Makinde’s Ibadan Transformation Wins Praise as Hotelier Describes Smooth Roads Across the City

A resident of Ibadan and hotelier has commended Governor Seyi Makinde for the visible transformation in the state capital, saying his experience on public transport after two years showed why the governor remains popular across Oyo State.

The account was narrated to a member of GSM Advocates, a support group for the governor, following the resident’s visit to a friend in the Alakia and Adegbayi area for his son’s wedding. The friend, he said, was his former neighbor from where his first house was located.

According to him, for many years his movement had been limited to his home and his business place within the Ologuneru, Eleyele and Sango axis. That, he explained, made him lose touch with developments in other parts of Ibadan until his trip on Wednesday.

“I am just arriving home, I have a story to tell. For the first time in over two years, I took public transport,” he said. “Today, I realized that I have lost touch with developments in Ibadan. Ibadan has changed. No wonder, that Seyi Makinde is popular in Oyo state.”

He described the roads he traveled on as smooth and pleasurable, and noted the presence of big structures in different areas of the city. He said the biggest surprise for him was at Iwo Road, a location he recalled as notorious for age-long traffic congestion.

“You can no longer get taxi, okada or maruwa under the Iwo Road bridge,” he narrated. “There were two big terminals where all inter state and intra state vehicles are boarded. I saw order and decency, I couldn’t believe that I was in Ibadan.”

Members of GSM Advocates said the testimony reflects what many residents have been experiencing across Ibadan in the last seven years. They noted that the Iwo Road Interchange and the new transport terminals were built to remove roadside boarding, reduce gridlock, and bring order to commercial transportation.

The group added that stories from ordinary citizens who have seen changes first hand help to explain the growing support for the Makinde administration in Oyo State. They said the focus on infrastructure, urban renewal and traffic management has made daily movement easier for residents and visitors.

The Oyo State Government has consistently said its infrastructure drive is aimed at improving mobility, supporting commerce, and creating a more organized environment for residents. With more residents sharing similar experiences, supporters argue that the changes in Ibadan are becoming one of the defining features of the current administration.