The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has warned the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, against diverting the €55m French Government concessional loan, valued at about N85bn, from healthcare development to what it described as politically motivated projects.
The organisation said the loan, secured for the improvement of healthcare facilities across the state, should be deployed strictly for the purpose for which it was obtained.
In a statement on Tuesday, the group expressed concern over reports that the state government had constituted a committee to determine how the funds would be rapidly spent, describing the timing as suspicious with the 2027 general elections and the end of Makinde’s administration approaching.
It also noted that repayment of the facility would commence under the next administration, making transparency and accountability in the utilisation of the funds imperative.
The statement read in part, “It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government.
“It will be recalled that the Oyo State House of Assembly in June this year approved the governor’s curious request to raise N200bn bond to refinance the choking debt into which Makinde has plunged the state.”
The organisation also questioned the state government’s financial decisions, arguing that increased monthly allocations to the state and the 33 local government areas following the removal of fuel subsidy should provide additional resources to tackle pressing developmental challenges.
It said the alleged plan to rapidly deploy the loan was coming at a time when the state was already facing a significant debt burden.
The campaign organisation, however, said it would support any genuine effort by the government to improve healthcare delivery, but demanded full disclosure of how the French facility would be utilised.
It called for the publication of the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors to be engaged, procurement procedures, implementation timeline and the hospitals expected to benefit from the project.
“Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent. The money must not be seen as another opportunity for inflated contracts, hurried procurements, questionable consultancy fees or projects disguised to primarily fund political activities,” it said.
The group urged Makinde to resist committing the state to contracts or projects that might not be completed or independently verified before the expiration of his administration.
It also called on the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organisations, professional healthcare bodies and the media to closely monitor the utilisation of the facility.
According to the organisation, residents of the state need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines and modern medical equipment rather than what it described as “cosmetic renovations” or abandoned projects.
The campaign organisation said it would continue to scrutinise the deployment of state resources, particularly as the 2027 elections approach, and hold the administration accountable for expenditures it considers questionable.
