By Adeyinka Adeniran
Residents on the Ibadan Circular Road corridor have again appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde over the plan for a setback of 500 metres left and right of the road.
They made the appeal at a press conference which held at Muslim Area, Ibadan on Thursday.
The affected residents who are from across six local government areas of the state including: Oluyole, Ona Ara, Egbeda, Lagelu, Akinyele and Ido urged the state government to stick to the initial plan of 75 metres left and right of the road setback agreed under the former Governor Rashidi Ladoja administration.
Chairman of the corridor residents, Chief Adedeji Ahmed, said over 300,000 residents were traumatized, lived in fear of displacement and the realization that their source of livelihood was about to be lost.
Noting that several houses have been marked for demolition, Adedeji appealed to the state governor to speak out on the raging issue and stop further demolitions.
The affected residents at the press conference also carried placards and banners expressing their pleas.
Some of the inscriptions read: “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”, among others.
Speaking at the press conference, the Secretary of the corridor residents, Mr Azeez Abass, said “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 of taking 500 meters to the right and 500 meters to the left as a road setback.
“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 His excellency Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.
“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, stating clearly why he intends to take 500 meters to the right and 500 meters to the left as a road setback.
“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 as stated by the past administration of His excellency Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.”
Other affected residents including: 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.
While they noted that some projects were done for public interest, they argued that a 500 metres setback for the Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road was beyond the norm.
