Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has approved the reconstruction of the 30-kilometre Igboho–Kisi Road in the Oke-Ogun area and the 38.9-kilometre Ido–Akufo–Eruwa Road in Ibarapa axis of the state.
The approval was after the weekly State Executive Council meeting, held on Thursday, and where other key infrastructural projects were also approved.
The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, stated in a release that the approval of the Igboho–Kisi Road and Ido–Akufo–Eruwa Road was a fulfilment of the campaign promises of Governor Makinde to connect all zones in the state with durable and accessible road networks.
The reconstruction of the 30km Igboho–Kishi Road was approved at a cost of ₦38,689,548,227.66 billion, while that of the 38.9km Ido–Akufo Junction–Eruwa Road was put at ₦50,344,692,765.50 billion.
According to Oyelade, these projects formed part of the major highlights of the approvals by the State Executive Council aimed at further improving infrastructures across the state.
He stated that, on energy, the Council approved the construction, installation, distribution, operation, and maintenance of the 12MW Ibadan Independent Gas Power Plant Project at a cost of ₦27,338,650,000 billion.
“This approval will ensure the attainment of sustainable infrastructural development in the state by providing uninterrupted electricity to critical government facilities.
“The facilities included the Oyo State Secretariat, Government House, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), High Courts, State Hospitals, and Lekan Salami Stadium, among others.
“Also, after the completion of the earlier approved installation of high mast floodlights in parts of the state, the Council has approved another award for a hybrid power system at a cost of ₦8,967,895,436.26 billion to extend the project to selected key areas within the Ibadan metropolis,” he explained.
On the education front, Oyelade disclosed that the Council approved the release of ₦3,554,642,584 billion as counterpart funding to facilitate the disbursement of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grant to Oyo State for the 2024 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention Project.
“Similarly, the Council approved the remodelling and reconstruction of the uncompleted library building located behind the Government House, which has been abandoned for about 25 years. The project will be undertaken at a cost of ₦3,787,371,025 billion,” it was added in the release.
It was also disclosed that a total sum of ₦221,021,000 million was approved for the conduct of the second and third term unified examinations for public primary schools across the state.
“Other approvals include the construction of an office building for the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA) at a cost of ₦1,334,603,000 billion and the construction of a permanent site for the Nigeria Mobile Police Squadron located in Ago-Are, Oke-Ogun Zone, at a cost of ₦5,858,061,682.3 billion,” the commissioner stated.
It will be recalled that the Oyo State government, under Governor Makinde, had requested for the establishment of the Mobile Police Squadron to strengthen security and quell banditry activities in the Oke-Ogun region.
