Governor Seyi Makinde.
Some observers had recently pointed out that inner roads were in a parlous state across Ibadan. However, there are always questions as to how viable it is for any administration to solve all its inherited problems within its short period of stay in office.
In response to positive criticisms and its determination to reposition Oyo, the Makinde-led government has therefore released a detailed policy on how it wants to address the state of inner roads across the state.
On Wednesday, at its eighth Executive Council meeting since inauguration on May 29, 2023, the government approved the award of contracts to reconstruct, repair or improve a total of 99.53km inner roads across Ibadan.
The state’s Commissioner for Public Works and Transportation, Professor Dahud Shangodoyin, who disclosed this during a press briefing, said while the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) would handle some of the projects, others would be handled by contractors.
According to him, “OYSROMA will work on roads like U.I junction to Agbowo linking Ojoo–Iwo road expressway with a spur to Preboye’s world, which is 2.3km; Sango-Eleyele road, which is 10.6km; Zion Plaza, Olusoji Avenue linking Alao Akala expressway, which is 1.25km; a culvert at Eleyele/Ologuneru road junction; Eleyele roundabout, Water Corporation, Eruwa Garage road, which is 0.63km.”
The commissioner gave the total cost of the roads to be fixed by the state agency as N553,604,734.3 with the completion time of three months.
Shangodoyin added, “Also, we considered the brief on the asphaltic improvement/rehabilitation of selected roads in Ibadan. The brief is in two parts – Lot 1 and Lot 2, which have a cumulative of 12 roads. Lot 1, which is 70.45km, consists of 10 roads and the council approved the award to Messrs KOPEC Ltd at a contract sum of N24.8bn for 12 months
“Lot 2 of this road is awarded to RATCON Construction Company. It has 12 roads of 14.30km at a contract sum of N1.88bn for a duration of six months. The summary is that we approved Lot 1 and Lot 2 of 12 roads with a total of 84.75km for Ibadan feeder roads.
“Lot 1 for Ibadan feeder roads has 10 roads on that axis; Oshuntokun – Housing Corporation – Elewure – Awolowo junction and it is 2.99km. The second road on that Lot 1 is Aare junction-Ashi, along Bodija road, which is 3.48km; Bodija-Oju-Irin-Ashi-Basorun with a spur to Ojoo, which is 3.45km; reconstruction of U.I (Preboye junction)-Bodija market- Secretariat road-Beere roundabout dual carriageway, 15.53km; Government House-NTA junction-Ikolaba-JAMB office-Officers Mess-Federal Secretariat-Custom office dual carriageway, 6.13km; Queens Cinema-Dugbe-Sango-Trans Amusement park junction and 11.74km dual carriageway.
“Others are the construction of Molete (under bridge)-Oke Ado-Oke Bola-Queens Cinema-Dugbe dual carriageway, 9.3km; Iyaganku-7th Day Adventist Church-Oke Bola junction-Olubadan stadium junction-Vale College-NUJ PRESS Centre junction with spur to Total filling station-Radio Nigeria-Kobiowu Estate-Akinyemi Junction-Ring Road, 3.85km; dualisation of Mile 10-Ring road-Mobil-Challenge car park, 8.5km; General Gas junction-Kolapo Ishola-Iyana Church with spur to Dizzengorf, 5.48km. The total length of Lot 1 is 70.45km.
One of the newly fixed roads
“For Lot 2, we have two roads, which are the reconstruction of Bus Stop-Gate-One-Beer-Jabba-Molete (under bridge) dual carriageway, 10.8km and Oke Adu-Ode Aje- Aremo-Orita Aperin, 3.5km. The total length of Lot 2 is 14.3km.”
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, while reacting to observation by critics that his principal abandoned inner roads in Ibadan, noted that Governor Seyi Makinde did not abandon any roads, but had rather been strategic and deliberate with his handling of infrastructure improvement in the state.
Olanrewaju, who doubles as the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, said, “Governor Makinde is guided by data, science and logic. Everything he does is determined by these three factors. The Governor was convinced that it would make more economic sense to kick-off his road construction intervention by connecting the production zones in the state with the consumption centre, which is the state capital. So, he started with the reconstruction of the Moniya-Iseyin Road. Let’s not forget that this is a federal road that had gone to the dogs. The road was a travellers’ nightmare as journeying on it was both tortuous and arduous. But the Seyi Makinde administration was able to fix the road in less than 20 months.”
The media aide added that the 65-kilometer road project, which was awarded on November 1, 2019, was inaugurated on June 3, 2021 with a 20-year warranty by the contractor. “The road has taken away the stress associated with plying that route and reduced travel time between Ibadan, the state capital, and the Oke-Ogun zone of the state, by as much as two hours as the trip can now be completed in less than 50 minutes.”
The governor’s spokesperson stated further, “With the completion of the Moniya-Iseyin Road, the government moved to the Oyo-Iseyin Road that links Oyo and Oke-Ogun zones. This is also a federal road that has seen better days. At a point, the road became impassable. This forced commuters going to Oyo from Iseyin to first travel to Ibadan before heading to Oyo. So, a journey that was supposed to last a maximum of 30 minutes ended up taking as much as three hours. Governor Makinde resolved to reconstruct the road due to its importance to the economy of the state. With the completion of the road, access to Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub, which is being developed by the state, has become easy.
“Similarly, in fulfillment of his promise to focus on road projects, which targets the state’s economy and links the five zones of the state to increase economic activities and stem rural-urban migration, Makinde is currently constructing the 76.7km Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road. This is a completely new road, which will link the Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso zones of the state. The road is slated for commissioning in the first quarter of 2024. There is also the 48 km Ido-Eruwa Road, which links Ibadan with the Ibarapa zone. The reconstruction of the road was flagged off on February 2, 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2024.”
