The Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde has paid an on-the-site assessment visit to the New Garage-Bembo-Apata road which links to Abeokuta-Express road in Ibadan.
The Governor made the visit on Monday 13 January 2020.
He said the purpose of the visit was to assess the situation of the roads and dialogue with owners of houses whose properties are on the path of the road and are to be demolished.
Speaking to newsmen at the site, the Governor said, “It’s in the budget and we think this is a big win for us.”
On compensation plans for people whose properties would be affected by the road construction, the Governor said “You can’t demolish people’s properties without compensating them. So we will engage them, and from the feelers I can see out there they also want development in this area.”
“Yes, development comes at a price. It may be painful but for the common good of all, I believe they will cooperate with the government.”
The purpose of the dialogue is to reach an agreement on adequate compensation with the owners of the houses.
While at the site, he assured all that the construction of the roads would begin in earnest with the use of highly efficient equipment (similar to the ones you can find at www.platformsandladders.com/lifts/) as there is already a provision for the construction in the 2020 budget.
The New Garage road linked the Ring Road/Challenge and Lagos bypass with the Elebu Express road. Construction began on the road during the tenure of former Governor Alao Akala, who stopped the road at Kuola, near a popular Christ Apostolic Church (C.A.C) site.
People had alleged that the citation of the church at that location prevented the administration of Alao Akala from completing the project, thereby inflicting suffering on motorists and residents of the area.
The road is strategic to the economic development of the state, as it links Ring Road to Ibadan-Abeokuta express road, which is also less than 3KM drive to the new Lagos-Ibadan railway line.
This development comes as a huge relief to the residents of the area as the previous administration ignored the road after the Alao Akala administration stopped construction upon the expiration of its tenure.
With provisions for the construction of the road already available in the 2020 annual budget of the state, the residents of the area would expect to see development soon.
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