Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Governor Seyi Makinde was responsible for the widening gap between the state and most of its counterparts in the country in terms of all-round development even as the opposition party claimed the current administration of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was only interested in siphoning public funds rather than developing infrastructure and offering good governance.
This accusation, as gathered came against the backdrop of the announcement of the award of a contract for the rehabilitation of 35 kilometre Iwo Road-Olodo-Lagun Road at a cost of N12.5billion by the Oyo state government at a time its counterparts in Osun awarded the reconstruction of the second stretch of the same road from Odo-Oba axis of Iwo to Osogbo, which measured 55 kilometres with more difficult terrain, for a sum of N11.3b.
In a statement issued at the weekend and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC decried the worsening security situation in the state, calling on Governor Makinde to act decisively on the menace of armed robbers, kidnappers and ritual killers allegedly tormenting residents of Ibadan, the state capital, Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and other parts of the state.
Oyo APC said, “There are clear indications that the current administration of the PDP in Oyo state is here to misappropriate public funds which should have been utilised to better the lots of the people through improved social infrastructure, enviable security architecture, policies and programmes capable of rejigging the economy among other things but with open display of cluelessness, misplaced priority and needless propaganda, no soothsayer is needed to determine how bleak is the future of the Pacesetter state if the current administration should continue in office beyond May 2023.
“It is time we stopped Governor Makinde from forcing adulterated and fake dividends of democracy down the throat of the hapless citizenry. A state that was treated to quality delivery of road network construction under late Sen. Abiola Ajimobi does not deserve the current experience of re-award and recommissioning. It is worrisome to us in APC that Governor Makinde has not initiated and completed a single road project since he assumed office almost three and a half years ago.
“Without any infrastructure development plan, the PDP government has reduced Oyo state to a place where projects expected from Chairmen and Councillors are being celebrated by a governor. This explains why none of President Muhammadu Buhari or his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has been made to visit Oyo for any project commissioning event since 2019. More so, there is no national figure who could have graced the inauguration of a substandard bus terminal, badly constructed Moniya-Iseyin road or the overhead bridge along Gate-Akobo road which had had its original specification compromised and delivered as low quality.
“Another issue of concern is the damage done to the security of the state in the last 40 months. We now have an administration which relies solely on the purchase of pleasure cars and vans at jaw-breaking prices as patrol vehicles for demoralised security agents. Rather than engage and partner with relevant stakeholders, the PDP government monopolises the responsibility of coordinating all stakeholders to provide security in the state and the results are evident in the menace of miscreants, armed robbers, land grabbers, political thugs and so on.
“It is an undeniable fact that no investor has been attracted to Oyo state since May 2019 and some sponsored town criers would want the whole world to rate Governor Makinde as the best thing to have happened to Africa in recent times even when he has failed to measure up on the scale of key performance index as well as the verdict of informed pundits and unbiased opinionists. We are using this medium to demand the restoration of all bastardised institutions and public facilities in the state such as Agbowo Shopping Complex, Agodi Gardens, BCOS, Cultural Centre, WCOS among others before May 2023”, it concluded.
