I just finished reading the theatrics and ignorance displayed by one Moses Alao who claimed to be Governor Seyi Makinde’s SA on Print Media and I can’t but laughed my heart out.
Honestly, I think one of the basic considerations for appointing Government’s spokespersons these days should include the testing of their Knowledge about Law.
No wonder, veterans in the field have since seen the necessity for this crucial point.
I took a little time to dissect the position of the gentleman and in the end, I can conveniently say that he did Governor Makinde’s image more harm than good.
Honestly, the Governor is better without such an uninformed defence.
I will take him up from where he concluded his ignorance and I say this with all due respect to the gentleman who, I must confess I do not know.
So, nothing personal.
I have devised a system for so long. I strive to learn from everyone and every circumstances.
It doesn’t matter if you are trying to drag my personality or you’re appreciating my work.
I will still strive to learn one or two things.
Having said that, Alao made heavy weather about what he considered my resentment against the fact that Governor Makinde is investing in infrastructures within Ibadan.
Why would I? Though a native of Eruwa in Ibarapa East Local Government, I have been resident in Ibadan since the year 2007.
My children were born in Ibadan and they school in Ibadan.
If it is a misconception, Dear Mr. Alao, kindly correct it.
I think the gentleman was desperate to curry the favor of indigenes of the state Capital but he can not succeed on that front certainly.
Ibadan people are too sophisticated to fall for such cheap blackmail.
Secondly, he made a lot of play about the dates for the approval and commissioning of certain Road projects but failed to deny the fact that the Governor scraped some Roads which were not in bad shapes at all and rehabilitated them.
My problem with this unexplained action of the Governor is that such Roads that could still endure for some time should have been patched where necessary, to cut cost and the resources for such Roads be transferred to rehabilitate the plethora of Roads begging for Government’s attention.
That is commonsensical and logical.
I ply this Roads, even sometimes on Okadar and I know what other users said about the unnecessary scrapings.
If you read Alao’s piece and you are not familiar with Ibadan, you would think the whole place is a Paradise whereas, as a result of Governor Makinde’s illegal meddlesomeness with the funds meant for the developments of the Local Governments across the state, over 90 percent of access Roads, even in Ibadan have become impassable.
Maybe Alao has never been to the inner parts of places like Wire and Cable, Siba, Aba Alamu, Gbekuba, Ologuneru, Omi Adio, Iyaganku, Eleyele, Molete, Oke Ado and many more too numerous to mention.
That is not even my biggest concern.
I stand with my claim that Governor Seyi Makinde have been misappropriating the funds meant for the development of the 33 Local Governments and Alao himself agreed with me, though he felt the Governor was justified.
Alao, in his concluding paragraphs made a terrible and costly error when he admitted that the Governor spent Local Government funds to rehabilitate Roads in Ibadan.
For him, whatever partnership or collaborations the Governor had with the Local Government Chairmen that gave the Governor the authority to spend funds meant for the 33 Local Governments on Roads within Ibadan is in order.
He demonstrated crass ignorance when he said that no one cared about who spent the funds so far there is results to justify the spendings.
My Dear Mr Alao, you are completely wrong.
We care. Even the people of Ibadan cares about how the funds released in the names of their respective Local Governments were spent and who to hold responsible for the expenditures.
In fact all of us not only demand accountability, we demand due process and transparency.
That is why I said in the beginning that a little knowledge about Law would help Government’s spokespersons.
Let us put the Judgment of the Supreme Court aside.
I challenge the Governor to show us the Law that empowers him to poll together the resources of the 33 Local Governments and concentrate such on Road rehabilitation on zonal basis.
The funds released for Local Governments are released in the names of separate Local Government.
In fact, they are not uniform and there is due process for the spending of such.
I wonder how anyone who knows what such procedures are would put together such trash Mr. Alao is putting in the public space.
Can president Tinubu, out of good intentions spend the monthly Allocations meant for Oyo state by using same to rehabilitate Roads in a zone within Oyo state?
Just as the president is not legally permitted to exercise such powers, so also is Governor Makinde not legally permitted to spend the funds meant for the developments of the 33 Local Governments in one zone.
