N8b to provide electricity for govt. house, secretariat exorbitant – Akande knocks Makinde

Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande has criticized the governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde for awarding a contract of N8 billion for an Indepedent Power Project to provide uninterrupted electricity for the Government House and Secretariat, describing it as exorbitant and unjustifiable.

Akande, in a statement on Sunday, in Ibadan, noted that the Seyi Makinde -led administration seems to have lost sight of the primary problems facing the state in its choice of awarding contracts at gargantuan cost to matters that do not impact on the lives of the people nor enhance the economy of the state.

The statement read, “The primary challenges of Oyo State are  youth unemployment, decaying education, health infrastructure and widespread poverty.

“The choice of contracts daily churned out by the government does not seen to take cognizance of the problems facing the good people of the state. The contracts seem to be determined by the fancy of the government and the greed of the contractors and career  proposal purveyors.

“A state wallowing in youth unemployment should not priotise the comfort of Government House over the future of the youths and the thousands of market women and farmers seeking government support to improve their lives.

 “The government is committing present and future generations  to debt that will not enhance the economy of the state nor improve the well-being of the people. It is untenable that government will commit N8 billion to uninterrupted supply to Government House when thousands of youths could have been empowered with such funds through a youth empowerment programme that will promote entrepreneurship in agriculture, digital economy and other engagements that will surely enhance the economy of the state.

” I can only imagine the number of our primary and secondary schools whose quality of service delivery would be enhanced with the commitment of N8billion to the education sector or the number of hospitals that could be brought to higher standard to provide quality health care delivery with N8billion.

“We plead with Governor Makinde to streamline his financial commitment of the state in line with the interest of the greater number of the people of Oyo State and not the comfort of the few”, the statement concluded.