The Oyo State Government has approved new road projects totalling 10.8km at a cost of N4.9 billion, to be delivered in six months and funded through direct payment.
The approval forms part of decisions reached at the weekly State Executive Council meeting, which held at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan.
The meeting was presided over by Governor Seyi Makinde, who also doubles as the President of the Council.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Prof. Dahud Sangodoyin, said the stretch of road includes the dualisation of the 3.8km Ibadan Airport road and adjoining routes, with some others in other areas of the capital city, Ibadan.
Sangodoyin noted that the newly approved roads would assist the residents of the state in the areas of expansion of the economy and ease of doing business so that movement of goods, people and services around the axis would be more rewarding.
“At the 15th session of the Oyo State Executive Council meeting, we approved the award of the dualisation of the Ibadan Airport Road which is 3.2 kilometres and the adjoining access-roads along that axis, that is about 19.45 metres including the road from Oludare to Bishop Phillips, which is 2 kilometres.”
The commissioner disclosed that the Oyo State Government had used the opportunity of the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha road contract, which the Federal Government had earlier awarded to Messrs Kopek Nigeria Construction Limited, to award the same dualisation of the Ibadan Airport road and the adjoining routes, to Messrs Kopek at the value of N4.9 billion.
Sangodoyin stated: “In totality, the work-scope for this is about 10.8 kilometres, including service-lanes which is by the Iwo-road bus terminals. The dualisation of Airport Road is 3.2 kilometre. The adjoining routes, especially the one close to Alakia behind Jeje Oil and Gas Station, that is about 1.45 metres, Oludare to Bishop Phillips , 2.0 kilometres. All these routes are at the cost of N4.9 billion.”
He explained that the Ibadan-Adegbayi road has been extended by 400 metres left and right, Iwo-road interchange to Adegbayi by 400 metres left and right for 7.3 metres carriageway; which means that apart from the 10.3 metres for the standard federal route, going from the Iwo-road interchange to Ife road, where the bus-terminals are located, there is an extension of 400 metres with a scope of 7.3 metres, saying it is going to be a very wide space for traffic and vehicular movement.
Speaking on the duration of the project, Sangodoyin disclosed that the projects, including the 400 metres plus the Iwo-road interchange to Adegbayi and the dualisation of the Airport road, would last for six months, noting that the funding would be through direct payment.
“For the funding, the government is going to pay through direct payment. Remember, we have actually had the opportunity to have a loan for this project, N50billion for which our government applied to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). So, we are using that to upgrade the Airport road and all other adjoining roads.”
PIAK
