Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has clarified that the Trans Amusement Park, Ibadan, which is one of the enduring legacies in the state, will be utilised to accommodate housing project.
Makinde, who stated this in his latest official newsletter dated 21st of September, added that the revenue from the housing project will be used to develop the State further.
The governor also hinted that a modern amusement park will be constructed at the Ilutuntun Business District through a PPP collaboration.
Trans Amusement Park is a project initiated in 1987 by a former military governor of the state, the late Brigadier General Adetunji Idowu Olurin.
Construction of the Trans Amusement Park, by Engineer Babs Okuyemi, began in August 1988, following the financial support from the successor of Olurin, the late Major General Sasaenia Adedeji Oresanya.
Rides and other recreational facilities were put in place in trans Amusement Park by the Oresanya regime, many of which are still functional till date, about 45 years after it was commissioned amid funfare.
In his words, he said: “We have received feedback about the Trans-Amusement Park, Ibadan, that further reinforces our belief that tourism will be a major source of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for our dear State. And so, our resolve to seek more ways to promote tourism in Oyo State is strengthened.
“Since 2019, we put up the Trans-Amusement Park, for private sector investment in keeping with our mantra to ensure that the government gets value from every structure developed before now. The few people who showed interest backed out after they had an opportunity to visit the facility and do proper due diligence.
“The reason we have received a lack of interest is that the equipment is obsolete and cannot be repaired. It is also more expensive to scrap the equipment and construct a modern amusement park in the same location. We also considered the traffic bottlenecks that would arise if a new, far busier park remained at that location.
“We, therefore, decided it would be more prudent to utilise the land in this location for a housing project while we use the revenue from this to develop our dear State further.”
Makinde reiterated that his administration’s plans for tourism under Omituntun 2.0 remain on course to achieve sustainable development in the state.
“It may not be carried out as some expect because several factors will impact delivery. Still, we will continue to sort out these issues to ensure that we achieve sustainable development through tourism. A new modern amusement park will be constructed at the Ilutuntun Business District through a PPP collaboration,” He stated.
