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Tag: Seyi Makinde

  • Makinde transmits executive bill on anti-corruption agency to Assembly

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has signed and transmitted the Executive Bill on the establishment of the state anti-corruption agency to the House of Assembly.

    At a brief signing ceremony, which held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office and witnessed by top government functionaries, Makinde said he was sending the executive bill to the lawmakers, owing to his promise the people that there would be zero-tolerance to corruption under his watch.

    Functionaries at the signing ceremony include the Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, Chief of Staff Chief Bisi Ilaka, the Head of Service, Mrs. Amidat Agboola, Governors Chief Press Secretary Mr. Taiwo Adisa, Special Advisers Mr. Jide Ajani (Media) and Mr. Samuel Adejumo (Legislative Matters), Permanent Secretaries among others.

    Read Also: How I will reposition Oyo, by Makinde

    Makinde, while appealing to the people not to attach any political colourations to the move, noted that corruption does not know any party, but had succeeded in stagnating the state.

    He warned the Permanent Secretaries at the event and others serving in various positions to be ready to give an account of what is put in their trust should the need be, as soon as the law gets the legislative backing.

     

  • Oyo lawmakers advise Governor on security summit resolutions

    The Oyo State House of Assembly has called on the state government to ensure a speedy implementation of the various resolves and recommendations made by stakeholders at the end of the recent security summit in Ibadan.

    This is as the House also called on Governor Seyi Makinde to prevail on the various security agencies to beef up security to reduce crimes, especially the rising cases of kidnapping and ritual killings witnessed in some parts of the state.

    These were parts of the resolutions of the House while deliberating on a motion on the need to bring an end to cases of kidnapping and ritual killings now rampant in Oke Ogun, Oyo, Ibarapa and others.

    The motion was jointly sponsored by three lawmakers- Mustapha Olawale (Kajola), Peter Ojedokun (Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North) and Isiaka Tunde (Oyo East/Oyo West).

    Read Also: Oyo ADC stakeholders disown Lanlehin

    The plenary presided over by Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin equally called on the heads of security agencies to synergise in ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping and ritual killings are apprehended and also prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other criminally minded individuals across the state.

    Ogundoyin noted that it was unfortunate that many residents of Oyo State and Nigerians are worried because of the spate of kidnapping and ritual killings.

    He urged security agents to be more proactive in tackling the menace, saying: “It is high time we tackle the issue of kidnapping headlong as the ugly act seems to be on the increase, especially among people identified as foreigners.”

    The sitting equally recommended the use of vigilance groups in local government areas to complement the efforts of security agencies at ending the activities of kidnappers and ritual killers.

     

  • Makinde transmits executive bill on Oyo EFCC to Assembly

    In fulfillment of an electioneering campaign promise, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Wednesday signed and transmitted the Executive bill on the establishment of Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency to the state House of Assembly.

    At a brief signing ceremony at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office and witnessed by top government functionaries, Makinde said he was sending the executive bill to the lawmakers, haven promised the people of the state that there would be zero tolerance to corruption under his watch as the state governor.

    Makinde, while appealing to the people not to attach any political colouration to the move, noted that corruption does not know any party but had succeeded in retarding the state.

    He warned the Permanent Secretaries at the event, just like others serving in various position to be ready to give an account of what is put in their trust should the need be, as soon as the law gets legislative backing.

    The governor said: “We are here to sign for transmission to the legislature, the executive bill for anti-corruption in Oyo state. We are transmitting the bill today in fulfillment of a promise that I made during the campaign that during my watch in Oyo state, it will be zero tolerance for corruption in Oyo state.

    “While I was making my inaugural address, I also put a rider on it that as the Governor of Oyo state, I am ready to wave my immunity to appear before the agency if I am found wanting in the course of my duty to the people of Oyo state.

    “The Permanent Secretaries are here, you are the purse keeper for the ministries and the ones responsible for all the spending of course the commissioners would soon be here but they are not the ones to account for the spending in your various ministries.

    “Of course, they will give instructions and try to help me run the affairs of government to the extent of our promises to the people and also the agenda of our government.

    “But we will hold each and every one of you accountable for the ministries that are been administered by you and I also want to be held accountable by anyone here.

    Read Also: How I will reposition Oyo, by Makinde

    “I am working from the standpoint here that nothing, absolutely nothing is hidden in this whole case.

