Makinde Bulldozed Agodi Garden Trees, Wants To Use N108m To Plant Same Along Circular Road | Muftau Gbadegesin

It’s easy to assume, as many people do, that Governor Seyi Makinde’s proposed plan to plant trees worth one hundred and eight million naira (N108M) along Adewolu Ladoja’s circular road comes as a noble effort of an environmental sustainability buff or a climate change fanatic. In the last few years, the governor has gleefully ordered the destruction and desecration of various biodiversity sites, particularly in Ibadan and across the state as a whole.

For instance, the controversy that trailed the bulldozing of a significant portion of the Agodi garden, a strategic landmark project that was carefully curated as a conservation hub by successive administrations, for a real estate purpose, stands in sharp contrast to the state government newfound love for tree planting in the wake of the controversy and criticism that have followed the secretly transmitted N300 Billion-naira loan by the Governor and the instant approval by the ‘rubber-stamp’ state assembly.

The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Akin-Funmilayo Williams, had noted that the state government has approved the “planting of about 35,000 tree seedlings around the Tech-U Junction-Badeku axis of the Ibadan Circular Road to enhance oxygen supply and environmental aesthetics”. He remarked while speaking during the press briefing immediately after the State Executive Council, under the acting governor, Barrister Bayo Lawal, announced the approval of a flurry of projects on 10th September, 2025. As of writing this column, details of that project haven’t been made public.

However, this is not the first time the state government under Governor Makinde has approved the planting of trees. In 2021, while marking the second year in office, the state government announced it was embarking on a tree planting orgy. The Governor, in a statement credited to him, was quoted as saying that his administration had a plan to plant 500 000 trees within the remaining months of his first tenure. Not sure there is a stat to back up that promise now that his government is less than 24 months in power.

“In terms of the campaign and the scheme itself,” the governor quipped at the launching of that initiative, “we can set a target of 500,000 trees within the remaining tenure of this administration. So, we will break it down to what we should achieve every month for the next 24 months, and we will keep to that”. In his remark, the then commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Abdullateef Oyeleke, equally stated that the tree-planting campaign is one of the numerous initiatives of this administration towards having a clean and green environment, adding that the environmental, economic, and social benefits of nature can lead to better vegetation management.

First off, there is a disconnection between the words and the policy actions of the government. Notedly, planting trees in the wake of the climate change onslaught remains crucial to restoring and rejuvenating the biodiversity that has been so serially attacked by urbanization, industrialization, among others. Tree plantings indeed have both environmental and economic impacts, not only for humans but for the ecosystem. As a student of sustainability, carbon sequestration and climate regulation top the list of the essence of trees to the environment.

By this, it means trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, mitigating climate change and improving air quality. There is also the impact on soil fertility, erosion control, habitat and biodiversity conservation, water cycle regulation, and of course provision of timber and non-timber products. While tree planting remains a significant part of addressing climate change and ensuring environmental sustainability, it is not a stand-alone solution to the climate crisis rocking the world.

For a fact, no serious government will advocate for the planting of trees on one hand and then bulldoze trees on the other, all in the name of building an estate for the elites. This was the case both in the Agodi Garden and Trans Amusement controversies. Again, no serious government worth its name will pollute the environment on one hand through the diesel and gas-powered light-up project across the state and then turn around to say it is committed to environmental sustainability.

For one thing, addressing climate change requires a comprehensive, multi-prong and holistic approach, one that goes beyond the cosmetic and performative act of announcing the plant of trees in some selected locations in the capital city.

Ultimately, the question on the lips of those outside the city will be: where do they stand in the grand scheme of all these tree planting initiatives and interventions? In most rural areas, for example, massive deforestation has not only rendered them economically disempowered but has led to displacement.

Has any significant efforts been made to address the needs of those in the hinterlands? Anytime Makinde’s government announces any key projects, majority are sure to domicile in the capital city to the consternation of those in the countryside. This injustice remained a core of his administration. Planting trees to address climate change ought to be a state-wide intervention and not the sort that only caters to and pampers the needs of the capital city at the expense of the rest of the state.

OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @Upliftnuggets on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.

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