Oyo State Under The Grip of Gov Makinde | By Ibrahim Adejare

There’s one thing I appreciate about Governor Makinde; I love his phlegmatic ability, which is deeply rooted in his reticent dispositions and mien.

Another thing I admire in him is his rare mastery in the art of maintaining a straight face under daunting and overwhelming pressure from the public.

In essence, what I am saying is that he is a strategic manipulator and pretender. Anyone who wishes to pin him to a corner will go the extra length.

Unfortunately, as smart as he thinks he is, he is always and carelessly unaware that there are smarter people who read through the prism of his cunningness.

Oyo State, under his leadership, is the worst governed. Since 2019, when he assumed office, very few people had noticed his uncharitable characters.

Right from his first term in office, we have been asking one fundamental question, in which neither him nor his acolytes have been able to provide a straight answer.

The question is this: list three tangible and groundbreaking projects that Governor Makinde has commissioned from the scratch and finished. Don’t mention his so-called international motor parks.

An estimated sum of 50 billion naira were spent on them. That was how he started his inflated contracts. Unfortunately, no one is calling him to account.

He spent another 28 billion naira on generator-powered streetlights. Today, a majority of those streetlights are no more working. What is the essence of the huge spendings on them?

The Governor did not stop at that. He appropriated the sum of 65 billion for the rehabilitation of Moniya/Iseyin Road, that was already billed for rehabilitation at the cost of 15 billion by the previous administration.

Another wasteful proposal of this administration is the rehabilitation of the Ojoo/Moniya Road. Governor Makinde is planning to spend 69 billion on the expansion of an already-existing road that is not more than 13 kilometres.

The Governor is not relenting on the forceful remodelling of the Oyo State Government House at the cost of 65 billion naira. Here is a house he never slept in for a day. To what benefit will this be for the impoverished masses of the State?

The ongoing construction of Ibadan Circular Road, which has caused enormous pains to residents around that axis, is the height of his financial recklessness. A whopping sum of about 250 billion has been earmarked for this project.

When you sum the amount of these hyper-inflated projects, they are running into trillions of naira. What are the impacts of the projects in the life of an average indigene of Oyo State? Nothing!

Now, the worst of them all: the misappropriation of 50 billion given to him to cushion the effects of devastation of the Ibadan bomb blast that happened last year – where lives were lost, houses destroyed and citizens devastated and traumatised.

I have many friends and family members who were affected by the unfortunate incident. A friend, who will not like to be mentioned, lamented how his house and car were badly damaged. His child sustained ear impairments, as well. Till date, my friend has not got a dime in form of a compensation from the State Government.

Governor Makinde took 50 billion from the Federal Government. He concealed its receipt from the victims. He pretended as if he was giving them his personal money as compensations. Some were given 2 million, some 5 million naira. That was what the Governor gave as compensations from the 50 billion naira intervention fund of the Federal Government.

He even denied getting any assistance until Former Governor Fayoṣe busted his mischiefs. It took him more than 24hrs before he could shamelessly own up to receiving 30 billion naira. If 30 billion naira means nothing to Governor Makinde, it means a lot to millions of us living in the State.

Our demands are clear and simple. Governor Makinde should tell the people of Oyo State how 50 billion he signed to have collected from Federal Government dropped to 30 billion naira. Moreover, he should render an open account, in specific terms, how he spent the 30 billion he claimed to be the actual amount he collected. The people of Oyo State deserve a comprehensive explanation from him, personally.