    “If people think they have hidden anything, it is the only thing that they can start and finish by themselves only and I don’t think there is anything like that in this place.

    “For whatever that has to be done, there will be one, two or three participants. So, I can’t even start the process and finish it by myself alone.

    “So, there must be accomplices and people who are ready to support me to do something that is not edifying, so if I think such things are hidden, I will be deceiving myself and it is the same for everybody.

    “I know people may also try to put political colouration to this, corruption doesn’t know a political party and what corruption does is to stagnate our development and we want Oyo state to be out of that stagnation. We want Oyo state, just like we have always been a Pacesetter state.

    “So, I will solicit for your cooperation and nobody has anything to fear. If you do what you are supposed to do, nobody will witch hunt anybody. I also want to say, if you see something, please, by all means, say something and we will deal with the situation.”

    The bill was thereafter presented by the Governor to his Special Adviser on Legislative Matter, Mr. Samuel Adejumo for onward transmission to the House of Assembly.

  • Oyo ADC stakeholders disown Lanlehin

    A faction of Oyo State African Democratic Congress (ADC) has distanced itself from  the purported withdrawal of the party’s candidate in the last election, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, from the alliance with the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP).

    The faction said the ADC, its teeming members and supporters across the state are solidly in support of the governor, “believing that we are on the same page.”.

    A letter addressed to the state governor of the state, Seyi Makinde and signed by the former secretary to the state government, on behalf of the party, Chief Busari Adebisi.

    Stakeholders of the party have not abandoned the original leitmotifs, especially good governance for the people of the state which was the bases of the alliance.”

    Read Also: How I will reposition Oyo, by Makinde

    The statement reads: “Following the recent political development in Oyo state, as it affects the purported withdrawal of senator Olufemi Lanlehin from the African Democratic Congress  coalition with your government, I am compelled to make the following observations; that the prime motive of bringing ADC to Oyo State, was to ensure the termination of the eight-year agonizing rule of the APC administration and importantly to ensure that the administration does not succeed itself by other means, so as to free the good people of Oyo State from the regrettable APC’s socio-economic bondage.

    “Another reason for the ADC was to participate and ensure the emergence of a credible alternative to Ajimobi’s  lackluster administration in the state. As it is customary in such political arrange, nets, the parties in the coalition usually agree on a set of conditions, the basis of which they go into elections together. The summary of the agreement reached with the PDP for our party was 30 percent participation in government.

    “Without prejudice to the above observations, I wish to unequivocally declare to you that our party, the ADC, its teeming members and supporters across Oyo State are solidly in continued support of your government, believing that we are still on the same page.”

  • How I will reposition Oyo, by Makinde

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde spoke with reporters in Ibadan, the state capital, on his programmes for the first 100 days, the state’s debt profile and the decision to set up an anti-graft agency. Excerpts:

    You made history on Friday with the appointment of Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun as the first female Secretary to the State Government in Oyo State, but some people have been criticising that step, noting that you should have appointed a politician. What were the considerations that made you go for a technocrat?

    Mrs. Adeosun, from her CV, you probably would have been able to see that she is eminently qualified to hold that position. Also, I made a promise to the people of Oyo State during electioneering that we would balance the positions in our administration along the lines of gender, religion and other considerations. We promised that we would not leave anyone behind. If you look at the four major posts in the executive branch, you have the Governor who is a Christian and a male, the Deputy Governor is a Muslim and a male, the Chief of Staff is a Muslim and a male, so if you look at that equation, what we were looking at in appointing the SSG, which is like third most important position in the executive arm, was gender balance. We want to ensure that we adhere to the Policy of Affirmative Action on the percentage of representation for women. So, we went for Mrs. Adeosun, who is a Christian. Out of those four positions, we have two Muslims and two Christians and almost all the zones were represented.

    What happened that made it possible for you to pay salaries as and when due?

