Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state engaged the Media yesterday, Saturday, 21st of December, 2024.
He had promised to be holding a Media Chat quarterly but interestingly, the one he had yesterday was the only one he had for the whole of year 2024.
I listened to the Governor from the beginning to the end and I must say that the session was revealing and mind touching.
The Governor touched on a number of issues but I will focus on a few topics which I consider are of interest to the public.
The Bashorun stampede: I noticed that the Governor showed deep emotions and confirmed that he had indeed cancelled the activities marking his 57th birthday celebration, though I heard him say he would be at Fashola during the festivities.
I am aware that he has been celebrating his Christmas and New Year festivities outside Ibadan since he became Governor and definitely, this year would not be an exception.
That being said, Governor Makinde accepted that two avoidable incidents of disaster happened in the year 2024.
He listed the two as being the unfortunate blast at Bodija and the recent stampede at Bashorun, but he cleverly attempted to shift the blames on both occasions.
For example, in respect of the Bodija blast, he claimed that the residents saw people who were storing explosives but decided to be silent about it.
I have a problem with that statement and I don’t know who told the Governor that the residents of Bodija saw those he claimed were storing up explosives.
He also did not provide that information.
Whatever that happened at Bodija is as a result of systemic failures of Government at different levels and Governor Makinde must be humble enough to accept responsibilities as the Chief Security Officer of Oyo state, without passing bulks.
I am also surprised to hear the Governor talked about the fact that he was just contemplating fixing a meeting for next Monday, 23rd of December, 2024 to ” close the matter of support” because, according to him, there were issues about what the Nigerian Society of Engineers recommended and what some residents claimed were released from Abuja.
It is unfortunate that as a result of what Governor Makinde called ” an issue arising from what was released from Abuja and what the NSE recommended”, the residents have not been attended to till now.
Does it mean that the Governor wouldn’t have attended to the issue at all if it wasn’t raised yesterday or, it was deliberately brought up yesterday?
At Bashorun, Governor Makinde said due process was not followed. We all know that for sure but there are allegations that certain Ministries were carried along by the organizers.
MURIC in a Press release said that the Principal of the School at Bashorun had instructions to release the School premises for Oriyomi Hazmat for a long period of time.
Edmund Obilo also told Governor Makinde that he has information to the effects that the Commissioner for Women Affairs was contacted by the organizers but the Governor rhetorically asked if Edmund knew what they discussed with the Commissioner.
Knowing fully well that the Inspector General of Police has taken over the case file, I do not expect Governor Makinde to start defending his Government officials at this point that investigation is still on.
He can not claim to be touched by the deaths of the innocent young children and at the same time seen as trying to protect certain Government officials.
The Governor said he doesn’t play Politics with human lives when he was told that the IG has taken over the case files.
No one is playing politics with anything and I think Governor Makinde has forgotten how he threatened Teslim Kolawole Folarin with a particular case file which he hasn’t been bold enough to pursue till date.
I disagree with Governor Makinde that he doesn’t play Politics with peoples lives. If what he did then wasn’t playing Politics with peoples lives, then, what is?
Land Grabbing: Edmund Obilo asked the Governor a beautiful question and that was the high point of the session for me.
” Mr. Governor, are you a Land grabber?” He asked.
Governor Makinde’s response to this particular question made me shudder.
I asked myself, after listening to the response of the Governor, if the Governor actually takes advice from professionals before making certain public comments.
Thankfully, he talked about the portion of the BCOS that he has converted to a GRA.
He said there used to be a beautiful staff quarters around the place when he was younger.
His excuse is that the staff quarters has become an eyesore and therefore, converting the place to a GRA where only the extremely rich few could afford would be better.
He even alluded to the fact that the immediate past CJN is now a resident of the GRA!
He talked at length about the Circular Road corridor and what the original concept of the Road is.
He talked about how some corpses were discovered at the portion of the Agodi Gardens where he has handed over to Estate Developers and concluded that those who are calling him a Lang grabber are actually the Land grabbers.
I must say that Governor Seyi Makinde’s response in respect of this matter actually baffled me and I do not know the exact way to describe my disappointment.
The powers granted to the Governor of a state to take over any piece of Land is tied to the overriding public interest.
So, for Governor Makinde, because the immediate past CJN lives in Lere Adigun GRA, that fact constitutes and qualifies as overriding public interest or what?
I was aghast when Governor Makinde tried to use the issue of security to justify the handing over of the Agodi Gardens to Estate Developers.
It is even an indictment on the Governor that he admitted that the crime level in a place which is at the backyard of the Oyo state Government Secretariat forced him to hand over the place to Estate Developers.
What has the Governor done to confront the security issues around the place?
Why is it that it was only when he decided to sell the place off that we suddenly began to hear that the crime rate at the place is that so high?
Governor Makinde thinks all of us are morons.
People don’t just call him a Lang grabber, some also call him “Abulesowo”.
His penchant for taking over public spaces has become something else and I think he should take some time to reflect on his actions.
