By Adeyinka Adeniran
For the second day running, hundred of residents whose house have been marked for demolition on the Ibadan Circular Road (ICR) corridor on Thursday staged a peaceful protest at the Oyo State government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The protesters, arrived the Secretariat gate as early as 7AM with placards, banners and loudspeakers.
Corenews reports that, the protesters, despite the torrential rain on Wednesday refused to leave the protest ground, insisting on talking to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Although, the governor was on Wednesday attending the ground breaking ceremony of the upgrade of Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan, the protesters sang heavily and rejected the 500meters corridor as prescribed by the Governor.
On Thursday, Corenews observed that the protesters who were gathered were unrelenting in their demands, asking the governor not only to come and attend to them, but to cancel the corridor which has affected their houses and means of livelihood.
The development led to the closure of the main entrance gate with only one side open for human and vehicular movement. The development was an improvement to the situation on Wednesday where only pedestrian were allowed into the State Secretariat through the main entrance.
It was observed that the protesters sang and offered prayers for the state, the people and governor, pleading that the corridor on the Ibadan Circular Road is cancelled in its entirety.
Despite the protest, the protesters ensured that the traffic situation around the state secretariat was well managed as they coordinated vehicular movement around the axis.
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.
But, the governor, it was gathered was away outside the state on official purpose.
Some inscriptions on their placards read “Stop 500meteres ICR Corridor to save lives in Ile-Ola community”, “500metres Ibadan Circular Road corridor will render us homeless and rob us all of our lands, houses, labour’s and inheritances, Akinyele, Egbeda, Lagelu, Ona-ara, Oluyole, Ido LG residents plead, Governor Seyi Makinde please have mercy”, “Ibadan Circular Road (ICR) is good but 500metre corridor is a killer, corridor is a killer stop it now”, “Safe lives, safe lives, safe 1,500 families in Arulogun, 1000 meters corridor is inhumane” and “Governor Seyi Makinde, please save over 1,500 families in Eni-Osa”, among others.
As at the time of this report, the leadership of the protesters are engaged in an ongoing meeting with the Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (rtd).
Other government representatives at the meeting could not be confirmed as at the time of this report.
