A former Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, has commended President Bola Tinubu for ensuring the continuation of the ₦95.9 billion dualisation of the Akure–Ado Ekiti road project.
The 50-kilometre project was originally awarded during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement on Thursday in Akure, Adegoroye described President Tinubu as a “true statesman” for not abandoning the project initiated by his predecessor.
He recalled that Tinubu had personally witnessed the poor state of the road during campaign tours of Ondo and Ekiti states, noting that the President understands its economic and social importance to the region.
The former minister also praised ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, and former Minister of Industry, Niyi Adebayo, for their roles in securing approval for the project under Buhari’s administration.
Adegoroye, however, dismissed claims credited to legal luminary Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), suggesting that the credit should go to the current Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
“I was a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) when it was awarded, and I was there when it was flagged off with massive mobilisation fees already paid to the contractors by the Buhari administration.
To give Umahi the credit instead of Fashola is blatantly unfair. The facts are in the public domain,” he said.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the late former Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, who pushed for the road’s rehabilitation before it was finally approved.
According to him, Akeredolu had mandated him to secure two key projects for Ondo State — the Akure–Ado road dualisation and the Port of Ondo licence.
“By God’s grace, I was able to achieve both within nine months. For the Akure–Ado project, I became a thorn in Fashola’s flesh, but he kept his word that the road would not only be fixed but redesigned and expanded to last decades. He fulfilled that promise before leaving office,” Adegoroye stated.
He further described Niyi Adebayo’s support during Federal Executive Council deliberations as “very robust,” noting that his backing was crucial to the project’s approval.
