FERMA promises safety measures on Oyo highway after students’ protestThe

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Oyo State, has assured residents that it will install safety measures to prevent accidents on the newly rehabilitated Ago-Are/Saki road, one of the region’s busiest highways.

FERMA Engineer at the Oyo State Field Office, Olatunde Adepoju, gave the assurance on Friday in Ibadan, while speaking with newsmen on the protest by students of Baptist Secondary Grammar School, Ago-Are.

The students had protested the dangers passed  by speeding vehicles and heavy-duty trucks along the road, which runs directly in front of the school.

The Students appealed to the Federal Government to urgently install speed breakers and other traffic-calming measures on the busy Ago-Aare–Saki road, citing growing safety concerns over speeding vehicles and heavy-duty trucks plying the route.

The appeal, which has gained traction on social media, was conveyed in a video seen by our correspondent on Wednesday, where a group of students raised alarm over what they described as a “critical safety threat” at the entrance of their school.

“The project started four weeks ago and is almost ninety-eight per cent (98%) complete. The students of Baptist Secondary Grammar School staged the protest last week after the completion of asphaltic work.

“The protest was their reaction to the reckless driving of motorists plying the road after the repaired work. The students and community leaders demanded road breakers after the repair work. The protest was doused the same day,” Adepoju explained.

He added, “We contacted the commissioner of works and infrastructure of Oyo State. The commissioner, right then, instructed Engr. Fadare of Oyo State Public Works to look into the situation. Tuesday was fixed for another site visit after the Eid al-Kabir break. Other areas not captured will be attended to as promised by the Acting Zonal Director, during his visit on March 18, 2026.”

FERMA also disclosed plans to begin rehabilitation works on failed sections of Ojebu Ode, Igbeti, and other roads in the region.

The agency said it had completed repairs on 1.7 km of identified bad portions along Ago-Are/Saki/Kisi road, with work on the Ogbomoso/Kisi roads scheduled to commence soon.

During an on-site assessment of the ongoing rehabilitation works, the Zonal Director, South-West 1, Babatunde Longe, explained that the intervention was necessary due to sectional failures along the road.

“I am satisfied with the level of rehabilitation works done so far on the Ago-Are/Saki road. It is part of the efforts of FERMA management to actually deliver our mandate of making all roads motorable. This is the Ago-Are to Saki road. We have decided to intervene there because of the sectional failures, and the motorists have actually been happy about it,” Longe said.

“We have intervened on this project, and we have another project that is between Ogbomoso and Igbeti road that we are waiting for the contractor to report and commence work. Also, rehabilitation works will soon commence on Ijebu Ode and other roads in the region”, he continued.

Expressing gratitude for the rehabilitation works, a resident of Ago-Are, Musbau Taofeek, said the repaired sections would reduce the frequent accidents in the area. 

This section of the road has become a deathtrap for a long time. We thank the Federal Government, through FERMA, for the intervention.

“This particular spot has claimed many lives in the past. We want the Federal Government to assist us with the construction of wall drainage as well as speed breakers on this road.

“If you check our market, that is, the second cattle market in Oyo State, it is the Ago-Are cattle market,” he said.

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