His Gracious Excellency, Gov Seyi Makinde, and the 33 Praise Singers | By Sola Abegunde

The extent to which Local Government Chairmen have surrendered themselves to be misused by Governor Seyi Makinde is not only worrisome, sometimes, it also amuses you, when you heard supposed adults and Chief accounting officers of the third tier of government behaving like pupils in a kindergarten class.

I will come back to this later.

I am inclined to react to the press statement by the Oyo state Government regarding its land grabbing activities which has now pitched the Oyo state Government against the Federal Government.

I have carefully read the rebuttal of the Oyo state Government and for me, the statement is not only worthless, it is a desperate measure and an afterthoughts.

Governor Seyi Makinde’s obsession for land grabbing is legendary and notorious.

Sometimes, you began to wonder if it is an affliction. ( Afise).

I took time to read through the points raised by the Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Developments, Mr. Akin-Funmilayo Williams.

He did not deny the facts that Oyo state Government, under Governor Seyi Makinde had indeed grabbed or about to grab some portion of Land initially allocated to the Federal Government, though, he described the action as a revocation exercise.

He also said those revocations were not only lawful, they were also necessary and done in the interests of public safety.

Those reasons given by the Hon. Commissioner, with due respect to him, are not convincing at all.

He said the actions are lawful. I will not debate that assertion with him because he said Government is in court on some of the contested areas but he will agree with me that his declaration that the actions are lawful is prejudice.

However, when he said that the actions were necessary and done in the interests of public safety, I will say that he was outrightly lying and I will give my reasons for saying so.

Oyo state Government under Governor Seyi Makinde, against public outcries, took over some portions of Land allocated to the Broadcasting Corporations of Oyo state, BCOS and converted same to a GRA.

The portion of Land converted to a GRA is known today as the Engr. Lere Adigun GRA located at Basorun in Ibadan.

Governor Seyi Makinde gave similar reasons to that of the Commissioner to back up his actions at the time.

Every time Governor Makinde seizes people’s Land or public spaces earmarked for something else, it is always about overriding public interests or security.

When he converted the reminants of the Agodi Gardens to a Housing Estate, he said it was about security.

Now, can  Mr. Williams show the public, exactly how the conversion of BCOS parcel of Land to Engr. Lere Adigun GRA is benefitting the Oyo state public?

From available information, a plot of Land in that GRA is presently selling at over 200m Naira.

Sometimes last year, residents of the GRA took the Oyo state Government and its appointed Estate Manager to court over irreconcilable differences and alleged high handedness by the Estate Manager.

The Estate Manager, who also doubles as infrastructures partner is not an indigene of Oyo state and he was alleged to be living in far away Houston Texas in the United States of America.

The residents of the GRA, at the time, amongst other issues, were complaining that the supposed infrastructures partner provided close to zero infrastructures.

Now, Mr. Williams had indeed reawakened the reasons for the public to call on Governor Seyi Makinde to give details about his series of conversions of public and Oyo state Government assets to Housing Estates and GRAs.

What are the identities of the ‘investors’ and Estate Developers he has engaged to manage government assets?

What are the terms of agreement signed between government and the ‘ investors ‘?

For example, I have said it and I stand by my assertion, a plot of Land at the Lere Adigun GRA now sells for over 200m Naira.

How much of that goes to Government coffers?

The public deserves to know these facts, after all, Governor Makinde claims that he is doing whatever he is doing around those Estates and GRAs in the overriding public interests, isn’t it?

How many of the ‘ investors’ are from Oyo state?

When Mr. Williams said that the actions were also taken in the interests of public safety, did he mean like it was done at the Eruwa Farm Settlement?

Like Governor Makinde chased away local farmers at the Eruwa Farm Settlement and ‘ handed over ‘ the over 4,000 hectares to some invisible investors or what exactly did he mean?

If Governor Seyi Makinde is that concerned about safety and security of Oyo state citizens, he won’t chase away local farmers who were occupying the 4,000 hectares Eruwa Farm Settlements and thus, keeping the space from being taken over by dangerous elements and handed the place over to some unknown ‘ investors ‘ who has done nothing at the place for almost two years now, thereby exposing the areas to occupation by dangerous elements.

I am surprised that the Commissioner for Lands stated that Oyo state Government was not directly mentioned by the Federal Government and yet, he dissipated energy to address a press conference as a result of the federal government statement.

I laughed when I read the portion where he claimed that they are the administrators of Land in Oyo state.

Mr. Commissioner, you are presently the administrators of Land in Oyo state.

No one is contesting that power with Government.

The issue here is that, that position is temporary and it is held in trusts on behalf of the people of Oyo state.

Many have held that position before Governor Makinde and yet, many will occupy the position after him.

If those who held that position before Governor Seyi Makinde had been reckless as he is, would there have been any portion of Government Land remaining for Governor Makinde to drag with anyone?

My simple advice for those who have purchased Land in the contested areas and are yet to build on it and intending buyers, is to be wise.

In less than two years now, Governor Seyi Makinde will cease to be the Governor of Oyo state.

There is no guarantee that the next Governor of Oyo state will toe the same reckless line as the present Governor when it comes to the administration of Government Land.

A word, they say, is enough for the wise.

Even, an infant knows that Governor Seyi Makinde doesn’t toy with Land anywhere he smells advantages.

His dilly dallying at the Ibadan Circular road is a confirmation of that fact.

Before you buy Land from Governor Makinde in contested areas, think twice.

To those who already built houses in the contested areas, the Lord is your strength.

