By Adeyinka Adeniran
Hundred of residents whose house have been marked for demolition on the Ibadan Circular Road corridor on Wednesday stormed the Oyo State government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The protesters who arrived the entrance gate as early as 8AM initially caused a scare as the security operatives took charge to avoid any unforseen situation.
The development led to the closure of the main entrance gates leaving only room for pedestrian.
All vehicular movement in and outside the Secretariat were stalled as the protesters, carrying placards, banners sang various plea songs and begging the governor.
The protesters who were still at the entrance gate refused all entreaties and persuasion from any government officials who approached them.
Effort of the Governor’s Executive Assistant on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (rtd) to calm the situation and reach a compromise with the protesters fell on deaf ears as they rebuffed his persuasions to disperse.
The protesters insisted on talking to Governor Seyi Makinde and he alone, claiming that he was very accessible to them during electioneering campaign and must come out to listen to them on their plight.
Speaking in an interview, the Coordinator of the group, Prince Niyi Fasoye said
He said “The movement is about corridor residence of Ibadan Circular road. We are from six local governments: Akinyele, Ido, Egbeda, Oluyole, Lagalu and Ona-Ara. We had a press conference last week but the government has not address us officially on what the government has in stock for us.
“As you can see, we are over 1000 here and what we came here for is a very simple thing. Our houses, they have put demolition notice of 21 days on our houses of which 7 days has already gone. We have less than 14 days.
“So we want Governor Seyi Makinde to come and address us. What exactly does the government has in stock for us because our people, ever since the demolition notice has been put in place, our people have started dying, people are sick in the hospital, a lot of people now have stroke, so we cannot sleep anymore.
“So we want the governor to come out and address us. We know he’s a governor of the masses and we know he loves us and we love him. We voted for him and that’s why we don’t want commissioner.
“His Executive Assistant on Security has been here this morning but no, we want the governor that we voted for to come and address us.
“Because the original plan was 75 meters right, 75 meters left, we saw the pillars before we bought our lands, before we erected our buildings. We have the copy, we have the C of O and we have the building permit. So now that government is extending it to 500 meters right, 500 meters left, what is the government plan for us.
“You’re telling us to vacate our houses. Where should we go to, we don’t have money to rent house, we don’t have money to build another house. Most of the landlords are aged people. They cannot work anymore, they cannot even get loan anymore, they’re retirees.
“Most are widow, most of widowers. So that’s why we are behind the governor, he should please, immediately, we’re begging, whatever he is doing, we’re begging, he should please come down to address us.
“The notice was posted last week Tuesday. We have just 14 days. So we can no longer continue to sleep in a house that is no longer ours. So we are begging the governor to come and address us. We don’t want commissioner, we voted for the governor, all of us here voted for the governor, Governor Seyi Makinde, he should please come and address us.
“What we are demanding from his Excellency is to cancel corridor, not even one meter corridor, he should cancel it totally. We like and embrace the Circular road and it should stay. The circular road has been taking Which is 75 meters versus 75 meters long that’s 150 meters the governor has told us we have seen it on the website that it’s 37.7 meters that will be used for the real road.
“So which means by the left side there’s 56 meters setback by the right side 56 meters setback. So the setback is already there. So the governor should please cancel the corridor. It would not benefit us. It’s killing us. It’s killing the people he’s governing. We are begging.”
