Remarks by Governor Seyi Makinde at the Official Flag-Off of the Construction of the Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road

Being the remarks by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Official Flag-Off of the Construction of the Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road on Monday, May 31, 2021.

Let me welcome you all to the official flag-off of the 45.3km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road. The road was awarded for N8.7billion and the contractors are Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). They have been on site for the past three months and we can see how far they’ve gone. We are expecting that this project will be completed in May 2022.  And the contractors have assured me that it will be ready.

The road is of great economic significance to the people of Saki, Ogbooro and Igboho. It will serve as a link between these communities and we all know what happens when communities are linked – economic boom. We have seen this happen in other areas where we have opened up through roads. People who moved out of Apete are now returning because their road is better. And even closer to you here, with the reconstruction of the Moniya-Iseyin Road, we see farm estates springing up on both sides of the road.

When you think of it, you will see that a good road network serves as the foundation for development in other sectors. For example, we cannot have a thriving tourism industry when the roads are bad. When people think of how much they have to suffer to get to some destinations, they will rather just stay away.

So, when people ask us why we have not started doing something visible about our tourism sites, I usually tell them, one thing at a time. First, we create the needed infrastructure and then we build on it. As I always say, our plan is to lift the people out of Oyo State from poverty to prosperity. To accomplish this, we have to take decisions based on science, data and logic.  

So, you can clearly see the logic behind why we are now turning attention to tourism at this time. We needed to build the base infrastructure. And we are not resting on our oars. We will continue to deliver good roads and quality infrastructure to our people.

On this note, I hereby officially flag off the reconstruction Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road, to the glory of God and the for benefit of the good people of Oyo State.