OPINION | Oyo: A Government Without An Efficient And Proper Coordination In Its Programmes | By Akeem Adebiyi

One is appalled by the series of drama being acted by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and his political appointees in this dispensation.  Right from the inception of this administration, it has always been one day, one drama, to the extent that the governance in the  state is now a theatre centre or cinema.

Irked by the discordant tunes being regularly played by the Governor and his appointees, one should speak up to enlighten the lots as a noble critic that means well for the greatness of this pacesetter state. One could reason that this unfortunate trend was caused by the governor’s inability to differentiate business of governance from that of politicking. Two, the idea of resorting to mudslinging and calumny against former Governor  Abiola Ajimobi with an intent to discredit his administration and obliterate whatever notable achievements recorded by same from the minds of citizens was being pursued with Vigour by the present government.

The objective is to  proclaim Governor Makinde led government as comparatively better in terms relevance to citizens’ needs.

Management of secondary schools in Oyo state by the former administration was remarkably innovative through the introduction of the Schools’ Governing Boards (SGB)

 

 

The primary or basic function of the SGB was to manage the education levy of N3,000.00 per session being statutorily paid in by the students. Purchase of instructional materials, repair of school’s infrastructure and implementation of co- curricular activities were effectively funded from the levy, under the strict supervision of the SGB. Governor Seyi Makinde took a long drawn look at the SGB and pronounced same dissolved. Perhaps,after receiving correct briefs on the matter, he rescinded his decision by  reinstating the SGB.

Also, the issue of Moniya – Iseyin road project which was awarded by Governor Abiola Ajimobi led administration caught the attention of Governor Makinde. He  queried the cost of the project which was put at N7 billion. He condemned the cost as outrageous and asserted that the contractor and Ajimobi must have engaged in some underhand dealings before arriving at the figure.

Hence,  he invoked a stoppage order and pledged that the project shall be re awarded at a lesser cost. Just of recent, Governor Seyi Makinde led government re-awarded the ‘Moniya – Iseyin road contract’ at a cost of N9.9 billion, an upward variation of N9 .9 billion above the original cost of the project.

 

The issue of Ibadan circular road project is still raging like a wild fire. The Governor consumed by midas lure or fires of hatred against former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, authorised the contractor handling the project to quit the site. He hinged his action on the prohibitive cost of the project and its inappropriateness in terms of utility factor for the citizens in the present circumstance. Within 24hrs, he rescinded his decision. One could reason that his initial action was not well thought out. He even cast aspersions on the person of the contractor handling the project. This has become a subject of litigation now.

In retrospect, Hon. Kehinde Ayoola, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources in Oyo state, once accused former Governor Ajimobi to have illegally acquired hundreds of hectares of government farm land for his personal use during his reign as the state helms man. Within 48 hours, he retracted his statements with shameless modifications.

 

Also, the state Information Commissioner, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, once boasted that the revenue target of Seyi Makinde  led administration is N20 billion monthly. This position contradicts that of John Adeleke, the state Revenue Board Chairman and authority on the matter, who put it at N4 billion per month (N48 billion per annum). 

In the same vein, John Adeleke stirred an hornet’s nest few days ago through his utterances on the conflicting revenue figures that accrues to the state. He posited that the state government raked in a sum of N2.7 billion for October, 2019 as against the sum of N1.3 billion which was the peak attained by the last administration. His position attracted public outcry and widespread criticisms from the stakeholders. The consensus of opinions later put the monthly revenue under former administration at N2.3 billion and not the erroneous figure of N1.3 billion claimed by John Adeleke.

Within 24 hours of the raging controversy, Adeleke retraced his steps and came up with another set of figures. Now, it was N1.7 billion for the former administration and N2 billion for the present administration. In another breadth, Adeleke concluded that the figures are not stable for now.