Politics
Oyo: Akintola desperate for the headlines – Makinde’s aide
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, has described the recent spate of criticisms against boss by a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 election, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), as an indication of his desperation to hug the headlines.
Adisa, in a statement made available on Saturday, declared that it was a thing of concern that a learned silk like Akintola has descended so low to join the bandwagon of opposition elements trying unsuccessfully to manipulate and distort government policies in Oyo State and pass off genuine government efforts as policy somersaults.
According to the statement issued by the governor’s mouthpiece, “Chief Niyi Akintola, who by the way, should have been among those revered for standing by facts, alleged that the government in Oyo State reverses eight out of 10 policies. That’s an unkind fabrication, a white lie that cannot stand in real sense and one that should not have come from Akintola. Can he give evidence of any such policy somersault? Surely, he can’t.
“If a lawyer would jettison facts and become a purveyor of speculations just because he is desperate to keep himself in the 2023 APC rat race, one should wonder what hope lies ahead for the country and the search for truth and justice.
“I think Chief Akintola should make up his mind on whether he wants to be a friend of Governor Makinde or a blind critic of his administration. On one hand, he professes to be a friend of the governor, in another breath, he is busy marketing unfounded allegations against the governor.
“Contrary to the unfounded allegations by Chief Akintola and his journeymen, the government of Engineer Makinde is not involved in policy reversals and has remained focused on the goal of lifting Oyo State from poverty to prosperity.
“I have had cause to address this matter before and I insist that it is the undiscerning that will allege policy flipflops against Governor Makinde. When the deep acts with the majesty of intelligence backed by science, logic and data, the fickle-minded cannot discern. So they easily misrepresent the issues and allege policy somersaults or whatever their lips can spew.
“When Governor Makinde went on an inspection tour of the Circular Road under construction, he issued a ‘stop work order,’ and asked the management of the construction company to come for a meeting in his office, a reporter mistook the stop work order for contract cancellation.
“But the directive from the governor was clear; stop the work, come for a meeting to decide the way forward. After that meeting, 24 hours after the inspection, the governor lifted the stop work order and asked the contractor to go ahead and fulfil the contractual terms.
“Since then, the leadership of the APC in Oyo State has mischievously been trying to stick to the error of the reporter who mistook the stop work order for cancellation. But that will not stand. They should make reference to the official statement from the governor’s office in case they are confused.
The statement continued, “At times, one wonders if Chief Akintola and his APC caravan really understand what policy somersault means, because the funny commentaries they run and the positions they dramatise as policy flipflops of the Makinde administration are strange and should make one ask whether they really understand the issues.
“We are, however, not surprised that the APC system in Oyo State has been struggling to pin down wrong narratives on Governor Makinde. Ever since he hit the ground running from his first day in office, he has got the opposition confused, leaving them to only strive to hold on to straws and seek to brand him in negative terms.
“But I want to state categorically that the unlikely headlines they seek to popularise against the governor will not jell. The people of Oyo State are solidly behind Governor Makinde and they have continued to commend the policies of his government, which have made life better for them in the last one year.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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