…I’ll not meet protesters, but meet real residents of circular road corridor, Makinde
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has commended Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state for making Ibadan liveable and comfortable for its residents, considering the series of infrastructural developments his administration has embarked on.
Obj said this in his address at the commissioning of the Ibadan Central Bus Terminal 1 and 2 at Iwo Road, Ibadan, on Wednesday. The ultra-modern terminals can accommodate 15,000 passengers on a daily basis, and they sit on 1,000 square meters of land. It was constructed by a Nigerian engineering firm.
Obasanjo said to Makinde, “You are making Ibadan liveable and you are making everybody living in Ibadan comfortable. Ibadan, in population, is the third largest city in Nigeria. But in the land area, it is the largest. So, to move from A to B in Ibadan is longer than to move from A to B in the other two cities that are bigger than Ibadan in population: Lagos and Kano.
“And if you are going to make it convenient for people to live in Ibadan, to transact business in Ibadan, there must be availability of transportation. And that is what these bus terminals are meant for.
“The two here and the two you have done before make life more comfortable for the people. And as you said, Ibadan being the capital, not only of Oyo state, but of the former Western State, of the former Western Region, we can even say that it is the capital of Yorubaland.
“Then, what you are doing in Ibadan, in Oyo state, you are doing for all of us. If we have Lagos state, Ogun state, Ekiti State, Ondo state and Osun state, we created them from Ibadan before settling them down there. And if we see anything that is still lacking there, we will come back here and see what we forgot. We appreciate what you are doing.
But for the fact that you are a very good son, I would not have come for this inauguration, considering the very short notice of three days that you gave me. Even if it is a day’s notice that you gave me, I would have come notwithstanding.
“You are a professional and certified engineer. To all those who will be using this terminal, I wish them well. Let those who are abusing you continue to be abusing you while you continue to do the good things you are doing. Those who are abusing you today will come and praise you tomorrow, just like many of them did to me.
“You resemble me in some ways; so, continue doing good for the state. To the glory of God and the benefit of those who will be using these terminals, I commission Bus Terminal 1 and 2. I thank you, Governor Seyi Makinde, for these. You will do more and more”.
In his address, Governor Seyi Makinde said the project was a symbolic one among what his administration has done in the past six years. To him, it is the gateway to Ibadan. “For anyone coming from the Northern part of the country, Iwo Road is the first impression of our city. And with the completion and commissioning of this project, we are signalling order, modernity and progress”.
Speaking on the ongoing controversial Ibadan Circular Road and the 500 metres corridor setback which residents of the five local governments affected are protesting against, Makinde said “the 110 kilometres circular road is not just a road project, but an economic backbone. We are building a corridor of opportunity. We are creating a state where industries, estates and logistic hubs will emerge to support the growth of our city over the next 20 years.
“If anyone sees any plot that belongs to me there, expose it. We want to keep aside land of the investment corridor because cities that fail to plan for tomorrow are soon swallowed in the chaos of today. For anybody coming from Ife, you don’t need to get to Iwo Road again. From Badeku, you will just branch and burst out at Tech University on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway after the Ibadan Toll Gate. It is a high-speed corridor which will only take any motorist 16 minutes. So, the corridor is not for me but for the generations coming after us. As Ibadan grows, development happens in an organised and sustainable way.
“It has now been three days today that some people have been protesting. We know that some people are sponsoring them. I will not talk to them, either at the Secretariat or anywhere else, but we shall go to that circular road corridor and address the real people there.
“The project is not for an administration, but part of the 20-year development journey for Oyo state. I have heard the unprintable names they call me: land grabber, thief, etc but leadership is about taking the blows today, safe, the future that we believe in”, Makinde said.
In attendance were many dignitaries, including the Olubadan, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja (Arusa 1), who was represented by some of his High Chiefs, as well as a former Minister, Chief Mrs Onikepo Akande; traditional rulers, government functionaries, etc.
