Traffic and environmental law breakers in any part of Oyo State will henceforth not go unpunished, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde has declared.
The governor made the declaration while speaking during a special Church Service held on Sunday.
He urged those bent on contravening traffic and environment laws to turn a new vowing that his administration will go tough on them from 29 May.
The governor attributed the traffic gridlock being experienced recently in most parts of Ibadan, the state capital, to influx of people who he said are seeking a conducive environment in the state.
Makinde, in a release by his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, also vowed to get beggars and destitute off the streets as soon as possible.
The governor, however, assured residents that his administration will find a permanent solution to the challenges facing the Light-up Oyo Project after the conclusion of an ongoing audit.
He admonished lawbreakers to turn a new leaf by obeying traffic and environmental and laws, adding that violators of the state laws wil not go unpunished under the Omititun 2.0.
“If you look at the Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023-2027, Section 6 deals with the rule of law.
“We have the grace period also now. Between now and May 29, people will have the grace.
“But starting from May 29, I will make the pronouncement and put big billboards at all entry points to Oyo State that will suggest that this will be a state where you will be responsible for your actions.
“We will engage with all stakeholders whose markets are flowing into the roads and causing traffic logjam.
“We will ask them to be confined within the space provided for buying and selling. I will not go after the sellers but the buyers.
“If you want to buy things, go inside the market. We will provide parking spaces and organisation within those market places.
“But if you stay on the road to patronise people who are not supposed to be on the road, you will pay the fine for both of you – you as the buyer and the seller.
“We will show mercy on the seller, but the grace will not cover the buyer, but we will sensitize the people first.
“We had the last Exco Meeting about a week and a half ago, and we tasked the Exco and they harmonized the Environmental Bill.
“It is with the Oyo State House of Assembly now and once it is passed, then there is a law.
“We will ask people to obey our laws and we will all be better for it. We have connected almost all of our zones.
“I went for inspection in three zones of Oyo State, and we did it within five hours and got to Oyo, Oke-Ogun and came back to Ibadan to inspect projects.
“So, we have put in the handwork but it is left to people to obey the law and let the rest also enjoy the benefits of the money we have put into our infrastructure,” he said.
On waste management, Governor Makinde said: “Yes, we have moved from where we used to be but still need to do more.
“We are constantly looking at the means to achieve a very clean and presentable environment.
“I can say we are well on our way. We know the solution, and we are trying to implement it. So, I look forward to a cleaner and saner Ibadan.”
He also assured that the problem of traffic congestions being experienced by the people of the state will soon become a thing of the past.
“The second issue is about the investment on the roads. As you can see, we have traffic situations here.
“Well, let me say this: many people are coming into this state from other states because things are being done right here.
“When we came in, we were in a hole. Now, we are out of the hole and yet to start working or running.
“But we are crawling along and we are proactive in how we are situating our infrastructure.
“Many people are coming in, and we have to stay ahead on how we provide the infrastructure.
“If you look at the Airport Road coming into Ibadan, it is not the same situation as we have in Lagos.
“We are looking at multiple routes to get to the airport. Not only have we dualized the Airport Road itself, the road is now going to Ajia to burst out at the Ajia Junction. So, if you are going to Ife, you don’t need to get to the junction.
“We also have a new road now going through Oremeji, Agugu, which is right after the gate of the airport.
“So, if you are going to the centre of the city, you don’t have to come to Iwo Road. You turn in right after the gate to get to Oremeji, Agugu and beyond.
Also, on that road to Ajia, we made a spur to Amuloko and from Amuloko, you can turn left and go towards Akanran and Ijebu-Ode, and you can turn right and come to Olorunsogo.
“Not only are we fixing the road, we are also dualizing the biggest portion, which is about 3.5 km.
“For example, if you want to come to Secretariat, Gate, Total Garden and all those neighbouring areas, you don’t have to come in through Iwo Road.
“The Old-Ife Road is being fixed. I was there yesternight around 9:30 p.m and inspected the underpass at Onipepeye.
“You know it is connected to the Ogbere River and we have expanded that place. We can never experience floods at Onipepeye like before again.
“If you want to go to Gate, you take the Old-Ife Road, which has been dualized. No bottleneck.
“That underpass will be open for traffic before the 29th of May. All of these are under Omituntun 1.0.
The governor said his administration was also reviewing environmental laws to clean up the environment and remove beggars from the streets.
“For the beggars, we are thinking about them and will take them off the streets.
“Two days ago, I visited the Camp at Akinyele but it did not perform as envisaged. We will take another approach to it.
“So, between now and May 29th, you will see us taking the beggars off the streets,” he said.
Not oblivious of the epileptic performance of the Light-up Oyo Project, the governor said light will be restored in a sustainable manner.
“An audit is going on right now, and I have asked the Commissioner for Energy to put out a notice.
“It will take about four to six weeks to complete the audit process, and we will have a permanent solution immediately after that audit.
“So, you don’t have to be afraid whether the light will come back or not. They will definitely come back and will stay on sustainably,” he added.
The special Church Service was held at the Marantha Lord Cometh Ministries, Abayomi, Iwo Road, Ibadan.
Earlier in his message, the presiding pastor of the church, Bishop Samuel Olumakinde Alawode, admonished the people to repent from their sins and seek divine grace from the Lord.
He commended the unprecedented feats achieved by Governor Makinde in Omititun 1.0.
The cleric charged the governor to be more active in his second term in office and strive to leave a lasting legacy in the history of the state.
