APC criticises Oyo government’s plan to reconstruct Lagos-Iwo road interchange

‘Criticism show of utter disregard for state’s economy’
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has raised the alarm over plan by the administration of Governor Oluseyi Makinde to spend N8 billion on a proposed reconstruction of the Lagos/Iwo Road Interchange axis in Ibadan, the state capital.

It described it as “a misplaced priority as well as an attempt to squander government resources.”

Makinde, had last Friday at Adogba Central Mosque announced the state government’s plan to immediately embark on the project, which would be completed in about a year to decongest the area and also give the physical outlook of Ibadan a facelift.

But in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC through its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Ayobami Adejumo, said that the present administration was now popular for building castle in the air in demonstration of its gross incompetence and avowed desire for mismanaging public funds.

“The good people of the Pacesetter State were taken aback by the action of Makinde last Friday when he chose a mosque as the place to announce the plan to do a multi-billion project. Without any record of presentation at the State Executive Council meeting or consideration and approval by the appropriate organs of government as required by law, the governor reeled out a contract sum for another white elephant project.

“The question on the lips of many people now bothers on how the cost of N8 billion was arrived at even when no picture of the proposed project had been shown to the world.”

In its reaction, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state chided the APC for criticising the decision of the governor to reconstruct Iwo Road Interchange with N8 billion.

A statement by the state’s Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Akeem Olatunji, made available to newsmen yesterday, said the APC by criticising the plans to reconstruct the interchange was showing utter disregard for the state’s economy, which had been bleeding as a result of loss of several man-hour due to traffic congestion at the interchange.

The statement read: “Our immediate response to the show of shame by the APC, whose governor, Abiola Ajimobi, spent eight years romancing the Iwo Road problem, was to show pity and educate them on the forward-looking approach already adopted by Governor Makinde in solving the problem of that interchange.

“Let us place it on record that Iwo Road is not just a segment of a road located within the Oyo State capital. It is an interchange that has become the melting point of all travellers within Nigeria.

“The criticisms by the APC show clear indication that the disregard shown to that road by the immediate past government led by the party was sanctioned by leaders of the APC, a clear show of insensitivity to the plight of commuters who daily waste lots of man-hours trying to wade through the sea of traffic around the interchange.

“It would shock the APC to note that the people who worship at Adogba Mosque and others who would be affected by the demolition exercise have gladly adopted the governor’s decision following the interface.”