The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works has appealed to the Oyo State Government to stop granting approval for erection of buildings and other structures on the right-of-way of the Oyo–Ogbomosho highway.
During an inspection tour of the 53-kilometre Oyo–Ogbomosho dual carriageway, which is under construction, the Director of Highways, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Funsho Adebiyi who was accompanied by the Oyo State Controller of Works, in the Ministry, Mr. Kayode Ibrahim, explained that there was no building at the initial stage of designing the road.
The road which is being constructed by Reynolds Construction Company is the second section of Ibadan-Ilorin road.
It is a subsection of a major trunk A1 road which originated from Apapa Wharf in Lagos and terminates at Sokoto State.
Adebiyi, however, noted that as soon as the construction started, people started erecting structures on the road’s right of ways and are now asking the Federal Government for compensation.
He said, “But as soon as the work started, structures started emerging on the road’s right of ways and they are now asking us for compensation.
“This is not right, the state government should please have mercy on us and stop approving structures on our right of ways, where they know our men are working because it is creating a problem for us.
He also lamented the sand mining activities on the road alignment, saying these had been making earth-work difficult on the road construction.
“Also, the state government should stop giving approval for illegal mining along our alignment,” he said.
“What we could have used as earth-work have been mined off and we were forced to bring in materials from another borrowed pit to fill the already mined alignment.
“So, the cost of haulage is increasing the cost of our construction work.
“On the main alignment, there were rocks that needed to be evacuated through blasting but couldn’t do that because of closeness of the structures.
“Such structures can collapse and kill its occupants if we carry out the blasting. So, we have to use other expensive technique to blast the rock,” he said.
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