The atmosphere was thick with apprehension.
Palpable fear filled the air. Even some government officials walked with trepidation. Everyone was cautious and most people had already mapped out an escape strategy in case things turned awry.
Many, despite the presence of security officers, had their vehicles parked far away from the centre of action and had instructed their drivers to be set to speed off at the slightest sign of danger.
The feeling was not out of place; the build up to last Wednesday’s meeting between Governor Seyi Makinde and Ido Local Government residents affected by the ongoing construction of Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road had been really scary.
There had been protests around Ibadan denouncing the corridor.
There had been accusations of land grabbing against the government.
There had been campaign of calumny against the governor. There had been insults and ill wishes.
Then, at the venue of the meeting, community leaders had given strict instructions to their members not to hail the governor or applaud his speech.
Their placards told the story of their agitation. The people were adamant on having their way; they wanted the road, not the setback; they wanted the road, not the corridor; they wanted just 60 metres for the road, not 150 metres or 500 metres; they wanted immediate compensation for those whose building had to go, not any promissory note.
It was a high-wire drama.
The Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road (formerly known as Ibadan Circular Road) has a long history.
The idea of a circular road that would encircle Ibadan, the largest city in West Africa by land mass, was first mooted in 1995, when a private company presented the idea to Colonel Ike Nwosu, who was the Military Administrator of Oyo State at the time.
The intent was to create a bypass that would free the city centre of traffic congestion caused by interstate travelers.
But the road project remained just a concept until Colonel Nwosu was posted out of the state in 1996.
Neither did the concept take up any form of life during the time of Colonel Ahmed Usman, who succeeded Nwosu nor did it receive any attention while Commissioner of Police Amen Oyakhire, who succeeded Usman, held sway in the state.
The idea was re-presented to Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, Oyo State’s first civilian governor in the current republic.
He set up a working committee to advise on the feasibility of the project but couldn’t take it beyond that point before he left office in 2003.
The first real progress on the Ibadan Circular Road project was recorded during the tenure of Governor Rashidi Ladoja.
After being briefed on the project, his administration provided the funds required for the survey of the road project.
In 2005, the administration completed the Right-of-Way survey, setting it at 75 metres on either side of the road.
The Ladoja administration also paid compensation to all affected by the new road.
With the exit of Ladoja from office in 2007, the project got stalled for over 10 years.
Nothing was done about the project until 2017 when the Abiola Ajimobi administration expanded the acquisition of land for the project to 1 kilometre (500 metres on each side) to align with the new Ibadan Master Plan and global standards for urban growth and infrastructure safety.
The administration embarked on the increase of the width of the road to make room for a business corridor with the aim of optimizing business opportunities around the circular road as well as make allowance for utilities, service lanes, drainage, and community access roads.
On June 16, 2017, the Ajimobi administration awarded the construction of 32.2km South East Wing Phase 1, between the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University (Tech U) on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (E1) and Egbeda on Ibadan-Ife Expressway to Messrs ENL Consortium at the cost of N67bn.
The company was expected to deliver the project by June 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, ENL Consortium invoked the force majeure clause that got the completion date extended till 2021.
However, following the inability of ENL to deliver the project on schedule, the Seyi Makinde administration, which took over from Ajimobi in 2019, revoked the contract in 2021.
According to the state government, ENL Consortium only completed 5.5 per cent of the entire project.
In June 2021, the Makinde administration awarded the road construction to a new concessionaire, Messrs SEL-Vydra Consortium, at the cost of N138.2 billion, on a Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement. But due to the slow pace of work by the company, the state government terminated the contract with a resolve to undertake the project on its own.
So on September 18, 2022, Governor Makinde flagged off the construction of the 32.2 km East-End Wing of the 110 km Ibadan Circular Road, which he renamed Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road.
That first segment of the road, which Makinde flagged off in September 2022, is about 80 per cent complete and is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2026.
However, due to the slow progress of work on the project over a period of two decades, the Circular Road became a knotty issue embroiled in controversy.
The road grew in width from the initial 75 metres aside to 500 metres on either side. With successive administrations not taking up the challenge of working on the road, many residents believed that the Circular Road would remain a mirage.
Therefore, many of those who had been compensated by the Ladoja administration sold the acquired lands to others.
With time, buildings started growing in areas earmarked as setback and corridor.
Consequently, the road path which had been a jungle when the survey was done in 2005 had turned into clusters of buildings in 2022 when the Seyi Makinde administration resolved to give life to the all-important road project.
So, the government has had to contend with demolition of structures on the road path as well as paying compensation to the affected people.
While many of the residents appreciate the efforts of the administration to upgrade Ibadan and position the state for endless opportunities through the Circular Road, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifice to see the project become a reality, some others find it difficult to come to terms with having to lose their homes because of a road.
