Traveling between Oyo-Iseyin Road many years ago is hellish. Apart from the discomfort, and disgust that were the hallmark of the deplorable condition of the road, trudging the road also means you will spend more time than usual. Interesting that successive administrations in the state knew the road was in bad shape but lacked the vision to connect not just the two ancient towns but also Oke-Ogun, the food basket of the state to Oyo. Until Governor Seyi Makinde came and changed the story for good. Today, commuters are praising and hailing the man whose words they can now take to the bank!
“He made a promise” most commuters now cheerfully echoed “and the result is there”. In days to come, the road will be officially commissioned by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo who incidentally also has an extension of his farm along the once rickety but now asphaltic road. For the most part, the road alongside other projects is what many have described as the trickle-down effect of democratic dividends brought about by the Governor. Flagged off by Douye Diri, the Governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state, on the 18th of December 2021, the 38.45Km road was billed to gulp N9.9 billion and to be completed within seven months. Unfortunately, the completion and commission had to take longer than expected. “As you may be aware,” the Governor remarked on the flag-off day “this is a federal road being reconstructed by Oyo state government”.
Continuing, Governor Makinde noted that a good road network is a game changer not just for the social economic activities of the state but for the overall well-being of the people. “You need good roads to drive to healthcare centers” the visibly elated Governor claimed “Without good roads, our children cannot go to school. How will farmers get to the markets if the roads are bad? And no matter how many vehicles we give to security agencies, how will they be able to get to people in trouble when the roads are bad?”. In essence, Governor Makinde’s commitment to road infrastructure has been impressively heartwarming. His projects are dotted across the state landscape connecting the once disconnected places with great ease.
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OYO101: ‘MESSIAH’— How Makinde’s Road Infrastructure Is Reviving Lost Glories | Muftau Gbadegesin
By admin – September 2, 2023 112 0
Traveling between Oyo-Iseyin Road many years ago is hellish. Apart from the discomfort, and disgust that were the hallmark of the deplorable condition of the road, trudging the road also means you will spend more time than usual. Interesting that successive administrations in the state knew the road was in bad shape but lacked the vision to connect not just the two ancient towns but also Oke-Ogun, the food basket of the state to Oyo. Until Governor Seyi Makinde came and changed the story for good. Today, commuters are praising and hailing the man whose words they can now take to the bank!
“He made a promise” most commuters now cheerfully echoed “and the result is there”. In days to come, the road will be officially commissioned by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo who incidentally also has an extension of his farm along the once rickety but now asphaltic road. For the most part, the road alongside other projects is what many have described as the trickle-down effect of democratic dividends brought about by the Governor. Flagged off by Douye Diri, the Governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state, on the 18th of December 2021, the 38.45Km road was billed to gulp N9.9 billion and to be completed within seven months. Unfortunately, the completion and commission had to take longer than expected. “As you may be aware,” the Governor remarked on the flag-off day “this is a federal road being reconstructed by Oyo state government”.
Continuing, Governor Makinde noted that a good road network is a game changer not just for the social economic activities of the state but for the overall well-being of the people. “You need good roads to drive to healthcare centers” the visibly elated Governor claimed “Without good roads, our children cannot go to school. How will farmers get to the markets if the roads are bad? And no matter how many vehicles we give to security agencies, how will they be able to get to people in trouble when the roads are bad?”. In essence, Governor Makinde’s commitment to road infrastructure has been impressively heartwarming. His projects are dotted across the state landscape connecting the once disconnected places with great ease.
Similar zeal invested by the state government in the swift completion of Iseyin-Ijaye-Ibadan Road; an important project left uncompleted by the administration of the late Abiola Ajimobi is now finding its way into other critical road projects across the state. Perhaps, Governor Makinde is likely to go down in history not just as a record breaker in road infrastructure but as a Governor whose remarkable commitment to the well-being of the people has been exceptionally topnotch. Under Governor Makinde’s watch, each zone of the state is poised to enjoy the fruits of democratic governance.
Take Oyo. For many years, the road connecting Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa has left many bewildered with most questioning the essence of government. Truly, they had reasons to express their frustrations at the lack of basic social amenities of which a good road network is a vital part. But after years of neglect by past administrations, the 5.2km Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road is back with a banger. Commissioned by the Governor of Bauchi, Bala Muhammed on the 17th of March 2022, the Oyo township road is one of the shining legacies of Governor Makinde, a manifestation of the combined effects of vision and political will.
Additionally, the story is the same in Saki where the crucial township road equally initiated but uncompleted by the government of the late Abiola Ajimobi was also speedily completed and commissioned. Umaru Fintiri, Governor of Adamawa state was honored to commission the 9.7 km dualized road on the 28th January 2022. Not resting on his laurels, the Governor has continued to launch other road projects with a direct impact on the people of the state. One such is the ambitious and audacious 76.6 km Ogbomoso-Fatope-Iseyin road. Flagged off by Kwara state Governor, Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman on 18th March 2022.
“The Ogbomoso-Fatope-Iseyin Road provides vital inter-zone connectivity between the Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun zones of Oyo state as well as easy access between the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and the Iseyin Campus” an official statement from the government reads. When looked carefully closely, each of the aforementioned road networks has a huge impact on people’s ability to move freely and importantly boost their socioeconomic activities. But that’s not to say the 65m General Gas flyover, Ibadan, 3km Under G-Stadium-LAUTECH 2nd Gate Road, Ogbomoso, and 7.2km Idi Ape-Bashorun-Akobo-Odogbo Barracks Roads among others are not worth commending.
What about the earth-shaking N300bn Ibadan Circular Road Project? Dubbed the “largest single investment that has come to Oyo State in, at least, 50 years”, the project without equivocation has been lauded not just by the supporters of the Governor but also by his critics as utterly pace-setting and incredibly groundbreaking. “Ibadan circular project, once completed would change the landscape of Ibadan”, the Governor noted. But what is it about the road project with Governor Seyi Makinde? Why is he so passionate and committed to building bridges of infrastructure? The answers it turned out can be lifted from his Road Map for Accelerated Development (2023-2027). In that document which also captures and highlights other campaign promises, Governor Makinde quipped that “at every election circle in the country, politicians make promises about infrastructural development”. They promise to build roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and so on, in part because Nigeria has a huge infrastructural deficit.
Further, he said politicians will continue to use infrastructure development as an integral part of their campaign manifestoes. “Under Omituntun 1.0, the Governor reflected “we combined reviving moribund facilities and completing projects started by previous administrations, which were strategic to our economic growth with starting our projects”. The logic of our approach, the Governor declared, was soon evident as our IGR grew, and we could draw from these funds to execute more projects”. In other words, the Governor knew, more than many others the overall essence of investing hugely in critical infrastructure that will continue to lift more people out of the dungeons of various socio-economic maladies to the crest of prosperity. The results are before our very own eyes.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
