…accuses governor of using Ajimobi as diversion from economic mismanagement
A Federal Commissioner at the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela, has accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of using the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi to divert attention from what he described as the state’s worsening debt crisis under the current administration.
In a statement on Sunday and exclusively obtained by Mega Icon Magazine, Olowofela, a former commissioner for Education, Science and Technology under Ajimobi’s administration, said Makinde’s penchant for borrowing has reached alarming levels, with over ₦500 billion allegedly incurred in debts between May 2019 and June 2025.
This comes just days after the Oyo State House of Assembly approved yet another ₦63 billion loan request by Governor Makinde, reportedly earmarked for the renovation of the Government House.
The ex-council chief questioned the rationale behind such a huge loan for what he called a “cosmetic” project at a time when residents are grappling with poverty and food insecurity.
“It is on record that Governor Makinde has borrowed over ₦500 billion in six years. Now he wants another ₦63 billion just to renovate the Government House, yet he blames Ajimobi for the state’s financial woes,” Olowofela said.
According to him, the claim that the state is still struggling to repay debts incurred by Ajimobi is misleading. He clarified that the ₦7 billion agricultural loan procured under the Ajimobi administration was never accessed, as Governor Makinde, shortly after winning the 2019 election, instructed the bank not to release the funds to the outgoing government.
He noted that despite being the main beneficiary of the facility, Makinde’s government has yet to channel the funds into the intended agricultural projects in Akufo and Ibarapa six years later.
On the controversial World Bank-funded flood control initiative, Olowofela noted that while Ajimobi’s government accessed only 14 percent of the $200 million loan, the Makinde administration had drawn down the remaining 86 percent. He argued that this disqualifies Makinde from shifting blame to his predecessor for debts that largely benefited his own government.
“Logically speaking, if Governor Makinde is repaying these loans, then he is paying for funds he has spent. Crying foul is therefore diversionary and politically self-serving,” he said.
The federal commissioner also took a swipe at the Makinde administration for allegedly seizing a property belonging to the late Ajimobi, located near the Government House. He called for the immediate release of the property to the family of the late governor, urging the governor to rise above politics and act as a statesman.
“It’s been six years since Ajimobi left office and five years since his passing. If Governor Makinde still blames him for his own rudderless leadership, then perhaps he needs the services of a necromancer to resurrect Ajimobi,” he said.
He warned that any successor to Makinde in 2027 would need to be an “economic wizard” to salvage the state from its current fiscal trajectory.
“The people of Oyo State must begin to ask hard questions about the true state of our public finances and the priorities of those who lead us. Spending ₦63 billion on a building while the people go hungry is not governance — it is misplacement of priorities,” Olowofela concluded.