Now, to the 33 puppets at the Local Governments.

I started by talking about the mediocre tendencies of Local Government Chairmen in Oyo state.

Every time I heard supposed Chief accounting officers waxing lyrical about the Governor’s ‘ graciousness ‘, I used to have mixed feelings.

There is no way you listened to those jesters and you won’t be amused, yet, you would be angry and sad.

Sometimes, I thought those funny fellows will soon come to the public to ask us to thank Governor Makinde for ‘ graciously ‘ approving for them to visit ‘za oza’ room!

Governor Seyi Makinde is not hiding his discontent to a free and autonomous Local Governments.

To him, Local Governments ought to exist as an appendage to the Governor’s office.

He said so while answering questions during a public debate in 2023.

He also repeated same sentiments while lashing out at the Supreme Court Justices who ruled that funds meant for the Local Governments should be sent directly to them.

What is however baffling in the case of Oyo state is the willingness of the affected Local Government Chairmen to continue to remain in Egypt where Governor Makinde wants them perpetually kept.

The crumbs are enough.

Immediately after the Judgment of the Supreme Court, the Governor abducted them and dished out instructions for them.

First, they  they were instructed to opt out of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON and they addressed a press conference to that effect.

Secondly, they were instructed not to comply with the directives from the CBN to open designated Bank accounts to receive direct monthly Allocations and sheepishly, they also complied!

They would rather continue to take the crumbs that falls on their laps under the status quo than embrace their destinies and accept some degree of freedom.

That is the reason they have become redundant, just following the instructions from the Governor even when those instructions are capable of leading them to Abolongo or Agodi.

What a pitiable bunch!

Since the removal of subsidies on petroleum products by president Tinubu, the inflow of monthly Allocations to States and the Local Governments have increased tremendously.

Regardless of this tremendous increase, Local Government Chairmen in Oyo state could not point to any concrete project done by them.

A couple of months ago, one of them from Oyo town had to go cap in hand, begging from even opposition figures to fix the dillapidating Local Government edifice.

I am from Eruwa in Ibarapa East Local Government, just like the current Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly.

I am not aware of any projects, concrete or not, Independently done by the Ibarapa East Local Government since 2019.

Just recently, the Local Government was celebrating the construction of a Bridge over the Ipin river in Eruwa and the tarring of some funny meters, not kilometers of road leading to the Bridge.

It is very unfortunate that a Local Government that is receiving hundreds of millions of Naira monthly would be celebrating the construction of a Bridge and a few meters of road but even at that, the Chairman of the Local Government kept thanking the Governor for ‘graciously ‘ approving funds for the project.

I am also aware that recently Governor Makinde approved some funds close to a billion Naira belonging to  Ibarapa East Local Government for the Coronation activities of Samuel Adebayo Adegbola and the reconstruction of the Eleruwa Palace but in all these, the Local Government Chairman, I am told and allegedly so, is just a bystander.

His own was just to sign the schedule for the payments of the funds.

It is above him to have a say on the Contractors who would handle the projects or the funds approved for the projects and sadly, he would be the one to account for those funds if the need arises.

If you call him tomorrow to shed lights on these matters, it is either he runs away or he keeps talking about the ‘graciousness’ of Governor Seyi Makinde.

I only use Ibarapa East as a case study.

The situation is the same everywhere in Oyo state.

I had once raised the allegations that Governor Seyi Makinde did not limit his reckless borrowings to the state, he extended the act to the 33 Local Governments.

Neither of Governor Makinde nor the Local Governments denied this facts.

I thought they would.

At some point, Governor Makinde had to sign letters of irrevocable credit to some Banks over the accounts of the 33 Local Governments.

The letters gave authorisations for deductions of funds to offset loans taken on behalf of the Local Governments!

You will now wonder, how could the Local Governments be in debts since they were not executing projects with the huge monthly allocations they are receiving?

I also raised the allegations that, on the instructions from the Governor, the Local Governments were moving their monthly Allocations to Ibadan North Local Government from where the Governor cleared the funds to execute projects mostly in Ibadan.

Honestly, the post-Makinde era is going to be a landmark in the history of Oyo state.

Only God Almighty knows what will become of some Local Governments Career officers and the clownish fellows calling themselves Local Government Chairmen.

It will take a combination of wisdom and magnanimity for the incoming Governor of Oyo state to manage the crisis of illegalities orchestrated by Governor Seyi Makinde.

The acts of recklessness and illegalities across different sectors are just so alarming.

I used to pity one outspoken Local Government Chairman in Ibadan here.

Recently, he has been very active on social media, celebrating mediocrities.

If he is not talking down on the Oyo APC spokesperson, he would be celebrating Governor Seyi Makinde’s catching of ‘ some big fish’ from the APC!

He is like someone everyone is watching and out of pity for him, they are crying but he goes about laughing. ( Eni ti a nwo lawo sunkun, to nwo ara e ni a wo rerin).

He doesn’t know that the fact that he has so much time to celebrate nonsense on social media is indeed a confirmation of his idleness.

Honestly, you may want to understand his excitement.

He knows what he went through before he was compensated with that puppet arrangements.

I pity him and his colleagues a lot.

Apart from the fact that the public sees them as some funny elements, the ‘graciousness ‘ of Governor Seyi Makinde is a dangerous time bomb for them.

By the time the bomb explodes,….!

I don’t think there would be opportunity for a free access to phones at Abolongo or Agodi and even if there is, will there be the appetite to use it?

Sola Abegunde.