I also challenge the Governor to make public the details of the ” collaborations” he had with the Local Chairmen before the agreement was made.
Who awarded and signed the contract? Was the contract bidded for? Who received the bids and who chose the successful contractor? What is the identity of the Contractors?
Most importantly, what roles did the various Local Government Chairmen play? How were the cheques raised from the different Local Governments? How much did each Local Government contribute?
Mr. Alao’s worthless piece can not take care of this germaine questions.
As a former Supervisor for Works in my Local Government, I am not aware of any Law that gives the Governor, the Local Government Chairmen and the Career Officers the power to lift funds released in the names of their respective Local Governments and concentrate same on the rehabilitation of Roads in one zone.
I do not claim to know it all but if the Governor is not bold enough to furnish the public with the details of his novel strategy, then the likes of Alao would be seen as wasting their times.
It seems Mr. Alao doesn’t understand my grievances.
I will tell him for free.
Since 2019 that Governor Makinde has been elected Governor, infrastructures in my Local Government, Ibarapa East has collapsed totally.
No developments. Nothing to show.
Unfortunately, I am aware that the Federal Government is not defaulting in releasing fat monthly Allocations for my Local Government.
Now, Governor Makinde has come out to say, look, I’m spending the monthly Allocations for your Local Government on the rehabilitation of some Roads somewhere else.
For me, that is unacceptable and illegal.
The promise to come to other zones after finishing with Ibadan doesn’t fly with me.
If he has spent close to six years of his eight years tenure and is yet to finish with whatever he is doing in Ibadan, when exactly will he get to the other zones?
Apart from that, his promises no longer holds water for me as an Ibarapa man, particularly, from Ibarapa East.
What has become of his promises to complete the Ido/Eruwa Road before December, 2023?
What has become of his promises to build a Mini Stadium at Igboora?
What of the promises to upgrade the Eruwa Farm Settlement?
Secondly, Governor Makinde was not elected to supervise the expenditures for my Local Government.
His meddlesomeness is not only illegal, it is not appreciated.
If Alao is comfortable with Governor Makinde throwing the resources of his Local Government into the Ogunpa River, that is if he is from Oyo state, so be it.
Before I round up. I will like Mr. Alao to avail himself a copy of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 as amended and I recommend he gets familiar with section 7 of the said Constitution.
The judgment of the Supreme Court is even irrelevant to this discussion.
Without that judgment, the Governor is still not empowered to misappropriate Local Government funds through a one sided, slavish and I’ll motivated ” partnership and collaborations”.
Even, the Law that is guiding the Administration of Local Governments in Oyo state does not empower the Governor to bypass due process and transparency to spend funds on behalf of the Local Governments.
If Governor Makinde is certain that due process was followed in the award of the contracts in question, let him make the documents public and there will be an end to this debate.
Finally, once again, I challenge the Governor to make public the details of the Joint Allocations Accounts since 2019 that he became Governor.
Let the world see what has been coming in. Who is spending what and what is the debts profile?
For what purposes were Loans obtained by the Local Governments and who actually spent the money?
No matter the antics of those who think they can pull wool over the eyes of the public, no respite for them.
Make the documents public. Let’s end the debates. Simple.
After all, the funds in question belongs to the public. No be so?
There is a particular paragraph in Mr. Alao’s article that got me hysterical.
He said I have labeled myself a diehard critic of Governor Makinde.
Well, I didn’t label myself as such. He was obviously referring to an interview I granted the Daily Times Newspaper sometimes this year.
The ” diehard” thing was an idea of the Editor but I must admit I saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, I love it.
Let me ask Mr. Alao if Governor Makinde was not once a diehard critic of the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi?
Secondly. Governor Makinde, his Boss, not only highlighted the importance of criticisms in a Democracy. He recently demanded that Media practitioners should hold those in public offices, including himself, responsible and accountable.
Why is Alao developing goose pimples because I’m complying with the observations of his Boss?
” Eni ni ara ni ara o ro Oun. Iwo lo ku aisun, o ku aiwo”. Haba!
.
Share this content:
About The Author
