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Govt wants to demolish houses we spent our gratuities to build –Residents
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They should wait till I die before taking over my only house –Christian missionary
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Let’s support govt if we want development, says gov’s spokesman
By Oluseye Ojo
Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, is witnessing a heated controversy over the ongoing construction of the 110-kilometre Ibadan Circular Road project, pitting landed property owners against the state government.
The project, aimed at decongesting the city and fostering development of new towns and industrial zones, has led to concerns over compensation and acquisition of land.
However, opponents argue that the project would lead to displacement and marginalisation of vulnerable communities.
They demand that the government should prioritise the rights and interests of affected property owners and ensure that they are treated fairly.
The controversy
The affected people stated that the land acquisition for the Ibadan Circular Road began in 2005, and many had settled in the affected areas before the project started. They insisted that extending the corridor beyond the designated 150 metres would be unjust to property owners.
Landed property owners, like Jemilatu Abdulwaheed, are concerned about the impact of the project on their livelihoods.
She told the reporter that the four-bedroom flat built by her husband in Molarere, Akinyele Local Government, falls within the additional acquisition area.
Her husband, a commercial motorcycle rider, built the house with proceeds from his business, and the family is now facing demolition, she stated.
Her words: “We packed into the house over 11 years ago, and we never knew about the Circular Road Corridors. The government assured us they wouldn’t demolish our houses, but now they’re renewing the notice of demolition.
“My husband struggled to build the house as an okada man with one eye. But since the problem came up that our house would be demolished, he has been crying. He has no power to ride okada again. He has been crying and the remaining one eye is about to go blind as well.
“Since the issue of this corridor came, we have not had rest in the house. My husband could not take part in the protest against the circular road corridors because his remaining eye that is not yet blind is paining him.
“We are appealing to Governor Seyi Makinde to have mercy on us. We packed to the house more than 11 years ago. As at the time we packed into the house, we never heard anything about Circular Road Corridors.
“When my husband wanted to buy the land, the land owner took us to the circular road and showed us the pillars of the circular road.
“We saw on the pillars ICR, which stand for Ibadan Circular Road. But we heard about the Circular Road Corridor last year, which is 2024.
“We mobilised and went to the Oyo State Government Secretariat and the governor assured us that the government would not demolish our houses.
“But this year, government officials renewed their notice of demolition.
Our house is a four-bedroom flat. The governor and the government should please have mercy on us.”
Similar concerns were also raised by some landed property owners whose houses are in the new acquisition for the circular road corridors. They include Mr Tunde Oyedokun and Pastor Timothy Adewakin They claimed they were shown the circular road pillars when they bought their land, before building their houses, only to be told later that their property fall within the corridor.
According to Oyedokun, “My house is inside the corridor. The law says before the land can be acquired, the government should meet the land owners. But why did the government bypass the land owners initially? It means what the government called acquisition is just a proposal.
“You cannot bypass the land owners and say you have acquired the land. If you want to acquire land and you meet the land owners, there must be adequate compensation.
“If you give a person, whose house worth is worth N4million, N400,000 , and the one that is worth N40million, you give N4milion, how is that an adequate compensation?”
In the same vein, Timothy Adewakin, a pastor, who has spent many years in foreign Christian mission, said his house is at Arulogun Zone One.
His words: “I packed to my house 10 years ago. I was taken to the location of the Circular Road when I bought the land. I was shown the pillar of the circular road
“I did everything that I was supposed to do in terms of documentation, before I started building the house.
“I know how government works. We are only appealing to the state government, and particularly Governor Makinde to have mercy on us. The only house I built in my life is about to go, if the government eventually demolishes the house.
“But if the government can be patient with us, the land will at the end of the day belong to the government. Now, I am more than 60 years. How many years do I want to spend more on earth? I don’t pray my children would still be staying in my house in the next 15 to 20 years. The government can acquire the house by then.”
A woman, who preferred to be anonymous, told the reporter: “I am a top civil servant in this state. My husband’s house and my own house are in the corridor. But we cannot talk, otherwise, we shall be sacked. The extension of the acquisition has affected us so badly.
