We’re traumatised, lived in fear of displacement, Ibadan residents tell Makinde

The concerned residents along the Ibadan circular road in Oyo State have urged Governor Seyi Makinde to shelve the purported plan for a setback of 500 metres left and right of the road, saying over 300,000 residents would be displaced by the proposed state’s action.

The circular road which cut across six out of eleven local government areas in Ibadan, the residents appealed to the State Government to stick to the initial plan of 75 metres left and right of the road setback agreed upon under the former Governor Rashidi Ladoja’s administration.

Adedeji Ahmed, Chairman of the corridor residents said thousands of residents had been traumatized, lived in fear of displacement and “the realization that their source of livelihood was about to be lost”.

While saying that several houses had been marked for demolition, Adedeji urged the State governor to speak out on the raging issue and stop further demolitions.

Adedeji, who addressed a press conference in Ibadan, noted that the residents of the six local governments affected to include Oluyole, Ona Ara, Egbeda, Lagelu, Akinyele and Ido while some of the residents carried banners with inscriptions such as “We are bleeding with notice of house demolitions,” “Our source of livelihoods are about to go with 500 metres Circular Road corridor,” “Please don’t render us homeless.”

But statement read at the press conference by secretary of the corridor residents, Azeez Abass,said “It is a shocking move by the Governor to take 500 meters to the right and 500 meters to the left for a road setback and displaced people living at the circular road corridor wherein the initial plan was 75 meters by left and 75 meters by right by the past administration of Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.

Read also: Experts blame hypertension, economic stress as sudden death cases rise in Nigeria

Condemning the alleged act, he said “all the residents jointly condemned the present administration’s move and act as inhumane, cruel and betrayer as we all voted for this Government.

“Hundreds of thousands are traumatized, with records of emotional damage due to the ongoing demolitions, while others are living in fear of the proposed plan. It is heart-breaking to establish that, right from the resurgence of the circular road agitation, Seyi Makinde-led government has never made a public statement to address the situation.

“We challenge the governor to publicly address the citizen of the state, clearly why he intends to take 500 meters to the right and 500 meters to the left as a road setback but our demand is for him to stop the plan and maintain the gazetted initial plan of 75 meters by left and 75 meters by right”, he said.

Other affected residents to include Adeniyi Fasoye, Oluwafemi Abiola, Adebayomi Adekunle, Oyeneye Christopher, Buliaminu Ogundele, Kayode Babayomi urged Makinde to yield to their demands, noting that the consequences of a 500 metres setback was too hard for them to bear.

Saying that some projects were done for public interest, he argued that a 500 metres setback for the Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road was beyond the norm.

The affected residents however called on the Oyo State House assembly, the Olubadan of Ibadan, the mogajis and the good people of Oyo State to exercise their power and intervene.