Being the Speech by His Excellency, Seyi Makinde, FNSE, Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Commissioning of the Ibadan Central Bus Terminals 1 & 2, Iwo Road, Ibadan, on Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Today, we are gathered here at Iwo Road — the heartbeat of Ibadan — to commission one of the most symbolic projects of our administration: the Ibadan Central Bus Terminals 1 and 2.
This is not just another transport facility; it is the gateway to Ibadan. For anyone coming from Lagos or from the northern part of the country, Iwo Road is their first impression of our city. And with the completion of this project, we are signalling order, modernity, and progress.
With this commissioning, we have now completed all four modern bus terminals in Ibadan — Challenge, Ojoo, New Ife Road, and Iwo Road.
When we flagged off construction here in May 2020, we projected a twelve-month completion timeline. But as you all know, the global pandemic, supply disruptions, and other realities slowed us down. So, we completed and commissioned two of the four bus terminals in April 2022.
And today, we are here to celebrate our determination — because what you see before you is proof that promises made can indeed become promises kept.
These terminals form part of our broader vision to create a modern Oyo State with world-class transport systems — a State where people can move safely and efficiently, where businesses thrive because infrastructure supports ambition, and where the environment reflects our aspiration for first-world standards.
Every time we transform a place like this, we restore dignity to movement, beauty to our cities, and real hope to our people. We are engineering a modern Oyo State — one project, one reform, one vision at a time.
Now, I know that many of you have heard ongoing conversations about the 110 km Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road — and sometimes, misconceptions about what it represents. Let me use this opportunity to explain once again why it matters.
The Circular Road is not just a road project; it is an economic backbone.
We are not only constructing a highway; we are building a corridor of opportunity — a space where industries, estates, and logistics hubs will emerge to support the growth of our city over the next twenty years.
Some have asked, “Why keep land aside for an investment corridor?”
The answer is simple: cities that fail to plan for tomorrow are soon swallowed by the chaos of today.
That corridor is not for me or for any individual; it is for the generations that will come after us. It ensures that as Ibadan grows, development happens in an organised and sustainable way.
As you may already know, this project is a continuum — not the work of one administration, but part of a twenty-year development journey for Oyo State.
And our job is to keep that vision alive, responsibly and sustainably.
Yes, I have heard the names people have called me — land grabber, thief, and worse but leadership sometimes means taking the blows today for the sake of the future we believe in.
Yet, we have made concessions. We have reviewed the one-kilometre full width for the right of way and its corridor, which was acquired in 2017, to 300 metres only — 150 metres on each side — in areas that are densely populated. What this means is that we will incorporate communities whose structures are outside the 150 metres on each side but within the 500 metres on each side in the development plan.
Because when we build roads and supporting infrastructure, we are not just connecting places — we are connecting people to possibilities.
These terminals and the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road are chapters in the same story: the story of a modern Oyo State.
So, as we commission the Ibadan Central Bus Terminals 1 and 2 today, let us remember — this is more than infrastructure. It is a statement of intent.
It is proof that Oyo State can build, can plan, and can finish strong.
I want to thank everyone who has been part of this journey — our engineers, contractors, transport unions, civil servants, and most especially, the people of Oyo State, whose patience and faith have sustained us.
I also thank our father, His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for honouring us with his presence. Your belief in infrastructure as a tool for national transformation has inspired many of us to walk this same path.
We are not just witnessing a commissioning — we are witnessing history in motion.
And I believe that when history remembers this moment and the work we have done together, it will be kind to us.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Seyi Makinde
12 November 2025