E-SHOPPING MALL IN IBADAN: An indication of accelerated development in Oyo State | By Bashorun Adeniji Saintabey
By Editor
3 min read
Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits. All of over the world, Ibadan is known as the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, Nigeria.
Ibadan has a very rich cultural heritage, the capital of any state always indicates how such state is being governed.
Ibadan is wearing a new look, judging from remodelling of Lekan Salami Stadium, modern terminal parks, light up projects, road constructions and the governor of Oyo State cap his outstanding development in the state with E-shopping mall in Ibadan.
Agbowo Shopping Complex was at a time the biggest shopping mall in Oyo State, equipped with a central air conditioner and had a cinema house attached to it.
The shopping complex had over 100 shops, and a functional fire fighting office that served not only it but the entire Agbowo community and the environs as at the time it was built by Bola Ige administration.
Location of the shopping complex which is few metres from the Bodija International Market and is directly opposite the University of Ibadan is very strategic.
The two landmarks of the market and university meant that thousands of both consumers in Bodija and the university complex had the Agbowo Shopping Complex at their neighbourhood to patronise for their needs and fun, which included movies as at then.
For the last 12 years, the complex,past administrations failed to pay attention to Agbowo Shopping Complex.
In the Oyo state road map for accelerated development for 2019-2023 of Governor Seyi Makinde
made mentioned in sectoral issue where he captioned how he will facilitate private sector driven housing delivery through variants of public private
partnership (PPP) initiative. Today in Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is changing the story of the moribund complex into reality.
In the Nigerian Tribune of October 12, 2016 it was reported that last administration in Oyo state entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Agbowo Mall Infrastructure Development Company Limited. The MOU was meant to see the commission of about N8billion to the renovation of the complex. However, 4 years after the signing of the MOU, the mall did not witness any trace of renovation.
23 September, 2020, Governor Seyi Makinde flagged off the remodelling of the Agbowo Shopping Complex which will make the complex into state of art complex that when completed within the space of 24 months, that is 104 weeks, the 36 years old structure will wear a new look,
it will have a time level car park that will double as a drive-in Cinema in the evening; a 10-floor first class hotel; 600 capacity 3D Cinema in the evening, an underground gaming arcade.
Prudence in the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde also helps to improve the economy of the state and reduce the mismanagement of public fund bearing in mind that the MOU signed by last administration was 8billion naira and Makinde’s administration will see the investor inject N4.9billion and is expected to convert the moribund structure into premium commercial real estate and a 4-star hotel.
With all these transformations in Oyo State, Governor Makinde is detailing his roadmap in Oyo State to transform the capital into an economically self-sufficient city, the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the state capital, Ibadan as its environs is evolving from its ancientness into modernity, with the economic dividends inherent in the historical monuments and infrastructures domicile in the capital, the legacies of the past is being sustained and the governor is building a new Oyo State .