So, these people, especially those in built-up areas along the road path, its setback and the corridor, would rather have their abodes spared than have the Circular Road with a setback and corridor.
This issue had pitted some people against the government.
So, when Governor Seyi Makinde decided to meet with the affected residents last Wednesday at Ologuneru in Ido Local Government Area of Ibadan with a view to resolving the matter, the stage was set for an epic battle of wits and wills.
Both the governor and the people wanted the road but while the governor wanted to have the setback meant to service the road for the benefit of road users as well as residents, and the corridor designed to set the stage for sustainable development in the state, the people wanted their houses already built on the setback and the corridor spared by the government.
The affected residents nominated six people to speak on their behalf at the meeting with the governor.
One after the other, each of them spoke eloquently about how their lives would be disrupted and how they might be sentenced to life-long hardship and poverty should the government insist on building the road with the setback and business corridor.
They carefully marshaled their points, determined to let the governor see their plight and have a mind shift.
The submission of each of them was that the government should limit itself to only 60 metres, which is the width of the road and forget about any setback or corridor.
The residents hailed their representatives after each presentation.
When it was his turn to speak, Governor Makinde left the podium set for him and moved closer to the people.
Looking straight at the people, Makinde said: “You installed this government.
You, the people of Oyo State, and God brought me to this office, and I am accountable to you.
And if, for over the past six plus years, this government did not fail you, it means we would still not fail you.
“When most governors get to the point which I am, they stop doing any project, because they know they are leaving soon.
What this means is that the problem would be transferred to the next administration. But I will work for the state till my last moment in office.
I am offering myself to solve our problems as much as possible. We all belong to this state. We might have challenges but we will always look at how to solve them.”
Alluding to a Biblical story, Makinde said, “My people, there may come a Pharaoh in future who may not know your Joseph.
But I am a Pharaoh that knows your Joseph. I will do that which is right for you my people.”
In spite of themselves and their pre-meeting vow, the people clapped.
The governor continued, “The Circular Road has three segments – the first is from the Technical University to Ibadan-Ife Road at Badeku, which is 32km.
We are constructing the road and, within the next three months, we would have been done.
We had this particular challenge there too but we were able to resolve it.
“I am glad that you are organised here but what we need is mutual understanding.
I told the Ministry involved that in built-up areas like this we would stay within 150 metres, and you fence off the point, because it is a rapid transfer road.
The minimum speed that a car can move on it is 80 – 100km per hour.”
Makinde then explained why the idea of sticking to 60 metres just for the road could not work.
He said, “There is a highway code for setback and even for a single lane road, that is a federal highway, it is 50 metres.
So, for a road such as this, there must be a setback but we will not have the corridor around here.
So, if they are marking beyond 150 metres, it should be disregarded. If they mark your house outside the 150 metres, disregard it.
“What this administration can do is to ensure that the second segment is completed, which is from Badeku to Moniya, about 40 km.
We are currently constructing bridges and other hydraulic structures, and I do hope that this administration would be able to complete that.
“But from Moniya to Tech U, through this point, it is another administration that would complete that.
“Personally, what I intend to do is to compensate those who are due for it. No house will be demolished without any compensation.
I am not the most perfect human being. So, wherever there are issues, we are ready to listen to you. This is your government.
In any built-up area, we won’t go beyond the setback. That is exactly what we did in Badeku.”
The applause was not instantaneous but it came. In a spate of seconds, the people tried to process what the governor had said.
They had prayed and hoped that the governor would accede to their request of “no setback” and “no corridor” but they didn’t get that.
But they saw that the governor was sincere with them. They saw that the governor was offering to protect them against future catastrophe by giving them a soft landing.
They saw that the governor meant well for them by opting to take up the challenge of resolving the crisis rather than leaving it for his successor.
They saw that the governor had good plans for the state and was intentionally removing every obstacle to its greatness.
So, they appreciated the shift made by the governor from 500 metres to 150 metres in built-up areas.
As observed by one of the affected people, Mr Philus Adedokun, “We expected more, but now we know that it is even beyond the governor.
Since the law says a road such as this must have a setback, I would not expect the governor to contravene the law.
Though it is painful that we have to lose our properties, it is at the same time gratifying that the governor considers us important enough to come and explain the issues to us personally rather than sending people to us.
At this point, all we can ask for is that the governor will live up to his promise of paying adequate compensation to all of us affected.
Then, he will continue to be my hero.”
So, the meeting didn’t end in a fiasco as had been anticipated by some people.
Rather, it ended on a friendly note as the people saw the governor to his vehicle and hailed him as his convoy departed the area.
When leaders demonstrate love, empathy and sincerity, the people’s hearts are touched and turned, then development becomes a cinch.
Dr Olanrewaju is the Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State governor.
