*Items Worth N100m
*Oyo Circular Road C’ttee Visits Affected Communities
By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Oyo State government, through the Agricultural Credit Corporation of Oyo State (ACCOS), has commenced the distribution of food commodities valued at about ₦100 million to civil and public servants across the state at highly subsidized rates.
This was contained in a statement issued by the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, today.
The initiative, he said, was part of the government’s continuous efforts to cushion the effects of current economic challenges on workers and ensure a more comfortable December festive season.
“Flagging off the distribution exercise at the corporation’s premises, the Chairman of the ACCOS, Sheik Taofik Akeugbagold, said the programme was strictly for workers who had indicated interest, noting that beneficiaries ought to be properly collated by their respective accounts sections to ensure a smooth and transparent process.
“The Chairman, speaking through the coordinating Director of ACCOS, Mr.. Oladejo, explained that the commodities available for the programme included bags of rice, vegetable oil, chicken, and other essential food items, with allocations strictly based on individual demand as indicated by the workers,” Oyelade said.
He said the Chairman added that payment for the commodities would be made through salary deductions beginning February 2026, stressing that the arrangement was designed to ease the financial burden on workers while ensuring accountability.
The Chairman maintained that the intervention aligned with the welfare-driven agenda of the Oyo State government under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, aimed at improving the standard of living of workers and promoting food affordability.
“The Sheik further assured that the distribution process would be transparent, orderly, and fair, urging beneficiaries to comply with all stipulated guidelines.
“Beneficiaries present at the event commended the state government for the thoughtful initiative, describing it as timely and impactful, especially at a period when household expenses are on the rise,” he said.
Oyo Circular Road C’ttee Goes Round
Meanwhile, the Oyo Circular Road Committee visits affected communities in continuation of carrying out the mandate of Gov. Makinde, on resolving all grievances arising from the road corridor.
The specialized Stakeholders Engagement Committee, set up by the governor, has been embarking on on-the-spot assessment of the impacted communities and meeting with the affected people.
The committee, which came about as a follow-up to the direct engagement of the governor with those protesting the right-of-way and corridor for the 110-kilometre Senator Rasidi Ladoja Circular Road last November, is made up of some Ibadan Mogajis (family heads), Chairmen of the six Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ibadan through which the road passes (Oluyole, Ona Ara, Egbeda, Lagelu, Akinyele, and Ido), representatives of the cognate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the management of Oyo State New Towns and Cities Development Authority (OYNTCDA).
A statement at the weekend by the Communication and Media specialist of OYNTCDA, Abiodun Adefioye, stated that while the committee had held its inaugural meeting with the 14-man representatives of the affected communities on Friday, 5 December, the on-the-spot visits were jointly agreed by both parties as essential to assess the situations on ground, evaluate the peculiarities of each community vis-à-vis the government’s policy statements, and weigh optional corrective measures, to enable the committee make workable recommendations to the Governor.
“The modus operandi of the visits was to drive through the Circular Road stretch, stopping at each community identified by the affected people, to assess the presented case. In order to ensure a thorough assessment, the visits were batched into three, each batch covering two (2) Local Government Areas.
“The first batch took the committee to Oluyole LGA (the Technical University side) and Ona Ara LGA on Tuesday, 9th December, during which the assessed communities included Egbeda Tuba, Ajota, Lafiku, Arowojeka, Gbangba Koto, Omitola Elewe, Aba Otun, Odeyale, Akamo, and Badeku.
“The second batch of visits was done to Akinyele and Ido LGAs on 11th December, and communities visited included Molarere, Idi Iroko/Ogongo, Ibitunde, Idi-Ope, Olufana, Salako, Aroro-Kole, Oje-Imo, Ogundeji, Akinlawon, Eni-Oosa, Elenu-Sonso, Ologuneru, Ogo Oluwa, Lariken, Alaaka, Aloba, and Idi-Igbaro.
“While speaking with the community members, the Chairman of the committee, Engr. Abduljelyl Adekunle Karheem, Mogaji Adanla, appealed to them to cooperate with the government officials in carrying out the enumeration exercise across the affected communities, as these would help generate requisite data required by the state government to decide on what further concessions to grant at each location.
“Other Mogajis in attendance were Mogaji Olawale Oladoja, Mogaji Adewale Badmus, and Mogaji Adewale Bankole, each of whom also echoed the submissions of Mogaji Adanla to the community people.
“The Chairman of Akinyele LGA, Hon. Akinwole Akinleye, also joined the committee for the assessment of the situations of communities within the jurisdiction of his Local Government.
“Also with the committee for the visits were representatives of the Ministries of Land, Housing and Urban Development; Works and Public Infrastructure; and Justice; as well as the Office of the Surveyor-General, Office of the Executive Adviser to the Governor on Security, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), and the Management of OYNTCDA.
“The third batch of the surveillance visits would be conducted to Egbeda and Lagelu LGAs soonest, further to which the committee would present its findings to the governor. The series of assessment visits constitutes another major step in reconciling government plans with community concerns as the State Government pushes forward with the Circular Road project,” Adefioye said.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Gov. Makinde.
