President Bola Tinubu has flagged off the reconstruction and dualisation of the 58-kilometre Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road linking Oyo and Ogun states.
The President also approved the immediate reconstruction and dualisation of the 70-kilometre Abeokuta-Ibadan Road as part of efforts to improve transportation and strengthen economic connectivity across the South-West.
Tinubu, who was represented by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at the flag-off ceremony in Ibadan, described the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode corridor as a major economic route linking Ibadan, Ijebu-Ode and the Lekki economic axis.
He said the project would improve mobility, boost commerce, reduce transportation costs and create opportunities for farmers, traders, manufacturers and other businesses.
“The Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road is too important to Oyo State, Ogun State, Lagos and, indeed, the entire Nigeria to be left unattended to,” Tinubu said.
The President said the road would be constructed as approximately 58 kilometres of dual carriageway using continuous reinforced concrete pavement.
He added that the contractor had assured the government that the project would be completed in less than 24 months.
Tinubu directed the contractor to mobilise fully to site, adhere to approved specifications and deliver the project within the agreed timeframe.
He also appealed to communities along the corridor to support the project and avoid encroachment, disruptions and other activities that could delay construction.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed that Tinubu had directed the immediate reconstruction and dualisation of the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road, adding that the procurement process was already underway.
Umahi said Oyo State currently had 17 major road projects among the 47 Federal Government projects being executed across the South-West.
He also highlighted other ongoing projects in the region, including the 1,068-kilometre Badagry-Sokoto Road, 258 kilometres of which he said had already been dualised.
The minister said the 56-kilometre Oyo-Ogbomoso Road was 80 per cent completed, while the abandoned 34-kilometre Oyo-Ibadan Road had also been revived by the Tinubu administration.
He described JRB, the contractor handling the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode project, as one of the best-equipped indigenous contractors in the country and urged residents to cooperate with the company.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, said the road was conceived in 1965 during the administration of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to link Ibadan and Ijebu communities.
The lawmaker said its reconstruction would reduce travel time and accidents while improving economic activities along the corridor.
The representative of Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, Joseph Adegbesan, said he had moved the motion for the reconstruction because of the road’s importance to the socio-economic development of the affected communities.
Traditional rulers, including the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, Oba Rasak Adenugba, and the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashid Ladoja, also welcomed the project.
Ladoja said the poor condition of the road had contributed to security challenges along the corridor, expressing hope that its reconstruction would help reduce incidents of kidnapping and other criminal activities.
The Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road contract was awarded on May 5, 2026, and work commenced on July 11, 2026. The project is scheduled for completion on June 10, 2029.
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