Governor Seyi Makinde has taken his ignorance to the North Central of Nigeria.
I just watched a video of him talking to members of his party, the Allied People’s Movement, APM during a program tagged ” North Central Town Hall Meeting”.
If not for the fact that he was on National Television, the kind of ignorant talk coming out of the Governor of Oyo state shouldn’t have warranted a response from any right thinking person.
He spoke to two key issues and on both, he turned logic on its head and he even indicted himself.
First, he said the Federal Government just woke up and announced the establishment of Army Divisions across the country with a view to tackling insecurity without adequate planning and budgetary provisions.
This jaundiced opinion is coming out from a Governor whose state was just ravaged by kidnappers who abducted Teachers and small children from schools at Yawota and Esinele communities of Oriire Local Government.
Not only that, while everyone was concerned about the safety and rescue or release of the victims, this same Seyi Makinde was playing politics with the lives of the victims.
He first said that he shouldn’t be held accountable for security breaches in his state because, according to him, Security Agencies are not under his control.
At a point, the rescue operation was almost compromised through a reckless comment from the Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly and on the day the victims were eventually rescued by Federal Government Security Agencies, Governor Seyi Makinde was in Bauchi, playing politics with the lives of the victims.
He was implying that the kidnap of the victims and the rescue operation were staged because he declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria!
First, he called for an independent investigation of the abduction of the victims by the international community and the subsequent rescue operation by the Federal Government and later, he set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to look into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue operation of the victims.
The Governor of Oyo state, with due respect to him, is a very hypocritical human being.
He claims to have hired the highest number of the Amotekun Corp. That is true, but, how organized and mobilized are members of the Corp?
It was after the abduction at Oriire Local Government that his Government took steps to ensure that the Amotekun Corp get an improved employment condition because, before then, they were employed on a temporary basis.
They go about, holding dane guns and before he fell out with Governor Seyi Makinde, Auxiliary, the Governor’s illegal ” Chief Security officer” had more ammunition than the whole of the Amotekun Corp in Oyo state and this is the same Governor Makinde who is talking here.
The Amotekun Corp in Oyo state have no communication gadgets. No training. Not a single drone.
Just recently, Governor Seyi Makinde, after so much pressure from the public, took possession of two surveillance Aircrafts bought for 7.8 billion Naira.
You will now wonder, where were the surveillance Aircrafts when Bandits struck, yet again at the Oke-Ogun axis?
An airstrip was to be constructed at Igbeti and the approval for the construction of the airstrip and the surveillance Aircrafts were done same day. Where is the airstrip?
It is most Illogical for someone to conclude that the Federal Government didn’t make adequate planning for the establishment of Army Divisions just because he claims not to see budgetary provisions for the establishment of the Divisions.
The announcement of the establishment of Army Divisions is a response to emergency security challenges and no reasonable person should expect that whatever needed to be done would be abandoned.
What exactly does Governor Makinde want the Federal Government to do? Sit by and be inactive like himself?
Up till now, students around Yawota and Esinele communities where the abduction took place are yet to return to school.
What has Governor Makinde done to make them return to the classrooms? Absolutely nothing. If they ask him tomorrow, he will say it is the Federal Government.
Under his watch, Mukaila Auxiliary, his ” head of security” became a notorious killer. He and his boys invaded Eruwa in 2021 during the Local Government election and four innocent lives were lost.
While Governor Seyi Makinde was at Igangan during the campaign period for the 2023 Gubernatorial election, the same Mukaila Auxiliary, in company of Governor Seyi Makinde attacked citizens of Igangan and many lives were lost.
During his first tenure and this was during the tenure of the late president Muhammadu Buhari, killer herdsmen, as they were called at the time attacked Igangan and many lives were lost.
Governor Seyi Makinde was abroad at the time, enjoying himself and if not for Sunday Igboho, who knows what would have become of the whole of Ibarapa?
Surprisingly, when Governor Seyi Makinde eventually returned from abroad, he visited Igangan and the first statement he made was and I quote him, ” I accept responsibilities for what happened”.
You will now ask yourself, what has changed? Why is Governor Seyi Makinde passing the buck to president Tinubu now? Why is he uncomfortable with every steps taken by this president?
The other issue Governor Makinde addressed was the effects of the removal of fuel subsidies on the economy.
Gladly, Governor Makinde accepted the fact that the inflow of monthly allocations from the Federation Account to states and Local Governments has increased, but, he insisted that the increase has not translated to fighting hunger.
He buttressed this point by referring to the fact that Oyo state’s reliance on Federal Allocations jumped up after the removal of fuel subsidies.
In fact, Governor Makinde needs to remember that we are now living in a new world where you can’t just make comments that goes against your position of the past.
This is the same Governor Makinde who boasted that after a year in office as the Governor of Oyo state, he wouldn’t need to wait for Federal Allocations before taking care of the business of government.
So, how far with that empty boast? The other time, he was saying, ” Baba won, Oga won…won ni awon maa se ina…”.
So, he has not been able to fulfill that promise of not waiting for Federal Allocations, even for one second, judging from his present analysis?
Now, for whatever it is worth, let us address Governor Seyi Makinde’s jaundiced opinion on the face value.
He said the increase in monthly allocations has not translated to an effective response to hunger. So, who should be blamed for that?
Oyo state is in serious debts. The Governor has been piling up debts upon debts.
These debts are serviced through Local Government accounts and other Government accounts.
Most of the loans secured by Governor Seyi Makinde were used to execute projects that can not contribute to the growth of our local economy.
Take for instance, the Bus Terminals. Governor Makinde took loans and used the Local Governments as collateral.
Not only that, over ninety percent of the resources made from the Bus Terminals, parks and garages are allegedly funneled to private pockets while the Local Governments are paying back the loans through direct deductions.
The same goes for the Light Up Oyo Project. This is another project executed with billions of Naira, loans, attached to Government accounts.
Local Governments are deprived of their monthly allocations through an illegal process called ” collaboration” between the state and the Local Governments.
The 2bn paid to the Osun state Government for the severance of the state from the ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University was illegally removed from the funds belonging to the Local Governments.
All the Farm Settlements, save for Fashola have been handed over to Estate Developers and here Governor Makinde is taking about hunger!
I want to challenge Governor Seyi Makinde, before you start talking about statistics, will you address us about the effects of debts on our monthly allocations?
Will you break down the series of debts you have accumulated on the state and the Local Governments, even, before the removal of fuel subsidies and after?
Will you tell us how much of the increased monthly allocations goes to debts servicing?
We need these facts. Without them, whatever you are saying will be meaningless.
My father used to tell me that too much debt will not allow the child of a thief to grow. ( Epe kii je ki Omo ole o dagba).
We are not fools. You can’t just wake up and be dumping incomplete data and statistics on us.
Let us know, what is consuming the huge monthly allocations for our state and the 33 Local Governments before you start pointing accusing fingers at Abuja.
Sola Abegunde.
