Oyo State Governor, Engr. ‘Seyi Makinde, has expressed his administration’s plans to sponsor the leadership of the Park Management System (PMS) and motorcycle riders to Rwanda, for further insights into the transport management system, in order to make life more comfortable for residents of the state through their services.
Governor Makinde noted that the completion of Terminals 1 & 2 of the Ibadan Central Bus Station, Iwo Road, has brought about a massive turnaround in the sector, with a perfect management of a well-organised system.
The governor stated these on Sunday while commissioning the Leisure Park named after the late former Governor, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, located at Ladoke Akintola International Airport junction, Alakia, Ibadan.
Eulogising the late political genius, Governor Makinde said the government remained committed to its promise of digitising Dr. Olunloyo’s library, to serve as a resource base for members of the public, as well as a tourist attraction site for residents of the state and visitors from across the world.
“I have said that we would fix Dr Omololu Olunloyo’s library, and that commitment remains. We will do this to immortalise a highly cerebral individual, who gave a great part of his life to serving our dear state.
“When I came into office in 2019, this particular spot used to host some shops, and the road to the airport was just a narrow road, and there was nothing outside the gate here. But today, the environment has changed considerably. We have constructed the dual carriageway to the Airport and this Omololu Olunloyo Leisure Park has also sprung up. It will host people from the 18th of December for Vibing December”, he stated.
Governor Makinde spoke further on how he has succeeded in transforming the Ibadan landscape, especially transportation around the Iwo Road axis and other locations through infrastructure development and restructuring of the transportation sector, pledging to sustain the good initiatives.
“We now have in Iwo Road a system that has a management, and you can account for all the buses that are leaving the terminals to wherever they are going. But we are not stopping at that.
“I will sponsor their leadership and the leadership of Okada riders to Kigali, Rwanda. I will sponsor them to understudy how those people have organised their transport sector.
“Yes, commercial motorcycles are everywhere in Kigali, but they are well-identified. They take helmets with them — one for the passenger and one for the rider. They don’t carry two passengers. So, we need to understudy this model as we want to sanitise the system.
“Commercial motorcycle riders, which are about 50,000, can be banned. It is the easiest thing to do. But if they are filling a gap, what we have to do is to regulate them and ensure that we minimise accidents and let them earn a living.
“If we ask them to stop operating, I can tell you that criminals will multiply. I know that people have been talking and asking what the government is doing about the issue of okada riders, because they have been banned in the metropolis of other states. Well, your government is doing something that will be sustainable and beneficial to all of us.”
