The Oyo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese firm, to construct a light rail transport system covering about 30 kilometres within Ibadan, the state capital.
At the signing ceremony which took place at the Governor’s office, Governor Abiola Ajimobi disclosed that his transformation agenda requires extensive modernisation of major cities in the state.
The governor explained that in modern development, the light rail system is long overdue for Oyo State, with a population of over 10 million people, stating that any city with a population of at least 2 million requires a light rail system of transportation.
The leader of the Chinese delegation, Mr Li Binj, disclosed in an interview with journalists that they did not just come to Oyo State with cutting edge technology, but also the desire to transfer such to local people who would be engaged in the project.
Mr. Binj, who signed the MoU with the Oyo state government, said that the project would give employment to thousands of residents, besides the transfer of technology to those that would be involved in the project.
Governor Ajimobi noted that the state is moving up a notch with the provision of the light rail system to ease traffic congestion and reduce the cost of transportation for individuals as well as small and large scale businesses within Ibadan.
The light rail project is billed to commence and become operational before the end of the second term of Governor Ajimobi.