Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has underscored the indispensable role of road infrastructure in President Bola Tinubu’s economic vision, noting that robust road networks are pivotal in empowering states to achieve their development goals and in promoting national unity through interconnected infrastructure.
These remarks were made by the Vice President at the inauguration ceremony of the newly completed 76.76km Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Highway in Oyo State, located in the South-West region of Nigeria.
Speaking at the event on Thursday, the Vice President said the project is part of the commitment of the Tinubu administration to infrastructure as the bedrock of progress.
Addressing a jubilant crowd while inaugurating the project, VP Shettima said the long-stretched road is “like a bridge that connects us to our aspirations and a vital artery linking communities not just within Oyo, but across geopolitical zones.”
“Each well-built road activates the economy of its surroundings by linking producers to markets, workers to job opportunities, students to schools, and the sick to hospitals. The level of development experienced in a society is directly proportional to the length and quality of its road network, as roads serve as the forerunners of development,” the Vice President added.
He lauded Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for his infrastructural vision, adding that the project is a catalyst for economic activity in the region and national cohesion.
Applauding Oyo as a pacesetter and his second home from his university days, he extolled Makinde for his “commitment to ensuring rural areas are as important as urban centres.”
He continued: “Oyo State holds a special place in my heart, not only for being a land of my firsts, from academic achievements to infrastructural innovations, but also as my second home, as a proud product of Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan.”
The Vice President noted that roads are the “forerunners of development,” enabling agriculture, commerce, and urbanization – the cornerstones of an elevated standard of living, pointing out that “without a robust road network, we cannot fulfil promises to the people, nor sustain our democracy.”
VP Shettima added that the economic agenda of President Tinubu is rooted in supporting each state of the federation in achieving its objectives and fulfilling the government’s promises to the nation.
Oyo State holds a pivotal role in our nation’s economy and will always remain a top priority in our efforts to stabilize and promote unity and peace across the nation,” he said.
Earlier, Governor Makinde said the need for the construction of the road christened Adebayo Alao Akala Memorial Expressway was born out of the reliance of the current administration in Oyo State on data, science and logic to build infrastructure with the potential for expansion of the economy of the state and engineer a modern Oyo State.
This, he said, will improve the socio-economic life of the citizenry.
He stated that the 76.67km road was predicated on facilitating intra-city, inter-city and inter-state movement of the people, goods and services, adding that “sustainable development of Oyo State is only possible through an all-round development across the length and breadth of Oyo State.”
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