Seyifunmi Odunuga
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao (Allow Alao), has come hard on Governor Seyi Makinde, saying his administration has become an albatross on the people of the pace setter state.
This is just as he said the people of the state deserve an administration that put their interest first, stating that the governor has turned himself into an Emperor interested in milking the state dry.
Alao in an open letter to the governor, titled “Before Makinde ruins Oyo State”, said he decided to positively criticize him again after waiting for a year into his second term, noting that he waited long in order to judge his performance vis-a-vis the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, Makinde before he became governor was in the forefront of those criticising the administration of late Governor Abiola Ajimobi over inflated contracts, stating that his administration has become worse with litany of inflated contracts across the state.
He listed contracts awarded at inflated cost to divert resources of the state into private pockets to include 76.7 kilometres Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso at N43.1billion; dualization of 6.2km Ibadan –Oyo-Iseyin/Okeho junction road at N6.1b; dualization of the 10.82 kilometres Ibadan Airport Road at N4.9b and Adamasingba Stadium at N5.2b.
But rejected by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) which described the soccer pitch of the home ground of the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) as falling below standard and unplayable, insisting that they showed his profligate spending and speaks volume about his competence as an Engineer who ought to know better.
The Asiwaju of Irokoland added that since the present administration of President Bola Tinubu came into office allocation that has accrued to the state become more than double, lamenting that there is nothing on ground to show where the governor spent the money.
“What could be termed mind boggling is the fact that despite the huge allocation coming to the state every month, nothing tangible could be said to be happening in the state.
“Indeed, the percentage increase between 2022 and 2024 is 205 while that between 2023 and 2024 is 155.
“This is however excluding the N570 billion that the Federal Government claimed that it shared separately to the 36 state governments.
“What has the governor done with these monies and why did he hate the state and its people so much? We need to ask Governor Makinde.”
Alao stated further that rather than having a rethink and make life better for the people, Governor Makinde out of the governors in the country has been the one vociferous in kicking against the judgment of the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to the local government areas.
He lamented that before the judgment there has never been a time in the history of the state when local govt areas have been rendered useless and ineffective as the time of Governor Makinde who is the Governor of the state and the Chairman of the 33 local governments areas combined, noting that it was so bad that even the staffs of the Councils no longer go to work as a result of redundancy.
According to him, the autonomy is for the benefit of the masses at the grassroots as it will free the Council Chairmen to provide roads, new markets and stalls and other infrastructures for them, insisting that the refusal of Governor Makinde to abide by the decision of the highest court in Nigeria is nothing but anti-masses.
He said, “By refusing to allow autonomy for the Councils in the state, there is no doubt that the masses will suffer. To me, we cannot compare the present case with the one between Lagos State with Asiwaju Tinubu as governor and the Federal Government between 1999 and 2007.
“Governor Seyi Makinde should not drag the hand picked local govt Chairmen into prison as they have no immunity.
“And that he may be an Emperor in Macon Engineering Limited does not make him an Emperor in the affairs of the local, state and Federal Govts as the constitution is supreme and only the Supreme Court has the final say on any part of the constitution and it has spoken.
“More importantly, it is important to ask the governor on whose interest is he fighting the judgement of the Supreme Court and what is the motive.”
Alao then enjoined traditional rulers, the citizenry and other major stakeholders in the affairs of the state to call Makinde to order by tracing the paths of honour and emulate other governors.
He stated that his duty is to put in place process to monitor and audit Chairmen in the running of their councils while the Councillors have functions clearly spelt out to check the excesses of the Chairmen.
