Oyo APC Berates Makinde over Growing Infrastructure Deficit, Worsening Insecurity

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, yesterday came hard on Governor Seyi Makinde, blaming him for the widening gap between the state and most of its counterparts in the country in terms of all-round development.

This was just as the main opposition party in the state claimed the current administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was only interested in siphoning public funds rather than developing infrastructure and offering good governance.

The party in a statement issued yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, decried the award of contract for the rehabilitation of 35 kilometres Iwo Road-Olodo-Lagun Road at a cost of N12.5 billion at a time its counterparts in Osun State 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 N11.3billion.
He lamented the worsening security situation in the state, calling on Makinde, to act decisively on the menace of armed robbers, kidnappers and ritual killers, tormenting residents of Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and other parts of the state.

According to him, “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 Senator Abiola Ajimobi does not deserve the current experience of re-award and recommissioning.

“It is worrisome to us in APC that Gov. 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 not 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.”

It alleged that another issue of concern was 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 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 Gov. 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.

“As a matter of fact, 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.”