Kwara Transport Unions Threaten Mass Action Over Collapsed Oko-Olowo and Ohan Bridges

Transport unions in Kwara State have threatened mass action against the federal and state governments over the abandoned Oko-Olowo/Moro and collapsed Ohan bridges, which they say are crippling economic activity in Kwara North and parts of Oyo State.

The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) issued the warning at a joint press conference in Ilorin.

Union leaders Alhaji AbdulRahman Olayinka Onikijipa of RTEAN and Alhaji Abdulrasak Adeoye Ariwo-ola of NURTW said repeated appeals to the Kwara State and Federal Ministries of Works have been ignored. They are now calling on President Bola Tinubu to order urgent completion of the Oko-Olowo/Moro bridge project, started in 2017 under former President Buhari but since abandoned.

The unions warned that failure to act would force them to mobilize. “If after everything they still refuse to repair the bridges, we know what to do — we will take mass action against the governments,” Onikijipa said.

They noted the Oko-Olowo/Moro bridge links Kaiama and Baruten LGAs in Kwara to Kishi, Igbeti, Igboho and Iseyin in Oyo, while the collapse of the colonial-era Ohan River iron bridge has left residents relying on dangerous, rain-dependent river crossings

The unions said the situation has cut off livelihoods, hindered emergency services, blocked court and ambulance access, and could disrupt elections if materials cannot reach polling units. They urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to intervene and, if needed, undertake repairs as a federal project for later reimbursement.