The Federal Government on Monday formally flagged off the dualisation of the 56.5-kilometre Ibadan–Ijebu Ode Road, with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, declaring an end to patchwork interventions on the strategic corridor.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Open Field of Legacy Estate, Ibadan, on August 24, 2026, Umahi said the project marked a shift toward durable infrastructure under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Today marks the end of an era of temporary fixes on this vital corridor. Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are building roads that will outlive generations,” the Minister said.
Umahi described the project as “not just about laying asphalt or concrete” but as a deliberate economic intervention. According to him, the dualisation will unlock agricultural and commercial potential across the Lagos-Ogun-Oyo axis, cut travel time, and address security concerns linked to bad sections of the road.
“By expanding this corridor, we are unlocking the massive agricultural and commercial potential of the Lagos-Ogun-Oyo axis, reducing travel times drastically, and eliminating security vulnerabilities like kidnapping that thrived on dilapidated sections,” he said.
The project, approved by the Federal Executive Council and awarded to JRB Construction Limited, was praised by the Minister as a flagship of the administration’s infrastructure drive. He described JRB as “the best indigenous contractors,” citing ongoing earthworks of up to 40 feet along the route.
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who represented President Tinubu, performed the official ground-breaking. He called the road “a vital connection between two sister states economically,” and said the corridor was “simply too important for the Federal Government to neglect.”
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, also welcomed the project, recalling years of hardship for farmers and traders.
“We thank President Tinubu for seeing the strategic value of the Ibadan–Ijebu Ode Road. For years, our farmers and traders faced immense hardship navigating this route. This concrete dualisation project will bring lasting economic relief and security to Ibadanland and our neighboring communities,” the monarch said. He further commended Umahi as “an indefatigable champion of infrastructure.”
Immediately after the flag-off, Umahi announced plans to move to other critical roads. He said he would visit the Benin–Agbor–Asaba Road to engage stakeholders over difficulties caused by a concessionaire who “removed over 30KM of the asphalt and threw it away and closed the yard.”
“Tomorrow, we are off to Benin-Asaba Road… we are going to be talking to the independent engineer and our lawyer, and of course, the concessionaire. So there’s going to be a robust engagement even with the governor of Edo State,” he said.
He also disclosed that the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, would inspect the Ifaki–Kabba Road in Ekiti and Kogi states — a route President Tinubu flagged for urgent attention in 2024.
Umahi urged Nigerians to recognize the scale of ongoing road works nationwide, saying “every state is a construction site” under the current administration.
The event drew government officials, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders
