Oyo APC berates Makinde, Ogundoyin over N7.6b loan controversy

The All Progressives Congress (APC)  in Oyo State has berated Governor Oluseyi Makinde and Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin over an alleged express approval granted the governor to obtain a fresh loan of seven billion and six hundred million naira reportedly planned to be spent on Farm Settlements located in Ido/Ibarapa East Federal Constituency of the state.

Media reports had it that the State House of Assembly, on Thursday, gave another express approval for the request of Governor Makinde to again borrow the quoted sum three months after a similar request to obtain a N10b “Infrastructural Loan” was granted making it a total of N17.6b in three months but a statement from the Governor’s media office later claimed that the said loan was secured by the last administration but it could not be utilized before time ran out.

In a statement issued by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Prince Ayobami Adejumo, and made available to journalists today in Ibadan, Oyo APC condemned what it described as the “conspiracy of bad governance” between Governor Makinde and the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, over an alleged disrespect for the opinion of majority of his colleagues who had questioned the rationale behind the fresh loan request at the Plenary on Thursday.

“The current governor has succeeded in bringing the whole machinery of local government administration to a halt completely and to further demonstrate its resolve to drag Oyo State backward by many years within the shortest period of time, we have again been made to see the need for the concerned citizens to beam their searchlight on the PDP administration of Engr. Seyi Makinde as financial indiscipline is now the order of the day in the business of government.

” As much as we would not even like to dwell much on the futile attempt by Gov. Makinde’s media handlers to change the narratives on the controversial fresh loan, the whole world has realized that the present administration is here to mismanage resources and enmesh the state in an inimical debt crisis. Without a clearcut action plan, the Makinde administration has made itself a good customer to many financial institutions as it gets all forms of loans. Unfortunately again, most of these loan transactions are done covertly and to disadvantage of the good people of the state.

“The latest N7.6b loan, as announced, by the state legislature was different from the N10b obtained three months ago even as tongues are already wagging on what has become of the whopping over N17b billion which came into the state government treasury in the month of June alone. Apart from the statutory payment of salaries to government workers, nothing concrete has been done by the PDP government since May 29, 2019.

“The orchestrated Light-Up Ibadan City Project and purchase of 100 security cars have not come to any fruition even when bogus amount of state funds had been expended on them without any due process. Oyo now has a governor who would always singlehandedly design capital projects and approve funds for their execution without any recourse to State Executive Council. As if this was not enough, he has found an ally in the Speaker who overrules his colleagues at will only to dance to the tune of Mr. Governor.

“It is on record that no significant programme was put in place for the celebration of the Nation’s 59th Independence Anniversary this year because the governor was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Governor Makinde who has been ruling the state from unknown destinations in the past three weeks got the Speaker to do a hatchet job on the fresh loan which was hinged on the revamping of two Farm Settlements which are closely located in the same federal constituency. We urge the State Legislature to revisit the matter and act in the overall interest of the entire citizens of the state.” APC said.