“I must let you know that many civil servants, who could not afford to buy land in urban areas went into the remote areas to buy land many years ago. They built their houses. Many of them are now retirees. They do not have the energy to work again. Where will they start from?
“It may interest you to know that some top Christian and Islamic leaders have houses in the areas that have become Circular Road Corridors now. Some retired military men are also affected. If the government does not listen and be magnanimous towards us, our houses will go.
“Though the government has made promises, our people do not trust what the government would later do. The government said it would give concession. But how are we sure that the government would not just wake up one day, come with bulldozers to our areas, and demolish our houses?
“I need to tell you that the new acquisition is round Ibadan and cuts across six of the 11 local government areas in Ibadan. The affected local governments are Akinyele, Lagelu, Egbeda, Ona Ara, Oluyole and Ido.”
The affected people also said about 142 communities might be wiped off by the project.
Conception and execution
The Ibadan Circular Road project was conceived to ease traffic congestion and promote development in the city. The project involves constructing a 110-kilometre road with a 60-metre right-of-way, flanked by 500 metres of acquired land on either side.
According to Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority (OYNTCDA), the land for the project was initially acquired in 2005 by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, with 75 metres on both sides.
Subsequent administrations expanded the acquisition to 500 metres on either side.
Concerns and demands
The affected property owners have addressed press conferences, staged prolonged but peaceful protests, held meetings with the government officials, and issued press statements.
They have also told Governor Makinde that they want the circular road, but they do not want the circular road corridors.
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In addition, some of the affected people have also asked for adequate compensation for their property, transparency in the acquisition process, alternative housing or relocation assistance, and review of the project’s scope and implementation.
Government’s position and intervention by NAPAA
The National Association of Public Affairs Analysts (NAPAA) invited the Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority (OYNTCDA), Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, and the media team of the governor, led by the Special Adviser on Media and Chief Press Secretary, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, for a meeting in Ibadan.
The purpose of the meeting was to get adequate and factual information on the project for the analysts to discuss issues surrounding the circular road and its corridors for them to do analysis from an informed point of view.
The meeting was called by NAPAA based on a recent indefinite protest embarked on by people affected by construction of the circular road
During the meeting, the Oyo State Government announced concessions to limit acquisitions to 150 metres instead of 500 metres in developed areas.
Adebiyi, a retired permanent secretary, who is the Head of the OYNTCDA,, saddled with the responsibility of developing Ilu-Tuntun Smart City Project, which is modern urban hub with smart infrastructure, stated: “There is no new acquisition. When you listen to some radio stations, you will hear them saying Governor Makinde has snatched our land. No. Governor Makinde has not acquired a metre of land from that axis since 2019.”
She explained that a former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, now Olubadan of Ibadanland, acquired 75 metres on both sides, making 150 metres for the road in 2005.
Adebiyi added that during the administration of former governor Abiola Ajiimobi, particularly when Ibadan Master Plan was developed in 2017, the government acquired 425 metres on either sides of the road, making 850 metres and extended the acquisition to 500 metres on either sides making a total of 1000 metres.
“So, the breath of that road is one kilometre., which is 500 metres on either sides. The road itself is 60 metres. The other part of the road is 470 on each side.
‘Then, the government has agreed to concede 150 metres in developed areas. In undeveloped areas, the status quo of 500 metres will apply. But in appropriate places, compensations will be paid.”
Adebiyi also explained what the Global Certificate of Occupancy given by the government to OYNTCDA meant, saying: “The global CofO is to facilitate development and remove the encumbrances.
“If your property falls within the developed areas, you can still apply for your own CofO. But the OYNTCDA has overall ownership of that area, just like Ibadan Local Government Properties has control of land ceded to that agency. That is the way the government makes things really easy..
Speaking on the occasion, the Special Adviser to the governor of Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said: “No part of that corridor has been given to any real estate developer. No.
“Don’t let us forget that Senator Ladoja paid compensation. In most of these cases, what we are facing is double compensation.
“All of us that come from this state, let us know that it would be a disaster if the government spends billions of Naira to build that road, and we missed the opportunity to develop that area.
