The recent flag-off of the ₦297 billion Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road project by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is, on the surface, a welcome development. No reasonable Nigerian should oppose the construction of a strategic road capable of improving transportation, commerce and economic integration between Oyo and Ogun states. However, while celebrating new infrastructure, it is equally legitimate for citizens to ask difficult questions about abandoned, delayed and previously approved projects.
The most obvious concern in Oyo State is the Oyo–Ogbomoso Road. The 52-kilometre road has remained one of the enduring symbols of the Federal Government’s inability to deliver major infrastructure projects within reasonable timelines. While the Ibadan–Oyo and Ogbomoso–Ilorin sections were completed, the Oyo–Ogbomoso axis was abandoned for years. The project has passed through successive administrations and contractors, with fresh promises of completion repeatedly made.
The Ibadan–Oyo section of the road is also already dilapidated. Many motorists plying that particular route now prefer using the old section of the road because the main section is awaiting repairs. This raises a fundamental question of whether the government should continue to announce and flag off new road projects when existing major roads are still struggling with maintenance, rehabilitation and completion?
It is also important to acknowledge a reality that is often overlooked in discussions about road infrastructure in Oyo State which is that some of the most visible and completed major road projects in the state in recent years have been delivered or rehabilitated by the Seyi Makinde-led Oyo State Government. These include the Ibadan–Iseyin Road, the Oyo–Iseyin Road and the newly completed Ogbomoso–Iseyin Road, while the administration also undertook the rehabilitation of the Iseyin–Saki Road.
This is significant because it demonstrates that the people of Oyo State are not opposed to ambitious road projects; rather, they want projects to move beyond flag-off ceremonies to actual completion. The contrast between completed state-funded interventions and the prolonged history of some federal road projects should therefore compel the Federal Government to provide clearer assurances about its capacity to deliver the newly announced Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road. This becomes increasingly necessary owning due to the Kabiesi Olubadan tacit support for the project, else our respected baba may become object of ridicule if the problem turns out like the others.
This history naturally creates apprehension whenever another multi-billion-naira road project is announced. The question is not whether the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road is desirable, because it certainly is. The question is whether the Federal Government has demonstrated sufficient capacity and commitment to complete the projects already on its books before embarking on more ambitious ones.
The concern becomes even more pertinent because the Federal Government has recently approved or announced several projects in the South-West. In June, for instance, the construction of an Oyo Circular Road from Ijawaya through FGGC, Sabo and Ilora to Akinmorin was announced. The Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode project itself was formally flagged off on August 24, 2026, at an estimated cost of ₦297 billion.
With elections approaching, it is understandable that citizens may become suspicious of a sudden concentration of project approvals and flag-offs. This does not automatically mean that the projects are politically motivated. Nevertheless, government must recognise that public scepticism is legitimate. The best way to dispel such suspicion is not through political rhetoric, but through transparent procurement, clear funding arrangements, visible mobilisation and measurable completion timelines.
There is also a serious fiscal question. The 2026 budget provides for enormous expenditure, including ₦68.32 trillion in aggregate expenditure under the enacted appropriation. Government therefore owes Nigerians a clear explanation of how the ₦297 billion Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode project will be financed, particularly alongside other ongoing federal infrastructure commitments. Will the money come from budgetary appropriations, multilateral loans, domestic borrowing, infrastructure funds, private-sector financing, or a combination of these sources?
The concern, therefore, is not opposition to development. It is a demand for consistency. Nigerians have seen too many roads flagged off with impressive ceremonies, only for construction to slow down or stop when political attention shifts elsewhere.
The Tinubu administration deserves commendation if the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road is completed in record time. But the real test will not be the flag-off ceremony. It will be whether this ₦297 billion promise becomes a completed road while older promises, particularly the Oyo–Ogbomoso Road, are finally brought to a credible conclusion.
Until then, caution is not cynicism. It is responsible citizenship.
