During the 8 years of Ajimobi, Oyo state constructed only 38 kilometers of road, LAUTECH was crippled and pensions and gratuities were owed.
Under Makinde the state has constructed 445KMs of road across the state, over 400kms ongoing.
Roads like Moniya-Iseyin (65KM), Iseyin-Ogbomoso (77KM), Oyo-Iseyin(35KM), Rehabilitation of Saki-Iseyin(84KM), First phase of circular road (32KM) with bridges and interchanges, Igangan-Iganna(38km) and a lot of others have been completed.
LAUTECH is solely Oyo state’s and it has a regular academic calendar with support from Government.
LAUTECH teaching hospital Oyo is ongoing reconstruction.
Over 250 PHCs have been reconstructed and equipped
Over 3,500 health workers employed
Over 12,000 teachers employed
Over 5,000 Amotekun officers employed, highest in Southwest, and supported with vehicles.
Regular support for police officers and army.
Over 130bn paid in gratuities.
Wage award for corp members, retirees and workers on top of 80k minimum wage, FG pays 70k and there’s no wage award.
Revival of Fashola farms into an agro industrial city attracting millions of dollars of investment to the point that Africa Development Bank made it a model for all states in the country.
Opposition in the state are not giving us issue-based arguments beyond the noise of land grabbing that is baseless, every government before Makinde sold lands and acquired, some even without compensation. The development of Oyo state under Makinde has brought about influx of people into the state hence the need for expansion of our housing development that must be planned, we agree that affected people along this way of development must be compensated, but fact is fact, do not allow politicians emotionally blackmail you.
APC and Accord supporting Tinubu despite his mismanagement of Nigeria’s money and putting us in further debt while awarding billions of dollars worth of projects to his cronies and business associates won’t tell you the truth. Tinubu has governor acquired lands like Lekki Free trade zone and Eko Atlantic City, nobody cried about land grabbing. Subsequent Government in Lagos has always acquired land yet they made Lagos the example we must follow when a man that met a state at the edge of bankruptcy has revived Oyo, they downplay his achievements and use campaign of calumny.
This is hypocrisy nobody should stand for.
When they come to you to condemn Makinde’s recommendation of a successor, ask them what plans they have to replicate what has been done or surpass it during economic turbulence where Naira lost value by 400%, inflation rose by 500%, we all know the price of commodities, governments also feel inflation, the cost of road per kilometer has almost 6x, how would they navigate these hurdles and still maintain regular wage, pensions and gratuities payment coupled with 13th month and wage award bonus?
Truth is they all won’t have any solid plan to lay down. This was how they criticized Jonathan for 5 years, ganged up against him but they promoted and defended Buhari’s maladministration of 8 years. Today they celebrate Tinubu for subsidy removal, same policy they protested against Jonathan for carrying out, and tell us to hold Governors accountable despite Federal Government pocketing 52% of allocations and they have over 92% of total debt.
We must shine our eyes, and be wiser. None of the options have the brilliance of Makinde and his preferred successor, BIMBO ADEKANMBI, career wise, he’s ahead, intellectually he’s ahead, he has the experience and he has done philanthropic works as his capacity can carry since has no access to diaspora money to share on radio like some people used to build their career. Above all he has integrity, he has handled money and till today he has zero scandals all where he worked.
Armchair criticism is easy, anybody can go anywhere in any state in Nigeria and show numerous bad roads but how many governors in the country have performed like Makinde despite the economic challenges?
Oyo state has turned the corner in 2019, we must not go back to Egypt, forward only with people that can continue on this path of development
- OPINION
