OSOPADEC Spends Over ₦4 Billion to Complete Abandoned Infrastructure Projects in Ondo Riverine Areas

The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has completed several previously abandoned infrastructure projects across the state’s riverine communities, representing a budget execution of over ₦4 billion.

The disclosure was made by the Director of Project Monitoring, Dipo Aluko, during an official inspection tour of the completed sites. Aluko noted that the commission targeted critical infrastructure in its mandate areas to improve local transit and safety. Among the finalized projects are four concrete landing walkways costing between ₦45 million and ₦50 million each, alongside the flagship Obenla concrete walkway, which alone required an investment of ₦1.7 billion.

OSOPADEC Chairman, Olabiyi Poroye, explained that the commission deliberately prioritized the completion of inherited contracts from past administrations to ensure governance continuity and sustainable development. Ready-for-inauguration projects include the General Hospital at Agadagba-Obon, the one-kilometer Igbotu Township Road, a 1,000-meter concrete walkway featuring a jetty at Obenla, and numerous landing points across the Ilaje and Ese Odo Local Government Areas.

While noting that limited resources and reliance on the 40% oil derivation fund present ongoing financial constraints, Poroye emphasized that the state government has maintained its backing to keep interventions moving forward. OSOPADEC has already initiated a new phase of construction, which features a Naval Security Post at Atijere, the Aboto-Atijere Road, the Omuro International Market in Ode-Ugbo, the School of Maritime Transport and Logistics in Ugbo-Nla, and a new sedimentation tank at the Aboto Water Treatment Plant.

Reflecting on the upgrades, OSOPADEC Permanent Secretary, Adewale Omomowo, commended the transition from traditional wooden walkways to modern concrete structures, stating that the structural shift significantly elevates public safety and long-term infrastructure durability for the riverine populace.