Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde must order urgent repairs to the Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort road in Akanran, Ona-Ara Local Government Area of the state, prominent publisher Mogaji Wole Arisekola has urged.
Arisekola appealed in an open letter to the governor after visiting the resort, describing his journey from Ibadan to the facility as unexpectedly difficult and unnecessarily long.
According to him, a trip that should ordinarily take between 30 and 40 minutes lasted more than two hours because of the poor condition of the access road.
Arisekola said the experience was particularly disappointing because he had always taken pride in Oyo State’s road network whenever he hosted friends and visitors from other parts of Nigeria.
He contrasted the travel conditions in Akanran directly with neglected transport corridors found in neighbouring Ogun State.
He wrote: “Your Excellency, my journey to Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort in Akanran was not smooth at all.”
He said his experience prompted him to question whether he was still within Oyo State, recalling the poor roads he had encountered on some routes in neighbouring Ogun State.
Arisekola stressed that good roads were essential not only for residents but also for motorists, farmers, investors, tourists and businesses transporting agricultural produce into Ibadan.
He said he attempted to contact Governor Makinde during the journey to draw his attention to the condition of the road.
“Governor Seyi Makinde knows me very well. Whenever I see something that deserves attention, I always speak up,” he said.
Despite the difficult journey, Arisekola said arriving at Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort completely changed his perspective about the trip.
Wole Arisekola appraises Ilaji Resorts
Arisekola described the leisure complex as a world-class venue that has generated essential employment opportunities across the state.
He framed Sanusi’s commercial undertaking alongside historical Ibadan entrepreneurs, including the late Chief Bode Akindele, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola, Chief Yekini Adeojo, and Chief N.A. Idowu.
Recalling his own development of Oluyole Estate in Abuja in 2013, Arisekola noted how communal backing proved critical to indigenous business success.
He revealed that Chief Niyi Akinola deposited 12 million naira without seeing the site, while Chief Yekini Adeojo provided a 3 million naira gift. A further 20 million naira deposit came from a third associate, Mr Oyesola.
“That was the spirit of brotherhood. That was the Ibadan I grew up to know—a city where love, unity, and mutual support flowed naturally among its people,” Arisekola stated.
He warned that allowing Sanusi’s enterprise to suffer due to poor public works sets a damaging precedent.
Arisekola also suggested the Oyo State Ministry of Works may have failed to brief the governor accurately on the site’s degradation.
“This is not just about today. It is about tomorrow and what people will eventually say about us,” he said.
He urged Governor Makinde to recall contractors immediately to complete the route before concluding his second term in office.
Seyi Makinde Infrastructure Pressures Threaten Private Capital
The travel delays along the Akanran corridor highlight a broader systemic vulnerability within Nigeria’s regional economic planning.
While state governments frequently solicit private investment to drive rural development, public infrastructure often lags behind commercial expansion.
When private investors build large projects without reliable state-backed transport networks, these enterprises face higher operational costs and lower visitor numbers.
The situation in Ona-Ara demonstrates how transport bottlenecks directly stall sub-regional growth and strain relations between public officials and local business leaders.
