Residents and property owners in communities along the Ibadan Circular Road have raised the alarm over the alleged blocking and destruction of community access roads by contractors handling the project, accusing the Oyo State Government of inflicting unnecessary hardship on people in the name of development.

The residents expressed concern that directives reportedly issued by the state government to contractors working on the project could result in the indiscriminate closure of existing access roads connecting communities to the Circular Road, leaving residents struggling to reach their homes and properties.

They described the development as a disturbing consequence of what they consider an apparent failure by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to adequately protect the interests of residents whose communities are directly affected by the massive infrastructure project.

According to findings, some community roads that connect to or are crossed by the Circular Road have allegedly been fenced off without alternative routes being provided, effectively cutting off residents from convenient vehicular access to their homes.

In other instances, existing community roads have reportedly been excavated to obtain earth materials for filling portions of the Circular Road, only for the affected roads to be abandoned without proper rehabilitation.

The situation has reportedly left some roads in deplorable conditions, making movement difficult and exposing residents to avoidable inconvenience, while property owners are left to bear the consequences of construction activities over which they have little or no control.

The development has raised serious questions about the planning and supervision of the project, particularly the apparent failure to ensure that communities do not become casualties of infrastructure development.

Critics argue that no government should celebrate the construction of a major road while residents living around the project are denied reasonable access to their homes and communities.

They questioned the rationale behind blocking established access routes without providing alternative roads, insisting that such an approach places an unfair burden on residents who have legitimate expectations that their welfare will be considered during the execution of public projects.

The residents have consequently called on Governor Makinde to urgently intervene and direct the contractors to stop blocking, excavating or destroying community access roads without making adequate arrangements for alternative routes.

They also demanded the immediate rehabilitation of roads damaged by construction activities, stressing that contractors must not be allowed to treat existing community infrastructure as disposable merely because a major road project is underway.

The controversy presents another challenge for the Makinde administration in demonstrating that its infrastructure agenda takes account of the everyday realities of people living in affected communities.

While the Ibadan Circular Road is intended to improve transportation and stimulate economic activities, the residents insist that these objectives cannot justify construction practices that leave communities isolated or make access to homes unnecessarily difficult.

They argued that responsible project execution requires proper planning, effective supervision and adequate consultation with affected communities, rather than leaving residents to discover that familiar routes have been blocked or rendered unusable.

Governor Makinde must therefore demonstrate that the welfare of residents is not being sacrificed at the altar of infrastructure development. The state government should immediately investigate the complaints, identify the affected roads and compel the contractors to restore damaged routes or provide safe, convenient and motorable alternatives.

The residents maintained that the success of the Circular Road project should not be measured solely by the kilometres of road constructed, but also by how its execution affects the lives, livelihoods and property interests of people living along its corridors.

They urged the governor to act without further delay, warning that a development project that disconnects people from their homes risks undermining the very public interest it is supposed to serve.

For the affected residents, the demand is straightforward: construct the Circular Road, but do not destroy community access roads without providing alternatives. Development should open up communities, not shut them out.