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Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Oyo State Government executive council has approved contract for the completion of sections one and two of the 12.5-kilometre dualisation of Challenge-Odo Ona Elewe-Apata Road in Ibadan, the state capital, at the cost of N5,646,384,211.92, which includes compensation of N775,403,670.19 and all statutory deductions.s
The construction of the road, which is popularly known as Akala Way, began during the administration of a former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, and section one of the road, which was not totally completed was commissioned by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the build up to the 2011 general elections. Also, the road was not on the priority list of the administration of Abiola Ajimobi from 2011 to 2019.
But Governor Seyi Makinde, who had inspected the road shortly after he become governor in 2019, promised that his administration would complete the project, which is expected to significantly reduce traffic along Challenge-Apata axis of Ibadan metropolis.
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in the state, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, said the approval was granted during the virtual State Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday, adding that the contractor, Messrs Kopek Construction Nigeria Limited, has agreed to repair all defective portions in section one of the road and to embark on the completion of section two of the road.
“In consideration of displacement of Oyo State residents in this particular area, Oyo State Government has deliberately channelled section two to pass CBN route, so as to reduce the number of residents to be displaced by the construction. The delivery period is 12 months.
Meanwhile, Governor Makinde on Wednesday flagged off the reconstruction of the popular Akesan Market in Oyo town of Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, which was completely razed by fire on January 5, 2020. The governor had on January 8, paid assessment visit to the market and also paid homage to Alaafin with a promise that the over 400 years old market would be reconstructed to a modern day standard, and the affected traders would be compensated.
“We were able to provide our widow’s mite as a government to support the people who lost their livelihoods here and had to start again. We also replaced the fire truck at the Akesan Fire Station. So, we can go to bed and sleep with our two eyes closed knowing that should there be a fire here or anywhere else around here, the fire service will have no excuse to prevent them from doing their job,” he said.
Makinde stated further that the market was redesigned and “the reconstruction will cost N781, 716, 820.15, and the stores will be allocated to the original owners. The first phase of reconstruction will take six months and the second phase will take two months. The contractor, Mortayus Nigeria Limited from Oyo town, has assured us that in less than one year the market will be complete and ready and we pray that we never experience anything like the January 5th fire ever again.
“You must already know that this market had been in existence for 400 years and no one in recent history could have anticipated that something like this would happen. What that means is that no one even planned for a fire. So, one of the things we are doing now is to put things in place to make sure that should there be a fire in the future it will not be as devastating as this last one was.”
Oba Adeyemi, however, commended Makinde and his deputy, Rauf Olaniyan, how are both Follows of Nigerian Society of Engineers, for the gesture, saying as engineers the two of them should monitor the project so that the reconstruction of the market would be to the global standard. The monarch also prohibited the use of stoves, charcoals, and gas cookers in the market in order to prevent recurrence of the January 5th fire incident.
Makinde has also approved the notational promotion and payment of civil servants dismissed in 2012, by the last administration, who were recalled by the present administration. Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Olatubosun, made the disclosure when he briefed journalists on the outcome of this week’s virtual executive council meeting.
“Ninety seven civil servants dismissed in 2012 were recalled the moment this administration got into office, the executive council, today, approved their notational promotion and payment of gratuity to the concerned ones among them. This is in furtherance of the present administration’s drive to give cause for the working population to be happy for the job they do; it is also a testament to the fact that this is a government with large heart, that caters for the welfare of all,” he said.