    First, when you have worked and toiled for 30 days, you deserve your wages. Nobody is doing the workers any favour by paying their salaries, because they have worked and you need to pay them. When we came in, I was sworn in on the 29th of May and as far as I was concerned, the May salary was already past due as of that time. So, within 48 hours of my swearing-in, I signed off for the salaries to be paid. Remember that I begged the people to apply for this job; it was not like it was a job reserved for my family. I went round; I promised the people that we will not toy with the welfare of my constituency, which is that of the workers in Oyo State. And one of the things we have to be mindful of is that first, they must get their salaries as and when due. Second, they must have access to training and retraining opportunities. Also, when people have their promotions, the promotions must be backed up by appropriate letters and other things that will make the promotions meaningful. For me, I want to motivate the workers in Oyo State. Gone are the eras when the workers are made redundant and government will be bringing all sorts of consultants to do the jobs of the workers. What I am saying to them is that by demonstrating that the government will do its part, I want the workers to be motivated and be ready to play their own role to ensure that Oyo State is moving forward.

    It may also interest you to note that we have done our planning and workers’ salary will always be paid on the 25th of every month.

    Before you assumed office, there were claims about some funds being taken out of the government coffers illegally. When you took office, how did you meet the state’s treasury? Was it, indeed, depleted or there were still funds?

    We did not meet the treasury as it should be but the people of Oyo State should not fret, because our government has decided to be forward-looking. We did not meet the state’s purse in good condition but our government has drawn a line between what has been done and what we want to do. We want to focus on what we can do to uplift the state, to make life better for the people.

    Yesterday, we were looking at the books of the Ministry of Works. There was a road contract awarded and it came up to N2 billion per kilometre and I wondered how that could be. Even in the Niger Delta, which is a riverine area, they could not have constructed a kilometre of road for N2 billion. So, I asked how could they have constructed a road for N2 billion per kilometre and I was told that they said they were going to construct filling station, street lights and that it was 32 kilometres. They have paid some money and even two days to the end of the government, on 27 May, they still paid some money. That is the terrible situation we have found ourselves, but we were prepared, because we knew something like that would happen.

    I want to assure with our people in Oyo State that the focal point of our government is how to expand the economy of the state so that there will be shared prosperity in the economy.

    On the question about how much debt our government inherited, we are still looking at the books. But the one we have seen and confirmed, the debt owed by the past administration is about N150 billion. Once again, I will tell the people of Oyo State that if we change N150 billion to dollars, it will be about 500 million US Dollars. If we do what we are supposed to do in these four years and we expand the economy of Oyo State, the debt will not hurt us. But if we verify that some of the debts are questionable; for instance, if you float a bond, it is supposed to be tied to a particular project, so if we look at the bond they floated, was it used for the project it was meant for? We can do a value-for-money audit using a baseline of what happened at certain periods so that as we go forward, we would not also fall into the same ditch.

    But if we calculate everything being owed as of now, it is going to about N150 billion. As we speak, the money that comes from Abuja is N4.5 billion and the workers’ salary is N5.4 billion. That means we need to take at least N1 billion to plug that wage bill and there are many things that we want to do. But where I am coming from as an entrepreneur, I started my business with N50,000 and so I am not afraid about whether we can surmount the challenges facing the state or not. But if we have the support of the citizenry and they know what we are doing and the direction we are heading, there is no doubt that we will succeed, because the Yoruba will say that aja to ba l’eni l’eyin a pa obo [A dog with the support of a hunter can kill a monkey].

    A group, which identified itself as the Disengaged Staff of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital reportedly comprising 256 staff of LAUTECH, said that before they were disengaged in 2017, the state government owed them 24 months’ salaries.

    I will tell them to exercise patience. The government that we are running will be one with a human face and we will be kind and considerate. But as we speak, the Ministries, Departments and Agencies are still bringing their books to us. These disengaged individuals are not the only ones facing that situation, even at the Secretariat some people disengaged. When I was being conducted round the Government House, I was shown the banquet hall, which the past government pulled down and I was told about how the person who wrote to oppose the demolition of the edifice was sacked. All these issues will be revisited and those who were disengaged unjustly will be restored to their duty posts. But the way the economy of the state is and the resources that are available, we have to take the issues one after the other.

    For how long will the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) be banned or are you contemplating lifting that ban anytime soon?

    We are in constant engagement with them. We are not out to punish anybody. We want people to live their lives as normal as possible and we do not want to tamper with anybody’s means of livelihood. However, we cannot accept a situation whereby just because of a union, the rest of the people will be living in palpable fear. I heard what happened on the day of my inauguration between the two sides of the union and I told them that it does not matter whether anyone supported or did not support me during the electioneering. I said elections were over and it is time for governance. I swore an oath to ensure the safety and security of our people.

