Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Thursday issued a stop work order in respect of the construction of the Ibadan circular road project awarded in May 2017.
Governor Makinde, who paid a visit to the site of the Circular Road, off the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, said that the road is meant to connect the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to the Ibadan/Ife expressway, adding that work should stop with immediate effect.
It would be recalled that the immediate past Governor Abiola Ajimobi had earlier inaugurated the Ibadan Circular Road construction estimated to cost about N70 billion. According to former Governor Ajimobi, the project would boost the socio-economic development and transportation system in the state.
Ajimobi at the flag-off held at Badeku Village in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, said the 32km first phase of the 110km road would be completed within 18 months.
He stressed that the first phase of the project, which would start from Badeku Village and end at Ajanla Village on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, representing the Northeast corner of the project, was awarded to the ENL Consortium Limited.
In addition, the ex- governor said the project would be financed through a facility sourced from the Nexim Bank of China by the contractor on a ‘Build, Operate and Transfer’ arrangement between the ENL and the state government.
“This project is at no cost to Oyo State Government; our partner (ENL Consortium) shall raise fund to finance it on the basis of ‘build, operate and transfer’ as part of our public-private partnership agreement”, Ajimobi concluded.
However, in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde , Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as deploring the discouraging pace of work at the site, during an inspection tour to the site at the Ibadan-Lagos expressway axis.
The Governor emphasised the significance of the Circular Road, declaring that the road was of utmost importance to the economy of Oyo state.
He also stated that his administration remained determined to build infrastructures that will help to expand the economy of the State.
“Basically, what we saw was not encouraging. The agreement was signed in 2017, almost three years now. The work done so far was at 5 per cent or 5.5 per cent. Also, this was a concession of about N65 billion for a 32-kilometre road. We just felt we need to pull back a little bit, look at things holistically and then take a decision in order to move forward.
“The circular road is extremely important to the economy of Oyo State and if a contractor can only achieve 5 per cent in three years, you can imagine how many years it will take to complete the road”, he said.
While speaking at site, Governor Makinde expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction at the level of work done by the contractor, ENL Consortium Limited, saying he was unhappy and unimpressed with what he observed on the site.
