Scores of residents from Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday stormed the state secretariat in Ibadan to protest the Oyo State Government’s plan to extend the ongoing Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road project beyond previously marked areas.
The demonstrators, bearing placards with inscriptions such as “150 Metres is Enough for Circular Road” and “Our People Are Dying Daily,” urged Governor Seyi Makinde to halt further land acquisition, warning that the proposed expansion would wreak more havoc on already distressed communities.
The protesters, mostly villagers and community leaders, lamented that many residents had already lost their lands and homes to the earlier 150-metre demarcation under the original plan, stressing that any extension would deepen their suffering.
Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, Ismail Qamardeen Abimbola pleaded with the state government to reconsider the move, saying, “We are here to appeal to the government to consider our communities.
The already marked 150 metres has displaced many people emotionally and economically. Now, the fear of extending the road is haunting entire villages.”
Abimbola listed the affected communities to include Solalu, Alagbede, Olukitibi, Akinwande, Akinlawon, Omilabu, Aba Odo, Aba Ido, Ido Omo, Ori Oke, Oke Ola, Olowoogbo, Olohungba, Ade Owu, and Asaaju, among others.
“We are not saying no to development, but we are begging the government to work within the boundaries already marked. Our people are suffering silently, and some have even died from the trauma,” he added.
The Circular Road project, first conceived during the administration of former Governor Rashidi Ladoja (2003–2007), was abandoned for years before being revived by late Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration.
The current administration under Governor Makinde has intensified efforts to complete the project as part of broader infrastructural plans for the state.
Despite its perceived economic potential, the project has sparked growing tension among rural dwellers who fear displacement and loss of ancestral lands.
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