Ibadan Circular Road corridor residents appeal to Makinde over setback

Residents on the Ibadan Circular Road corridor have again appealed to the Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, over the purported plan for a setback of 500 meters left and right of the road.

At a press conference held in the Muslim area of Ibadan on Thursday, the affected residents across six local government areas of the state urged the state government to stick to the initial plan of 75 meters left and right of the road setback agreed under the former Governor Rashidi Ladoja administration.

Chairman of the corridor residents, Chief Adedeji Ahmed, said over 300,000 residents were traumatised and lived in fear of displacement and the realisation that their source of livelihood was about to be lost.

Noting that several houses have been marked for demolition, Adedeji appealed to the state governor to speak out on the raging issue and stop further demolitions.

The press conference saw the affected residents in Oluyole, Ona Ara, Egbeda, Lagelu, Akinyele, and Ido local government areas bear banners with inscriptions including: “We are bleeding with notice of house demolitions.” “Our source of livelihood are about to go with a 500-meter Circular Road corridor,” “Please don’t render us homeless.”

A statement read at the press conference by the secretary of the corridor residents, Mr Azeez Abass, read: “Hundreds of thousands are traumatised, with records of emotional damage due to the ongoing demolitions, while others are living in fear of the proposed plan of taking 500 metres to the right and 500 metres to the left as a road setback.

“It is a shocking move by the Governor to take 500 metres to the right and 500 metres to the left for a road setback and displaced people living at the circular road corridor, wherein the initial plan was 75 metres to the left and 75 metres to right by the past administration of His Excellency Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.

“It is heartbreaking to establish that, right from the resurgence of the circular road agitation, the Seyi Makinde-led government has never made a public statement to address the situation.

“We challenge the governor to publicly address the citizens of the state, stating clearly why he intends to take 500 metres to the right and 500 metres to the left as a road setback.

“Our demand is for him to stop the plan and maintain the gazetted initial plan of 75 meters by left and 75 meters by right as stated by the past administration of His Excellency Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.”

Other affected residents, including Adeniyi Fasoye, Oluwafemi Abiola, Adebayomi Adekunle, Oyeneye Christopher, Buliaminu Ogundele, and Kayode Babayomi, urged Makinde to yield to their demands, noting that the consequences of a 500-meter setback was too hard for them to bear.

While they noted that some projects were done for public interest, they argued that a 500-meter setback for the Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road was beyond the norm.

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