The member representing Ibadan South-West constituency two in the Oyo state House of Assembly, Hon. Oluwafowokanmi Olufemi Adebayo has expressed concerns about the current state of the Mobil-7up Oluyole Road in the Ibadan South-West local government area of Oyo state.
The lawmaker stated this while raising a motion on the floor of the house to reconstruct the road due to its negative effect on the overall well-being of the people in the area and its economic effects on Oyo State in general.
Hon. Fowokanmi pointed out that the road is located in a highly industrialised area in the state and how its continued deplorable stare is telling off negatively on the industrial area which in turn affects economic turnover in the long run.
In his words: “The Mobil-7up Oluyole estate road network if well harnessed will make the estate a cash cow for the state government through active revenue drive of relevant agencies.”
He further urged the state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde to include the project of repairing the road in the 2022 budget in order to not just add economic value to the state but to reduce the plight of the people living in that area since the road is the most motorable in that area.
Meanwhile, the lawmaker did not fail to appreciate the state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde for hearkening to the cries of the people of his constituency on previous infrastructural issues like the 45km Saki-Igboho-Igboro road which was just flagged off and the currently ongoing Moniya-Ijaye-Iseyin road which is 65km long among other projects marked for the area by the state government.
However, he stated clearly that criminals have exploited the state of the road, to rob law-abiding indigenes who are going about their normal economic and civil activities of their properties and has turned the road into a trap and “no go” area for unsuspecting indigenes of the area and travellers.
To further drive home his point, Hon Fowokanmi said ” Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, it is important to draw your attention to the significance of the Mobil-7up Oluyole Estate road which is located in the area that harbours residential, commercial and industrial components. The importance of this road to the economic development of Oyo State cannot be overemphasized especially as Oluyole estate harbours the largest concentration of industrial concern in the entire old Western region”.
While seconding the motion raised by Hon. Fowokanmi, the member representing Ibadan North 2, Hon. Babajide Gabriel threw his weight behind the submissions of his honourable colleague and prayed the House to consider the concerns raised and follow up the execution of the project by the state governor.
The speaker of the House, Rt.Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin while urging the state governor to include the reconstruction of the road in the 2022 budget, suggested that some work be done on the road for the meantime by the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) while the state government prepares for a full-scale reconstruction of the road in no time.
It would be recalled that the Mobil-7up Oluyole Estate which is off Ring -Road has been in a deplorable condition for some time now even with the heavy presence of industries and the regular plying of the road by heavy-duty cars while economic activities are ongoing.