Politics
COVID -19: Folarin is confused, desperate to derail Makinde’s govt – Group
A socio-political group in Oyo State, Oyo Kajola Group (OKG), on Sunday warned the senator representing Oyo Central, Teslim Folarin, to bury his incurable obsession to derail the government of Governor Seyi Makinde.
The group stated that the senator’s public statements on the Oyo State government’s handling of the COVID-19 situation thus far have painted him as a confused fellow.
The Oyo Kajola Group, in a statement by its Media Coordinator, Adebayo Ayandele, said that the mandate given to Governor Makinde by the people of Oyo State was ordained by God and that “thousands of desperate politicians like Folarin cannot derail it.”
The group warned Folarin and his co-travellers in the project to derail the Oyo State government to desist from their unrepentant efforts aimed at frustrating the administration of Governor Makinde and distracting it from performing the duties committed into its hands by the people of Oyo State.
It maintained that listening to Folarin on during a recent radio programme in Ibadan gave him out as a confused politician, who is only out to play politics with even sacred matters.
The group said that Folarin had, while answering the reporter, claimed that total lockdown was impossible in Nigeria given the paucity of data, only to advocate the same total lockdown for Oyo State in another breathe.
The group also said that comments credited to Folarin on the state’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and his insinuation that the Deputy Governor of the state, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan was sidelined, were made in bad blood in continuation of his project to derail Makinde’s government.
The group, which noted that Folarin’s obsession was borne out of his desperation to become governor of the state at all costs, berated the lawmaker for turning himself into a nuisance and exposing his ignorance to the public.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to comments credited to the senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin, in which he criticised the governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde and the way the state government has been handling the fight against Covid-19.
“The comments, to say the least, are not well-intentioned and they amount to playing politics with people’s lives and are clearly targeted at causing disharmony between Governor Makinde and his deputy, Engr. Olaniyan.
“We wonder how Folarin could criticise Governor Makinde for appointing a well-experienced and world-acclaimed medical doctor and former CMD of UCH, Professor Temitope Alonge, as acting head of the Oyo State Covid-19 Task Force, pending his [Makinde’s] recovery from Covid-19, especially when it is not as if he is indisposed to perform his duties albeit without physical contact.
“We also wonder why Folarin has begun to take paracetamol for other people’s headaches by crying wolf where there is none, or did the deputy governor complain to him?
“We want to make it clear that the senator’s outbursts were baseless, bad-intentioned and targeted at causing bad blood between Governor and his deputy, Engr. Olaniyan.
“The comments have shown that the senator has nothing good to offer the state except to set traps for the state government and ensure that the people do not enjoy stable governance.
“It is pitiable that at a time that well-meaning individuals are coming together to join hands with the Oyo State government to fight the Coronavirus, the best thing Senator Folarin could do is to be engaging himself in unnecessary opposition against the government and trying to cause bad blood within the Makinde government.
“At this period, Folarin’s colleagues in other states have been donating millions in support of their state’s fights against Coronavirus but the three-term senator considers unjustifiable opposition as the best donation to the state, a development that confirms that he does not mean well for the people.
“We are sure that the people have not forgotten in a hurry that Folarin boasted that he has set traps for government of Engineer Makinde and that he would ensure that it does not succeed.
“But for the umpteenth time, we make bold to say that thousands of desperate Folarins with uncontrolled ambitions to snatch a governorship mandate that only God can give, will not succeed in derailing the Makinde government.”
The group maintained that so far, the state government’s approach has been effective and that the people of the state remained grateful that the Makinde government had been doing everything to protect them at this critical period.
It said: “Today, the good people of Oyo State are grateful to the government of the state under the leadership of Engr. Makinde on the way it has managed to contain the spread of the virus.
“The state government’s approach, which is more towards prevention and spread has been excellent and so also has been its efforts towards the management of the disease in case of any unforeseen situation, with the setting up of Diagnostic Centres, Emergency Operation Centres and Isolation Centres as well the equipping of same showing that the people of the state are in safe hands. Even Folarin recognised this fact and commended the government, though in retrospect, that commendation seems to be an error committed in his short moment of sanity.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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