Sola Adeyemo 
Before he left office as Governor of Oyo State in 2003, Lamidi Adesina (of blessed memory) made a proposal to ease the perennial traffic gridlock within the metropolis of Ibadan, the state capital, by in- augurating construction of Ibadan Circular Road.
The road was intended to lead to a detour few kilometres to Ibadan, from the Lagos Expressway, andlink Badeku Village after the Toll Gate area of Ile – Ife, Osun Express- way, thereby reducing the stress and loss of several man-hour spent on traffic through Ibadan Toll Gate to Iwo Road, via Alakia, before getting to Iyana Agbala. The 110 kilometres Circular Road was equally designed to address traffic problems created within Ibadan City by motorists travelling from Lagos en route to Osun State.
Iwo Road interchange is most notorious for this menace as motorists coming from Oyo, Iseyin in Oke Ogun area, as well as, those coming from Lagos struggle with intra-city commercial vehicles to find their way to Osun State through the Iwo Road interchange.
With the proposed
Circular Road becoming a reality, traffic around Iwo Road was expected to be eased making it easier for smooth movement and vehicular activities within the area.
Also, businesses within the pre- cinct of the road were expected to be impacted positively and thereby, boost the economy of the areas as many industries and social amenities would spring up along the areas. It would attract investors to develop the axis better than it is presently.
Constraints
Although the proposed road project was commended by the people, who saw it as a great relief for residents and commuters plying the areas, however, these expec- tations of the people were cut short as former Governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina-led administration’s decision to finance the project from the resources of the state government was not realised.
This was due mainly to the paucity of funds experienced at the time. Records available shown that the lands for the road project have been acquired by the government and owners of affected lands compensated by the government. When Senator Rasidi Ladoja won the 2003 governorship election and became governor, his administration also believed in the necessity of the project.
The master plan was drawn and efforts were on to implement it. However, the 2005 illegal impeachment of Ladoja, orchestrated by the then former President Olusegun Obasanjo through the crooked instrumentality of the then “Garrison Commander of Oyo state politics”, the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, frustrated it.
Ladoja was out of office for 11 months before the Supreme Court nullified the impeachment and reinstated him. Between January 2006 when he was reinstated and 2007 when another election was conducted, Ladoja was unable to do much because the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government that installed Adebayo Alao-Akala as governor then, had taken over the whole party structure, thereby denying Ladoja the chance of a second term.
The aforementioned political development was put a final pay to the project as it was consigned to the backwaters of history since Ladoja could not get a second term that would enable him continue in office and then carry out the execu- tion of the road project as promised by him then.
When the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi won the 2007 governorship election under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), his administration also stepped up efforts at executing the Circular Road project. Instead of using state funds, he decided to contract the construction to a firm called ENL. had been awarded to the firm through its Chairman, Clement Adesuyi Hastrrup.
Following this development, the contractor mobilised to the site and carried some clearing as well as embark on earth work. When Governor Seyi Makinde assumed office in 2019, again, there were expectations that he would followed through the road construction began by his predecessor. However, two years into his administration, the governor revoked the contract, and ordered the contractor to leave the site while he re-awarded the project to a new concessionaire, named; Messrs SEL-Vydra Consortium, at the cost of N138.2 billion.
Hastrrup demanded for N10.6billion to be paid his com- pany before he could leave the site as ordered by Makinde, leading to controversy. The development, many said may not have been unconnected with the raging disagreement then between the former APC government of Ajimobi and that of Makinde.
Agonies
Meanwhile, many residents of the areas; along the 110 Rasidi Ladoja Circular Road, who unknowingly bought lands from some of the original owners, who had been compensated by the previous administration, incurred losses as most of the property on the way of the road construction were demolished by the govern- ment. Many have of them were rendered homeless while many relocated, realising that they had bought lands illegally and swin- dled by the sellers, who knew the lands had already been acquired by the government.
Agitations
Besides, as Makinde revs the engine of construction on the road project, many residents along the Circular Road paths besieged the Agodi Government Secretariat Gate for four days, protesting the demolition of their property by the construction firm. According to some of them, what the initial plan stipulated was 150 metres setback on both sides of the road, but during Ajimobi’s period, he was said to have extended it to 350 metres and had it gazetted.
The extension affected many property already built within the 350 metres. Gathering at the gate on daily basis, asking Makinde to stop the construction firm from demolish- ing their property, the protesters said Makinde’s administration was acting against the policy of populism, which was his avowed mantra, as he placed emphasized on the welfare of the people, by extending the setback from 250 meters to 500 meters.
Demolition
Following this agitation, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Makinde met with the protesters and clarified the situation, directing the contractor to stop the further demolition of property within the 150 meters radius initially planned before Ajimobi extended it to 350 meters. He debunked the allegation of the extension, saying that: “We are living in very tough economic times and it’s a time that calls for strong leadership and tough decisions but we must remain sympathetic to the plight of our people.
This is why we are always looking for ways and means to make things easier for our people.” The governor further declared that the government had begun enumeration of affected houses in the corridor, with a view to paying adequate compensation to those affected. Addressing the protesters, Makinde, said: “I have a solution. For now, there will not be any demolition and I have asked them to put a stop to whatever demolition they are doing…
I promise you. Anyone who already has a building within the 150m-500 metres, none of the houses that are standing right there will be demolished but there must be no further development on that corridor.” The governor, who appreciated the protesters for their peaceful conduct, reiterated that his administration would continue to prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of the people of Oyo State while also keeping its focus on developing the state sustainably.
This is as he said, “you will have to appoint some representatives in these communities to sit down with the government and look for a way out, because we are doing the Circular Road project so that we can create employment opportunities for our people. We will have industries along the corridor.”
Making a case for the affected residents, earlier, Prince Niyi Fasoye, Chief Olaniran Ere Asalatu and Mr Azeez Olaide, had applauded Makinde’s developmental projects, especially the construction of the Ibadan Circular Road, which they noted had influenced development around the area. Prompt and favourable response to their plight.
Allegations
Speaking further on the directive of the governor, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Williams Akin-Funmilayo, stated during a recent press briefing jointly addressed with Professor Dahud Kehinde Shangodoyin, Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, at the Conference Room of the Ministry, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan that the state government would continue to prioritise the welfare of its citizens and residents in order to ensure further growth and development are achieved.
He denied the claims that Makinde extended the setback on the road from 150metres to 500 metres. This is as he also disclosed that the governor has not acquired any square meter of land within the corridor of the Circular Road since 2019 when he got into office. According to him, 150 metres to the left and 150 metres to the right of the Circular Road were acquired in August 2006 during the administration of Ladoja while the 350 metres to the left and right of the road was also acquired and gazetted by the Ajimobi in 2018.
He declared that the 32 kilometres East Wing Section of the project, spanning Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Badeku Village on Ibadan/Ile-Ife Road would be ready in 2025. According to the Commissioner, the road would be the first freeway in Nigeria even as he reiterated the promised earlier made by Makinde to the effect that those whose property had been demolished outside the 150 metres would be compensated.
‘‘He had instructed officials of the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development to enumerate those affected for adequate compensation. Those still putting on foundations along the corridor might, however, not be captured in the compensation scheme,’’ it was noted.
