Oyo pays N5.35bn compensation to 578 Circular Road victims

Oyo State Governor and APM presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde. Photo: Oyo State Govt

The Oyo State Government has disbursed over N5.35bn in compensation to 578 property owners affected by the First Segment of the Ibadan Circular Road Project.

Providing an update on the compensation exercise, the Executive Adviser to the Governor on New Towns and Cities, Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, said the State Government had recorded substantial progress in the payment process, with hundreds of affected property owners across both the right of way and omission categories already receiving their approved compensation.

The Special Adviser (Media) to the Oyo State Governor, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, disclosed this in a statement released on Sunday, made available to newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The First Segment of the Ibadan Circular Road spans 32.2 kilometres, stretching from the Abiola Ajimobi Technical University axis on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Oluyole Local Government Area, through Ona Ara Local Government Area, and terminating at Badeku Junction on the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in Egbeda Local Government Area.

According to Olanrewaju, “Affected properties along the corridor fall into two categories: Right of Way (RoW) and Omission.

“Under the Right of Way Category, which comprises properties located within 75 metres on either side of the road median, a total of 674 structures were enumerated.”

Olanrewaju said Governor Seyi Makinde had approved a reduction of the initial setback from 150 metres to 75 metres in clustered and built-up areas following appeals and concerns expressed by residents across the affected local government areas.

“To compensate affected owners in this category, Governor Makinde approved the sum of N3,862,151,322.20. So far, 411 claimants have appeared before the screening committee and have been screened, while 378 claimants have successfully executed their Deeds of Indemnity, secured clearance and received their compensation payments,” the statement said.

The omission category, according to Adebiyi, consists of individuals who claimed that their properties were affected by the project without prior enumeration or compensation.

“In response, the Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and the Office of the Surveyor-General, conducted a fresh enumeration exercise, which identified 251 affected structures.

“Following the exercise, Governor Makinde approved N1,813,954,100 as compensation for property owners under the omission category.

“Records show that 216 property owners have appeared before the monitoring team on payment of the compensation screening committee, while 200 claimants who completed the required documentation and executed their deeds of indemnity have been cleared and paid a total of M1,493,784,7000 as compensation.

“In total, 578 property owners across both categories have received compensation payments, representing significant progress in the administration’s determination to ensure that those affected by the project are adequately compensated,” the statement said.

Mrs Adebiyi noted that the compensation exercise remained ongoing, adding that the government was committed to ensuring that all eligible claimants who satisfied the stipulated requirements received their payments.

“While 263 claimants in the Right of Way category and 35 claimants in the omission category have yet to appear before the screening committee, others are still expected to fulfil documentation requirements before final clearance,” the statement added.

According to her, only 16 claimants experienced unsuccessful payment transactions due to discrepancies between the names submitted during screening and the bank account details provided, adding that efforts were ongoing to resolve the issues and facilitate payment.

She reiterated that the compensation exercise had been conducted transparently, fairly and without favouritism, assuring all affected property owners that due process remains the guiding principle throughout the exercise.

The Oyo State Government also reaffirmed its commitment to delivering transformative infrastructure while safeguarding the interests of affected residents, noting that the payment of over N5.35bn in compensation reflected the administration’s resolve to ensure that development proceeds hand in hand with fairness, accountability and responsible governance.