Oyo Pays N5.35bn Compensation To 578 Ibadan Circular Road Property Owners
The Oyo State Government has disbursed more than ₦5.35 billion in compensation to 578 property owners affected by the construction of the first segment of the Ibadan Circular Road.
The payment, according to the state government, represents significant progress in its efforts to compensate residents whose properties were affected by the ongoing infrastructure project.
The Executive Adviser on New Towns and Cities, Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, disclosed this in a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, in Ibadan on Sunday.
She explained that the compensation exercise covered two categories of affected property owners: those within the project’s Right of Way (ROW) and individuals whose properties were initially omitted from the enumeration exercise.
According to the statement, the first segment of the 32.2-kilometre road stretches from the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University axis along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Oluyole Local Government Area, passes through Ona Ara and terminates at Badeku Junction on the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in Egbeda Local Government Area.
Under the Right of Way category, 674 structures were initially identified within 75 metres on either side of the road median.
The government said Governor Seyi Makinde had approved a reduction of the initial 150-metre setback to 75 metres in densely populated and built-up areas following concerns raised by residents.
A total of ₦3.86 billion was approved for compensation under this category, with 378 claimants completing the necessary documentation and receiving payment after screening and clearance.
For the omission category, a fresh enumeration exercise conducted by the New Towns and Cities Development Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and the Office of the Surveyor-General, identified 251 affected structures.
The state government subsequently approved ₦1.81 billion for compensation under the category, out of which 200 property owners have received a combined ₦1.49 billion after fulfilling the required documentation.
Adebiyi disclosed that the compensation exercise was still ongoing, noting that 263 claimants in the Right of Way category and 35 in the omission category were yet to appear before the screening committee.
She added that 16 payment transactions were unsuccessful due to discrepancies between the names provided during screening and those attached to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Efforts, she said, were underway to resolve the issues.
The government maintained that the exercise had been conducted transparently and fairly, assuring all eligible property owners that payments would continue once the necessary requirements were fulfilled.
The latest disbursement follows an earlier report in October that Governor Makinde had approved ₦4.6 billion as the first tranche of compensation for property owners affected by the project.
The governor had also directed that payments be made directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts, with disbursement commencing immediately.
The state government reiterated its commitment to delivering the Circular Road project while ensuring that affected residents receive appropriate compensation.
