The Honourable Minster of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has delivered three internal rehabilitated roads of 1.80 kilometers by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, to the management of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The 1.80KM roads which were rehabilitated have asphalt overlay, construction of culvert and line drains within the tertiary institution.The roads include: Gongola 230 meters, Sokoto Crescent 560 meters and Amina Way 1,010 meters respectively.
It could be recalled that the Federal Government under the 2017 and 2018 appropriation, procured 43 contracts respectively for the rehabilitation of internal roads in Federal Tertiary Institutions, in the Six Geo-Political Zones nationwide and University of Ibadan is one of the beneficiaries in the first phase of the intervention.
According to the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Oyo State, Engineer Oladimeji Awopetu, during the official handing over ceremony, 18 out of the 43 internal roads project had been completed and were being handing over across the nation.
The Minister added that the intervention was to bridge the gap of the schools infrastructure needs in learning, adding that students were expressing renewed enthusiasm with regard to attending classes, because some defective roads had been restored to motorability.
“To date, 18 out of the 43 interventions have been completed and today we hand over this one in the University of Ibadan, Oyo State as a critical contribution to support education,”Fashola said.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka appreciated President Mohammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works & Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN for selecting the institution as part of the beneficiaries amongst many tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“For us to have been part of this intervention, we are very grateful, although, we have been doing some palliative repairs in the past but this time around, the Federal Government had surprised us by coming in a big way to fix these roads,”Prof. Olayinka said.
The VC revealed that more internal roads of the institution were still yarning for urgent attention. He pleaded with the Federal Government to intervene in those roads as soon as the resources were available.
The Director of Works, University of Ibadan, Engr. Adetolu Olufemi said the roads had been a major challenge before the rehabilitation. He thanked the Honourable Minister for the project most especially at this critical period where government resources were dwindling.
Also, a student from the Department of European Studies, Adeyemi Ayomikun said that the intervention was a great relief, adding that there was reduced stress for students moving from the hostels to lecture rooms.
Boade Akinola
D(Press& Public Relations)
