Property owners along Ibadan’s Circular Road project protested on Thursday. They say they have not received the compensation Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde promised six days earlier. Makinde had assured them at a meeting that ₦4.6 billion was ready. He said bank alerts would start the next day. Some payments began on 2 November for owners who completed screening. The protesters say they have seen no money.
The Circular Road is one of Oyo State’s flagship infrastructure projects. It is designed to ease traffic around Ibadan. The 75-metre setback has displaced homes and businesses. Compensation disputes are common in Nigerian road projects. In 2021, residents in Lagos protested delayed payments for the Lagos-Calabar coastal road. In 2023, property owners in Abuja challenged demolitions for the airport road. Each time, the promise of compensation precedes the demolition. The payments often follow slowly, if at all.
The protesters gathered on Thursday. They said Makinde’s assurance has not been met. Some had completed screening. Others are still waiting. The 75-metre setback has disrupted lives. Families have moved. Businesses have closed. The compensation is meant to help them rebuild. Without it, the project becomes a burden, not a benefit.
The state government has not responded to the protest. It has not explained the delay. It has not said when it will make the remaining payments. The governor’s earlier assurance was specific. The failure to deliver is a breach of trust.
The project will proceed. Roads must be built. But development that leaves families struggling is not progress. The government must pay what it promised. It must communicate clearly. It must treat the displaced as partners, not obstacles.
Winners: Contractors, who gain from the road project. Commuters, if the road reduces traffic. The state government, if the project is completed. Losers: Property owners who face displacement without compensation. Their families, who bear the cost. Small businesses, which lose premises. The government, whose credibility suffers. The project, if public resistance grows.
Bottom Line: A promise of ₦4.6 billion was made. The money has not reached the people. The road will be built. The displaced must be paid. Development without compensation is not development. It is dispossession.