Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has pushed back against allegations of land grabbing linked to the Ibadan Circular Road project, insisting that the land acquisition process was completed and legally gazetted before his administration assumed office.
Speaking during a media interaction, Makinde said the 500-metre corridor associated with the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road was officially acquired and published in the Nigerian Tribune of November 19, 2018, months before he became governor in May 2019. According to him, his government merely carried forward a project that was already backed by law.
The governor explained that the 110-kilometre circular road is a long-term infrastructure initiative designed to improve mobility across Ibadan and shield the city from future traffic congestion. He said Ibadan’s rapid population growth, now estimated at over 3.5 million residents, makes proactive urban planning unavoidable.
Makinde described the project as Nigeria’s first attempt at a true motorway-standard ring road, comparable to major beltways in global cities. He said the corridor width meets international requirements for such infrastructure and allows for future expansion.
Addressing concerns around displacement, the governor said the state adopted a people-centred compensation approach. He noted that residents affected by the acquisition were compensated even where formal land documents were absent, provided they could demonstrate proof of occupation.
Beyond transportation, Makinde said the corridor was deliberately designed to support industrial and commercial development. He added that the project is central to the state’s plan to reposition its economy from consumption-driven activities to productive, investment-led growth.
He maintained that the Ibadan Circular Road reflects his administration’s focus on building durable institutions and infrastructure capable of supporting long-term economic development, rather than pursuing short-term political gains.
