Gbenro Adesina
Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, today flagged off the second phase of Operation ‘Light up Oyo State’, which was awarded to Messrs Ledco Allied Enterprises at the contractual sum of N28,360,975,609b.
Flagging it off at Ogbomosho, Makinde stated that Messrs Ledco Allied Enterprises that handled the first phase that was flagged off in September 2019, which was 87.5 percent complete, would also handle the second phase.
The Governor equally flagged off the reconstruction of three kilometres Under G-Stadium-LAUTECH-2nd Gate Road, Ogbomoso.
According to the governor, the reconstruction of Under G-Stadium-LAUTECH-2nd Gate Road will be executed using direct labour intervention by the Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation.
Speaking further on the Operation Light Up Oyo State, the governor noted that the project meant a lot to him because it was tied to Security and the Economy, which are two of the four pillars of his administration that are aimed at accelerating the development of the state between 2019 and 2023.
Makinde stated that the importance of street lights to security and economic development could not be undermined adding, “We know that criminals like to operate in the dark. When the streets are lighted up, it will give residents a sense of security. Also, street lights mean that economic activities can be carried out for longer periods. Who says we cannot have 24-hour restaurants, petrol stations and other businesses in Oyo State as it happens in other cities worldwide. These developments start with basic infrastructure such as street lights”.
He said, “The contract will be financed through Contractor’s Project Financing Scheme with the Oyo State Government contributing initial counterpart fund of N2, 836,097,560.97. The areas covered will include selected roads across all the geopolitical zones of Oyo State totaling 223.48 kilometres. We expect that the contract will be completed in nine months. Since the contractor will be financing the project with his own funds, we will commence refunds after each 50 kilometres of road has been illuminated. So, there is 120 days before repayment commences. We have entered an agreement with them that payment will span over a period of 84 months, which is seven years”.