The other time, he promised the home owners at the Circular Road corridor that there won’t be a corridor that encroaches into people’s living homes.
Yesterday, he was saying something else.
Is he saying that those whose homes and Lands he’s forcefully taking over at the place are also Land grabbers?
It is well.
It looks like Governor Makinde needs someone to explain the meaning of the phrase ” overriding public interest” to him.
If he is made to understand the meaning of that phrase and he accepts the true meaning of them, he will accept that he fits into the description of a Land grabber and that no one is sponsoring anyome against him.
Education: I am surprised to see the acolytes of the Governor coming out this morning with headlines like ” We Are Rearranging Resources To Reposition Education Sector In Oyo State, Says Makinde”!
Rearranging resources to reposition education? Laago melo?
Some people have lost the dignity to feel shame.
Governor Seyi Makinde is serving out his sixth year out of eight and someone thinks it is praiseworthy to tell the public that the Governor is just” rearranging resources to reposition ” a sector as important as the education sector?
That statement in itself is defeatist and I expect those who went to the Press with such unfortunate statement to have at least tinker with it and not report it vabertim.
They not only did. They surprisingly made it a headline and ensure it trends well.
In fact, I laughed my heart out because they just made the Governor look like the King who believed that he only should have what no other must not have.
A cunning individual eventually made sure that the King danced naked in the market square, while believing that he was wearing invisible clothes.
I won’t waste time repeating myself about Governor Makinde’s failures in the Education sector.
That statement says it all and Governor Makinde was good enough to admit that he didn’t do well in respect of Primary and Secondary Education.
The Governor actually exposed his lack of understanding of what a perfect Tertiary Education system is by thinking that ownership of LAUTECH and increasing the number of Universities in the state are conditions for measuring a perfect Tertiary Education system and I say this with due respect to the Governor.
Governor Makinde would have done very well by telling us what his Government has done to support research activities and Grants released to those Universities to run smoothly.
The terrible state of Infrastructures in our public primary and secondary schools are known to the public.
The fact that Oyo state keeps dropping on the WAEC and NECO index of states performance is also public knowledge.
LG Autonomy: I have said so much about this issue also and I won’t repeat myself.
However, I will like to make some comments about the misrepresentation of facts by the Governor.
I am not surprised that Governor Makinde kept repeating the word ” control” while talking about the Local Governments.
It is not correct that those who crafted the Constitution envisaged a situation where a state Governor would maintain ” control” over the Local Governments as Governor Makinde wrongly believe.
Most especially, in respect of resources.
Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended never envisaged such.
It is also not correct that if the Local Governments have financial Autonomy, they won’t be able to pay salaries.
The only problems the 774 Local Governments in Nigeria have is that of thieving Governors who would not give the Local Governments breathing spaces.
For example, in Oyo state, there is a Primary Health Care Board.
An Executive Secretary was appointed to be in charge of the Board by the Governor.
Ordinarily, the Board ought to have been weaned off the Local Governments resources but as we speak, salaries of the Oyo state Primary Health Care Board is been deducted from the monthly Allocations of the Local Governments.
This is one of the ways the Governor has been suppressing the funds meant for the Local Governments apart from usurping the responsibilities of the Local Governments to collect taxes and levies at Parks, Garages and other public spaces.
I am surprised that the Governor also denied giving 10 million Naira monthly to the Local Government Chairmen in Oyo state and he refused to state in clear terms, whatever the amount he has been giving to the Local Governments on monthly basis.
Whearas, it was on the same BCOS Radio station that he said he stopped the 10 million Naira monthly he was giving to the Chairmen because they couldn’t account for it!
Finally on this issue, I want to tell Governor Makinde that he is the one who should provide the Data to prove that the Local Government Chairmen won’t be able to pay salaries if they are granted financial Autonomy.
Are those documents not with him? He should show us the details of the monthly Allocations for the 33 Local Governments since 2019 and show us how the funds he received on their behalf would not be enough to pay salaries of Local Government staffs.
Does it now mean that the Governor has been lending money to the Local Governments to survive?
Haba GSM!
Agbowo: Governor Makinde’s response concerning Agbowo also speaks for itself.
I am shocked to hear the Governor say that it wasn’t like Agbowo was bubbling before 2019!
Now, Oga Gomina, Agbowo was not bubbling but no one mortgaged the property for 50 years.
No one rendered it useless. No one turned it to an edifice where some people from nowhere would be defrauding citizens of Oyo state.
Governor Seyi Makinde thinks he is wise.
What happened to the reported collection of 5 billion Naira? What happened to the agreement of 50 years?
Now we are talking of another arrangements that will attract further debts aren’t we?
It is well!!
Successor: I am surprised that Governor Makinde still repeated the issue of age as a factor for determining his successor.
I won’t trouble myself so much about his day dreaming.
What actually baffled me is that he kept talking about age without having regard for his Deputy who is about 70 years or above.
I have said it when he first talked about it and my opinion has not changed.
Governor Makinde can dream all he wants. The people of Oyo state and ultimately, God Almighty will determine his successor and there is nothing he can do about it.
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