Ibadan Circular Road: Over 1,000 communities protest 500m expansion

Residents of more than 1,000 communities along the Ibadan Circular Road corridor have raised strong opposition to the Oyo State Government’s plan to extend the road’s construction pillars from 150 metres to 500 metres.

In a coordinated protest on Monday and a follow-up statement on Tuesday, the residents, spread across Oluyole, Egbeda, Ona-Ara, Lagelu, Akinyele, and Ido local government areas, appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to reconsider the proposed expansion, warning of dire social and economic consequences.

At Monday’s protest, demonstrators stormed the entrance of the Secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, displaying placards with inscriptions like “150 metres is enough”, “Our people are dying daily”, and “Don’t displace us again”.

Ismail Qamardeen Abimbola, who spoke on behalf of the demonstrators, said the proposed expansion was already causing fear and trauma among residents.

“Many people are physically alive but emotionally dead from the anxiety of losing their homes. The 150 metres already marked have displaced many. Going beyond that would be unbearable,” he said.

The residents later released a joint statement signed by the Coordinator and Secretary of the Ibadan Circular Road Communities Representatives, Niyi Fasoye and Isiaq Jimoh, warning that any further extension of the road corridor would destroy over 10,000 homes and commercial structures.

They explained that many landlords and landladies had died from stress linked to displacement.

“We are not encroaching on government land. We acquired our properties legally. Governor Makinde should not allow this pillar extension beyond the originally marked 150 metres,” the statement read.

The communities affected in Oluyole include Egbeda Tuber, Tech-U, and Ajota; in Lagelu, Ejioku, Arulogun, and Oyagaga; in Egbeda, Ayede and Erunmu; and Ona-Ara, Ajia, Badeku, and Akamo, among others.

Akinyele and Ido LGs also have dozens of affected villages, including Aroro Kole, Molarere, Omi-Adio, Wire & Cable, and Elenusonso.

The Ibadan Circular Road project was first conceptualised during the administration of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja (2003–2007) but stalled under his successor, the late Adebayo Alao-Akala. The actual construction began under the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi between 2011 and 2019.

The residents urged Governor Makinde to continue the project within the original boundaries, saying, “We are sons of the soil. We built these homes with sweat and years of sacrifice. Please don’t uproot us again.”