•Seek Makinde’s intervention
Hundreds of residents whose property falls within 500 metre-radius of the Ibadan Circular Road (ICR) and marked for demolition, have staged a peaceful protest to call the attention of Governor Seyi Makinde, and by extension, that of President Bola Tinubu, to their plight, following the commencement of demolition in the area.
The aggrieved residents lamented that the demolition was coming amidst economic woes in the country, wondering where they are expected to start from, if their structures are pulled down.
The placards-wielding protesters, including the aged and children took to the highway, crying and urging the state government to stay action on the proposed exercise.
Part of the messages on the placards read: ‘Governor Seyi Makinde, please come to our aid,’ ‘No more Circular corridor’, ‘Mr Governor don’t kill us’, ‘Circular Road Corridor is massacre’, ‘No more 500 metres set back,’ ‘Let’s have peace of mind’ and others .
The victims alleged that government officials are stylishly driving them away with a plan to acquire the area for themselves in future.
Addressing newsmen, the Community leader of Onigbinde Village, Alhaji Olalude Onigbinde, said the development has rendered many residents of the area homeless and placed them in dire need of government’s help.
According to him, although the matter was reported to the governor and the late Olubadan, Lekan Balogun, their assurances and calls for calm by the residents have not yielded the needed result.
He said: “We woke up last week and saw bulldozers pulling down our houses and when we asked them, they said they wanted to do a setback for the Circular Road.
“We have seen in different places where highways exist with structures along the routes, but in our case, they said they don’t want to see any structure within 500 metres-radius from the road.”
Onigbinde added: “We have been living in the location for years. The government should please consider us. With the situation in the country now, the economic condition and hardship generally, we are begging them to help us as poor people. But they said no, that they want to go ahead with the demolition.
“We went to the Governor’s Office, met him and he even visited this place to see things for himself, assuring us that there won’t be any problem, but with what is on ground, there is a problem. Many people are sleeping outside already.
“We reported the matter to the late Olubadan. He also assured us that we should stay calm. Now that they have started demolishing some houses, that means ours will soon come down. Even though we don’t know when, we don’t have a rest of mind.”
Another victim alleged that government officials and or politicians would later take over the land in the near future, if they succeed in displacing them.
Also, a media consultant who lives within the affected areas, Soji Gbelekale, said they were initially asked to maintain a 75 metres setback for the road, which was respected by most property owners.
He lamented the government’s extension of the setback to 150 metres and later to 500 metres, which has sent many people homeless and others to their early graves.
He said: “We heard about the Circular Road and where the demarcation was made even before we bought the land. The pillar for marking the metres was conspicuous and everyone buying land around the axis was aware of that. It was pegged with a big iron rod and people were given several metres away so that it wouldn’t affect them.
“But later, we heard that the 75 metres extension to both left and right was going to be extended again to 150 meters on both sides. Everyone was agitated. Initially we thought it was a rumour because it was too sudden and unimaginable.
“Later, we heard it would again extend to 500 metres on both sides of the road. That was actually too much. We know that it will end up rendering many people homeless.
“We have been praying for this Circular Road project to come alive because we are aware it will bring rapid development and civilisation. This is because we have suffered severe underdevelopment such that we had to do many things on our own to make sure the place is developed, in terms of roads and electricity, which are things the government ordinarily should do.
“But now the coming of the road has become a real problem for us. Many people are already homeless as others are hospitalised.
“We are now begging the government. This government is known to be humane and people friendly, that was why we thought it was initially a rumour.
We can only beg and appeal that the government should temper justice with mercy. 150 metres is already affecting a whole lot of people. The government should please be magnanimous enough to stop where they are already.”
