The Sunday Ademola Bridge, located in Gaa Akanbi, Ilorin South LGA, Kwara State, was constructed to address the persistent flooding caused by riverbank overflow during rainy seasons. Serving a diverse community of over 2,000 residents, the bridge has significantly mitigated flood-related challenges in the area.
In 2017, fulfilling a campaign promise, then Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed delivered the bridge to the people of the community, sparking widespread excitement among young and old residents alike.
However, this joy was short-lived giving the quality of what was delivered to them. Within 4 years of the delivery of the bridge, it already became obvious that this was a shabby substandard project, as it took only three successive heavy downpours at the time to expose the quality of the job done, the cement bags used for the base construction of the bridge were brought bare with the rains.
And in no time, the relief that the people had enjoyed became one they wish to relive, as the benefits the constructed bridge brought began to fizzle out right in their very presence.
According to Mrs Abiodun Funmilayo, a resident of the area“At the beginning of the bridge collapse, only vehicles were cut off, passersby, motor/tricycles were still enduring, but after a while, everything came to a ground halt. School attendance along this route significantly dropped, transportation of good and services negatively impacted, adjoining communities like Kilanko, Garage Offa, Isale Adewunmi, St. Annes e.t.c who also heavily rely on this road were cut off”.
The over 2000 household in the community became landlocked by the incident, causing them to create alternative but inconvenient routes on the Kilanko axis.
Tracka in March 2025, on the way to track some project across Kwara state, discovered this project and brought the community together in an engagement, they were apparently disillusioned on what to do to get their representative’s attention on this heartfelt need. This gap we filled, we saw this as a germane need and engaged the community on the necessity for them to speak up in bringing the coveted attention to their predicament.
We took to X and Facebook, sounding the alarm about the bridge’s sorry state. We also wrote to the representatives at the National Assembly. The State Government caught wind of it in June and jumped into action, breathing new life into the Sunday Ademola Bridge. This timely intervention has been a shot in the arm for the community’s economy, with the community’s thriving fish farm now reeling in prosperity like never before.
According to the community chairman Mr Fatai Afolabi “Our community least expected that this dire need would be met this fast, it was like magic! We just suddenly saw the contractor working on the project site. We are now more informed and will always make our demands known to the government. We are most excited that Tracka took interest in our case, making government to step in within a very short time. The reconstruction has brought a lot of relief and ease to different parts of our local economy. However, a section of the bridge remains poorly constructed, requiring urgent attention. Additionally, we urge the government to prioritize the construction of the road connecting our hospital and major motor park to further enhance community access and development.”
While the revitalized bridge still needs finetuning, there is optimism that these adjustments will be promptly addressed before they escalate into another major crisis.
Tracka’s pivotal role in collaborating with the community to spotlight the bridge’s deficiencies and amplifying the issue to the State Government was instrumental in driving the intervention. This is only alluding to the fact that cutting corners on infrastructure is a recipe for ruin, but with vigilant monitoring by all, combined with quality craftsmanship and swift government action, can pave the way for sustainable community development.
Story by: Osiyemi Joshua and Fagboro Oluwayemisi
