Oyo govt dismisses land-grabbing claims over Ibadan Circular Road
By Adejayan Gbenga
The Oyo State Government has dismissed allegations that the ongoing Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road project in Ibadan is a scheme to take over residents’ land for personal interests.
Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal said on Tuesday that the project was initiated solely to support the development of Ibadan, improve transportation and create an environment for increased economic activities across the city.
Lawal made the clarification while inspecting major legacy projects in Ibadan, including the circular road and the ongoing terminal building at the Ladoke Akintola International Airport.
During the inspection, he visited the section of the circular road linking the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University/Lagos-Ibadan Expressway axis with the Badeku/Ife-Ibadan Expressway axis, where he inspected the toll gates and quality of the completed asphalt work.
Lawal described the circular road as one of the biggest infrastructure projects undertaken in the state in recent times, saying the entire project covered about 110 kilometres, which would translate to approximately 220 kilometres with the dual carriageway configuration.
He said 32 kilometres had been asphalted, amounting to 64 kilometres of dual carriageway, adding that streetlights and toll gates had also been installed along the completed section.
Meanwhile, the deputy governor assured property owners affected by the project that the government would compensate them, provided they had properly registered with the Ministry of Lands, stressing that no land acquired for the project would be left uncompensated.
Lawal therefore urged residents to disregard claims that the government was acquiring their land for personal purposes, saying the project was designed to improve Ibadan’s infrastructure, ease movement, open up new areas for development and stimulate economic activities across the metropolis.