‘If the government spends over N100billion Naira to build 110 kilometres of road, and we missed the opportunity to develop that area, generations coming will not forgive us, because it would have been a wasted opportunity, and money put to wrong use.
“If you drive from Lekki to Ajah in Lagos, look at both sides, what do you see? You will see real development. You will see companies. The companies did not just emerge, somebody saw the future, and prepared that portion of land for that particular development.
“So, if you want Oyo State to develop, if you want our children to have jobs, if we want to attract investments; the kind that will activate accelerated development in this city, we need to support the government in bringing to reality the vision of the Circular Road.”
Latest protest and debacles
The affected people protested against the corridor some weeks ago, and they were addressed by the governor. He assured them that no house would be demolished.
According to him, those that have built their houses would be factored into the project. But he warned that there should be no further development on the undeveloped areas.
But the people renewed the protest in the second week of November, this year. This time around, they said the protest would be indefinite. They vowed that the protest would not stop until Governor Makinde attends to their request, which is rejection of circular road corridors and acceptance of circular road itself.
Some of the angry protesters barricaded one side of the Oyo State Government Secretariat at Agodi. They went there with a public address system and took turns to speak and sing. They called the governor all sorts of names, including a land grabber.
But the governor said he would not address the protesters at the protest ground. He said he would meet the people that are genuinely affected separately in their communities.
He clarified that he is not a land grabber, and that the acquisition was for a better tomorrow for the state, Nigeria, and Africa. People, he said, should call him out if they see his name on the acquired land.
Makinde also questioned how people that have work would be protesting on daily basis, describing them as jobless. He added that the protest has lasted for some days, and alleged that the protesters were being sponsored by politicians.
The protesters, however, said they were not jobless, noting that they had to let the public know about the new acquisition and planned demolition of their houses.
“We are not jobless and we are not being sponsored by anyone. We are only protecting our property and appealing to the government to complete the circular road and leave the corridor as it is. We don’t want the corridor. It will let many landlords die prematurely, because they don’t have the power and the means to build another house,” Mr Ade Olanrewaju said.
The protest caused significant traffic disruption, and security operatives monitored the situation to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
Benefits of the circular road, according to the proponents, include decongestion of Ibadan city, fostering development and investment, creating job opportunities, and enhancement of the state’s economic growth.
Detailed urban plan
This newspaper obtained a document on the Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) of the state government, said to have been developed between 2016 and 2017, which reportedly forms part of the new Ibadan Master Plan.
As stated in the document, the circular road was first proposed in 2005 and was intended as a 110-kilometre long expressway that would surround Ibadan’s urban areas.
It was gazetted in the early 2000, and was flagged off in 2017 by the former governor of the state, the late Senator Abiola Ajiimobi. It stated further that the central area of Ibadan struggles with congestion as traffic is routed through the city centre.
“The Circular Road acts as a bypass of the city, allowing vehicles to be dispersed rather than concentrating on routes through the city. The road is also a key component serving the proposed Growth Centres and Expansive Areas, creating well connected new development areas.
“The purpose of this Detailed Urban Plan (DUP) is to provide a framework to guide development of a one kilometre wide area of intervention along the length of the Circular Road.
“This area comprises land 500m either side of the Circular Road centre line. However, the design of the Circular Road itself does not form part of this DUP. Therefore, the area of intervention is 470m either side of the 60m easement
“The development plans in this DUP that cover the one kilometre wide area of intervention should not be considered in isolation. The ring of development proposed is not separate from the rest of the city and has been designed so it can be fully integrated once the plans for those areas have been progressed in further detail.
“In reality, the boundary of the Circular Road DUO should not be considered as a strict physical boundary; the street layout and design principles proposed will continue past the DUP boundary, influencing and integrating with the growth of new development areas in the rest of the city as illustrated in the Ibadan City Masterplan.
‘In this DUP, development plans have been created to cover the whole length of the road. These are presented as a series of 35 development areas, at a scale of 1:10,000. These plans for in with the strategic Ibadan City Masterplan and include proposals for land use distribution, social infrastructure provision and the transport network. The DUP will provide a positive view of Ibadan from the Circular Road,’ the document reads in part.
