kwara community, Waterlogged Road affects farming, causes food scarcity | The Informant247 Features