•Inspects Ibadan Circular road project with Ladoja

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says his administration has brought about a level of economic stability in the state with the monthly payment of about N24 billion in salaries to state and local government workers. Makinde stated this on Sunday, when Muslim faithful, comprising clerics, traditional rulers and political office holders paid a visit to his Ikolaba, Ibadan home, shortly after the Eid-el-Fitri prayers at the Eid Ground, Agodi, Ibadan.

He said his government’s commitment to expanding the economy of the state had been yielding results in terms of private sector investments, as more private sector players had become comfortable investing in the state.

In a related development, on Monday, Makinde conducted former governor of the state and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, round the Ibadan Circular Road Project, named after him.

The duo inspected the 32.2-kilometre East Wing of the project, which infrastructure component was nearing completion.

The East Wing End connects Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Badeku Village on Ibadan-Ile Ife Road.

Meanwhile, the delegation of Muslim faithful, led by the deputy governor, Barr. Abdulraheem Lawal, included Ladoja; senator representing Oyo South, Oloye Alli; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; and Professor Kamil Oloso.

While addressing the delegation, the governor congratulated the Muslim Ummah on witnessing the end of Ramadan and the Eid-el-Fitri 2025. He lauded them for their prayers, patriotism and commitment to the state, as well as their support for his government.

Makinde stated that the economic stability and development being witnessed in the state were as a result of the peace and harmonious coexistence among residents.

He said the new Oyo State was renowned for peace, unity and harmony, and urged all residents to work hard to sustain the atmosphere.

The governor said every good thing the people desired for the state was tied to the existence of peace and harmony in the state.

He stated, “I want to recognise and greet the father of the state, Oba Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. I also want to greet everyone here and use this opportunity to say Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim brothers and sisters. Congratulations on seeing the end of Ramadan for this year.

“Let me also use the opportunity to say one or two things. When we cast our minds back to 2007, a lot of things have happened since then. We can all see here, how our people from different political parties went for the prayer at the Eid Ground and everyone came together and came to greet me as the governor.

“We used to have the opposite of this in Oyo State back then. You would hear people say before Eid that this one should not come and that one should not come.

“But, today, because we have peace in Oyo State, we are in a situation where we can see development and peaceful co-existence and we want to sustain these.”

The governor added, “We passed through those periods and we saw the result and effects and we can compare them with what obtains now. When we have an atmosphere of unity and live in peace with ourselves, there will be development and progress. That is what we are witnessing in Oyo State today.

“My prayer has always been that this state will never go back to those periods, because if we have patience, all the things we want would be achieved.”

Makinde said, “One of those things we desire is economic stability in our state. Now, every four weeks, N24 billion gets into the economy of Oyo State through workers’ salaries. The wage bill of the state is now around N14 billion, while that of the local government is about N10 billion.

“Similarly on the private sector side, a lot of people are now comfortable to come and invest in Oyo State and we have seen quite a lot of investments.

“Yesterday, we were at the Ijaiye Farm Settlement because of the Farmers’ Wholesale Market that is coming in there. I went there to inspect the place and you will be surprised that in that settlement, we have 27,000 hectares of land. We have asked them to carve out just 3,000 hectares out of the 27,000 for that project.

“Let me also say this; political office holders across the country should do their best to improve things, because it has been a difficult and challenging period for the people, but as they say, tough times don’t last, only tough people do.”

Delivering the message of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Ladoja, called for patience among the people of Oyo State and urged them to remain steadfast and hopeful in the face of challenges.

Speaking with newsmen after the Eid prayer, the deputy governor urged the Muslim Ummah to always exhibit the valuable lessons of empathy, love and kindness and also abide by the doctrines and lessons taught by the Holy Quran.

He thanked Makinde for his commitment to the welfare of workers and the people of Oyo State through prompt payment of salaries and for governing the state with truth and fear of God.

While offering special prayers for Makinde and the success of his administration, Professor Oloso thanked the governor for his support to the Muslim Ummah.

Equally, in the delegation that visited the governor were Deputy Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Fadeyi; Oloye Nureni Akanbi, commissioners, chairmen and chairpersons of local government areas and other government functionaries.

It would be recalled that Ladoja conceived the idea of the 110-kilometre Ibadan Circular Road Project when he was governor of the state between 2003 and 2007.

But Makinde executed the all-important project, which aims to reduce traffic congestion in Ibadan metropolis as well as boost industrialisation of the state.

The governor explained, “The project will be the first motorway in Nigeria,” adding, “the circular road will be the very first motorway in Nigeria. With the circular road we are redefining the city limit not just for Ibadan but for the majority of the local governments around Ibadan.”

The Makinde administration promised to complete the first phase of the project, comprising the 32.2km East Wing and 36.7km North-East Wing of the project from Badeku Village to Akinyele Local Government Area.

Makinde and Ladoja were accompanied by Senior Executive Assistant (General Administration) to the governor, Chief Bayo Lawal, among other dignitaries.

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