Another newly fixed roads
Olanrewaju, throwing light on the importance of connecting the five zones in the state with good road networks, said for a long time the bulk of the state’s internally generated revenue had been from Ibadan, the state capital, adding that by linking the zones with good roads, the governor had unleashed the potentials of all the zones. “Imagine the difference between a single-engine aircraft and a five-engine aircraft when it comes to speed and stability. That is the difference between the Oyo State inherited by Governor Makinde and the one he is building. By connecting the zones with good roads, the Governor has positioned the state for a great haul from all the zones. This is one of the reasons the IGR, which was around N1.8bn monthly when he assumed office in 2019, is now around N4bn and the governor is even thinking of taking it to N6 bn from January next year. That is one of the benefits of connecting the zones with good roads. As the Japanese say, ‘Good thinking, good product.’ If I were to adapt that, I would say, ‘Good thinking, good governance.’ That is our experience in Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde.”
Asked to speak more on the claim that Makinde had not totally abandoned Ibadan roads, Olanrewaju said, “Before the recent approval by the State Executive Council for the award of contracts to fix almost 100 km of roads in one fell swoop, the governor had invested a tidy sum of money on constructing and improving inner roads, not just in Ibadan but across the state.
Some of the inner roads constructed are the 7.252km Idi Ape-Bashorun-Akobo-Odogbo Barracks Junction Road, the 16.96km Kolapo Ishola GRA road network, the 4.0km Beere-Alekuso-Oritamerin-Agbeni Ogunpa-Lebanon Street-Dugbe Road, all in Ibadan as well as the 9.7km Oke-Ogun Polytechnic-Ilesha Baruba Road in Saki and the 5.2km Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Aispa Road in Oyo, among others. Altogether, within four years, Makinde completed 191.97km of roads. This is more than five times higher than the 33.97km of roads completed in eight years by his immediate predecessor in office.”
The governor’s spokesperson, while empathising with the people who might feel unhappy because their roads did not get immediate attention from the government, said it was principally because of paucity of funds, adding that the state government had to take several factors into consideration before zeroing in on the roads to fix.
He said, “Let’s take Alao-Akala Way at Akobo as an example. The administration of Engineer Seyi Makinde dualised the overhead bridge at the General Gas area, which leads to Akobo. It also reconstructed the 7.252km Idi-Ape-Bashorun-Akobo-Ojurin road, which is the main road that connects Alao Akala Way with the rest of the city. The government has also awarded the other leg of the road, which leads to Olorunda Aba. So, while Governor Seyi Makinde is concerned about the state of Alao Akala Way and would want it fixed as soon as possible, being a fair and just leader who wants as many of the citizens as possible to enjoy democracy dividends, he knows that concentrating government’s projects in one part of the state will not only be unfair to other parts, it will also be inimical to the overall development of the state. Hence, the repair of the Alao Akala Way had to be put on hold for a while so that other areas of the city could be attended to.
“The fate of Alao Akala Way is the same as that of some of the roads in the city. Another example is the Elebu Road. While the road is very important and the governor would want to rehabilitate it with dispatch, due to paucity of funds, the government had to choose between fixing Owode-New Garage Road, which links many areas, including Elebu Road and is used by more people, and rehabilitating Elebu Road. The odds were in favour of Owode-New Garage Road. So, the repair of Elebu had to be shifted.”
Olanrewaju continued, “But it is important to underscore the fact that for every kilometer of road that has not been fixed yet by the government, there are several other inner roads as well as major roads that have already been constructed by the same administration. For every Alao Akala Way (2 kilometres) that has yet to be fixed, there is a 7.252KM Idi Ape-Bashorun-Akobo-Odogbo Barracks Junction Road that has been reconstructed as well as the ongoing 76.7km Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin Road. Similarly, for every Elebu Road (2.5km) that has not been fixed, there is a 12.5km Owode-New Garage Road that has been completed and the 38km Igboora-Igangan-Iganna Road, which connects Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones. In the same vein, for every 4.6km Ologuneru Road whose repair is outstanding, there is the 7.3km Agodi Gate-Old Ife Road-Adegbayi Junction that has been rehabilitated and the 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin Road; and for every 2.9km Elewuro-Iyana Agbala Road that has yet to be repaired, there is the 3.26 km Oke Adu Junction-Agodi Gate-Idi Ape Road-Iwo Road Interchange that has been completed and the ongoing reconstruction of the 37.41 km Beere-Olorunsogo-Amuloko-Akanran-Dagbolu Road.”
He added, “Similarly, while the 2.3km Apata Area road has not been fixed, Oyo State Government has commenced the reconstruction of the 4.15km BCJ-Railway-Gbekuba-NIHORT Junction Road and is making steady progress on the iconic Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road. In addition to all these, the Governor has just approved the construction/reconstruction of 100km of Ibadan inner roads.”
While assuring the people of Oyo State on the determination of Governor Seyi Makinde to ensure that no part of the state is left behind in his development agenda, Olanrewaju said “By his conduct and utterances, Governor Seyi Makinde has repeatedly shown that he is fair to all. He is unmoved by primordial sentiments, but guided by justice and fairness, which are the underpinning principles on which his administration stands. These are the factors that determine resource allocation and project distribution in Oyo State. So, all the citizens of the state should be rest assured that the gale of road construction blowing across Oyo State will soon come to their areas. It is just a matter of time.”
