Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo, on Wednesday, called on affected property owners along the ongoing Ibadan circular corridor road project to dismiss house-demolition markings currently beyond the approved 150-metre limit.

Mr Makinde stated this during a visit to Ologuneru community, situated in Ido Local Government Area, Ibadan, assuring residents that the ongoing project will not exceed the designated construction limits.

Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to adequate compensation, Mr Makinde stated that a 10-member committee, comprising ten affected residents, will work with urban development agency, Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority (OYNTCDA), in a bid to resolve all lingering concerns.

Trimming bureaucracy, Mr Makinde said, “No more ministry of lands, no more surveyor-general. You will deal directly with the Real Town and City Development Authority.”

Retracing possibly committed errors, the governor promised to address the plights of affected residents before the end of his administration.

He stated, “There is a highway code for setbacks. Even for a single-lane highway, it is 50-metres. If the ministry of land marks more than 150-metres in a built-up area, disregard it. If they mark your house outside the 150-metre limit, disregard it as well.”

Explaining the project, the governor said the first segment of the circular road will be completed under his tenure, noting that the second segment, extending from Badeku area to Moniya, is undergoing hydraulic and bridge construction.

The governor stated that the other portions of the road project, particularly from Moniya to Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, would be overseen by subsequent administrations in the state.

Mr Makinde stated, “I am offering myself to solve as many of our problems as possible. I will work for the people of Oyo State until the last day. I assure you, we will solve this problem, and I will not leave it for the next administration.”

Reacting to the governor’s visit, affected residents appreciated Mr Makinde, urging for full implementation of his promises.

A resident, Peter Fasoye said, “I plead that all your promises today should be written, signed, sealed and stamped. I say this because on the 23rd of September 2024 you promised us, while at the secretariat, that any building standing right now in the 500-metre, both sides, will not be demolished.”

“After that, we held a meeting with the New Town and City Development Authority. It took over two months before they agreed, despite your speech, because there was no concrete written evidence. We had to repeatedly play a video that captured that promise of yours before they were convinced,” he added.

Lamenting about the ripple effects of an eviction, another resident said, “If you displace us, where do we go, what do we do? We have our businesses here. Our children go to school here. We worship here. Our roots are planted here. Please look at us with compassion. You have done it before at the music house. Please extend that act of compassion to us.”

Earlier, affected property owners and sympathetic residents of the state, held a week-long protest to demand that the state government rescind from implementing a 500-metre corridor expansion, as well as demand adequate compensation where necessary.

The landlords had argued that the circular road original gazette by the project’s initiator, former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, was 75 metres, expressing concern over the decision to acquire extra metres.