THE Oyo State chapter of KOWA party has called on Governor Abiola Ajimobi against diversion of the state share of the Paris Club.
The party warned that the governor before it is too late should use the money for the purpose to which is meant for in the payment of salaries and execution of people-oriented projects.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Ibadan, the state capital at a press briefing tagged ‘Before it is too late in Oyo State’, Chairman of the party , Alhaji Olaide Olayiwola said, “this Paris Club money we are expecting, let the civil servant be fully paid with the Paris Club money and wait to see the outcome, they will be happy to work. KOWA party is not in support of suspension of staff salary.
“Before it is too late, the Paris Club share should be used to pay salary and take care of the people.
“This is why we are calling you that before it is too late, the present government promised many things, but the state has come to a worse situation in terms of employment, education, agriculture, we cannot talk about health, have you ever seen a situation where civil servants are not paid. We need to ask why the civil servants are not paid. It is either the present government lacks the power or does not have the people that know about governance”.
Olayiwola stressed that the governor has derailed on his promises, “most of the promises he made are still a mirage”, citing the example of the proposed Oyo State Technical University, Ibadan Circular Road, Five Star Hotel and Model Schools which he said are yet to take off.
Olayiwola then blamed Ajimobi for deliberately denying the people of the state by appointing the new caretaker committee chairmen in the state, adding that the court injunction can only affect the councils in questions and not the whole councils.
He also urged journalists to always strike balance in their reports.
“The caretaker arrangement is not good, the governor is denying the people, the court injunction affects only the councils in controversy and not the entire state, why will the governor appoint caretaker chairmen in all the councils but did not appoint for those where there is issue. That means the governor knows what he is doing by not appointing council chairmen in those ones.
“It is high time the government change its direction. I want to state that these new LG caretaker chairmen arrangement to placate people with appointment as if it is Valentine gifts is not good.
“Tell him that KOWA party and other parties is not in terndem with his policies, the people are not for the projects but the projects are for the people.
“Gentlemen of the press, please don’t take side, it does not worth it, let us tell the government that we don’t like his style.
“We saw Ladoja, Akala exercise books, nothing is in the state, when students are still sitting on the floor. Every year, you see budget of restoration, budget of this and that, but nobody is asking about the last year budget, budget appraisal. We are calling the state governor to tell us how does he spend and what does he takes, recently Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai published his salary, let the governor tell us how much he collects and spends.
The chairman further charged the state government to rehabilitate dying industries in the state.
“We are calling the governor to rehabilitate our moribund industries like exercise battery, Layland and Wire and Cable know as the best, how much will it take the governor to put little money and resuscitate them. We want our government to look at all these avenues, please we want things to be done in that manner”.