    So, as I said, we are in constant engagement with them and if they are ready to operate peacefully and they can demonstrate to us that there will be no more clashes, I will lift the ban immediately. That is the condition they must fulfil. We will never go back to a situation where people were killed at Iwo road [in the name of unionism]. Somebody said to me that in the last eight years of the last administration, security was one of the points that they scored really high on and that nobody got killed during that period and I said no, Beyioku was killed during that period. He was the deputy chairman of that union; I knew him when we were in ANPP. I don’t want a single soul to be lost under my watch and I will wield the big hammer if something untoward is about to happen. I am not going to wait until it happens. I need to also warn them that the Anti-Terrorism Act is still on in the state and I will put as many of them in jail if they are not ready to allow peace in Oyo State. It will not matter whether you were our supporter or not, it is the same standard for everyone.

    Still on the NURTW issue, there is this suggestion that the Oyo State government could boost its Internally-Generated Revenue by centralising the operations of the union in a way that the state, the local government and the union will share proceeds on percentage basis. Does your government have any plan in this regard?

    We do have plans to improve the IGR of Oyo State. However, we are not going to do it at the expense of the hardworking people of Oyo State. To go to the NURTW in particular, if we want to get any fee from their collections, we will need to provide motor parks that are standard and modern. As the Yoruba saying goes: Gba fun Raji n’ile ni gba fun Gbada l’oko, ara oko to ba fee je buredi, a fi isu ranse s’ile, I have directed that the lands allocated for motor parks should be inspected. The way motorists stand by the roads is dangerous. There are three major motor parks in Ibadan; they are the ones in Iwo Road, Challenge and Ojoo and I can assure the people that we will transform the parks. We will do it in a way that even if we say the union should share the collections, they will see that the government has done its part. There have to be toilets at the motor parks, there have to be cleaners, good lighting system and other amenities such that they will know that whatever government wants to make from the transport system will be ploughed back to improving the sector.

    You recently said that you will establish a state anti-corruption agency. Why?

    The EFCC is a federal agency and when I met them, I told them that the agency already has a lot of responsibilities. I’m concerned about the fact that the money of Oyo State is being embezzled and I felt that by setting up such agency, named Oyo State Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, we will be able to better monitor how our funds are spent. I can take a case to the EFCC in Abuja and they might have a lot of issues to address such that before it gets to Oyo State, those who embezzled might have escaped or left office. We don’t have control over the federal agency. We are talking about true federalism and the state government is not subordinate to the Federal Government, it is a coordinate government. With the agency, we will be able to address our own pertinent issues in our state. No one should be scared; anyone who has not embezzled public money should not be scared. We will not tolerate public money being in the pockets of private individuals.

    You promised to commit more money to education how do you then plan to do that?

    We are not the one that drafted the budget that we are currently operating; it is that of the immediate past government. N280 billion was approved as the 2018 budget and the expected revenue is N80billion, inclusive of Internally Generated Revenue and federal allocation. So we had a gap of N200 billion. I asked government workers where they expected us to get the money allotted to some projects from and they told me that was money on paper.

    Then, I have asked the civil servants to work on the budget that we will operate from now till the end of the year. For the first time, we will reduce the budget. The budget performance for previous years is 38 to 40 per cent; I will run a budget with a performance that must be 65 to 70 per cent. In that way, we will embark on projects based on resources that are available. We will reduce the budget from N280 billion to about N150 billion for the year. People are saying that it is out of pride that we have such a huge budget; that we want to be behaving like some other states.

    For example, people are told that a certain road project is included in the budget but there is no money for the project in the budget. When it is not done, it is included in subsequent budgets and runs into several budgets. I don’t want to operate a deceitful budget. We want to operate a government where the people can hold us accountable whenever we make a promise. Right now, the Ministry of Finance and that of Budget and Planning are in the same ministry. But, we will go to the House of Assembly to decouple that ministry. Budget and Planning should be alone and focus on planning.

    Oyo State residents, especially those in Ibadan, will like to know the plan of your government on waste collection.

    A dirty environment antagonises good health and people will have to spend a lot of money on their health. The people should dump their wastes at designated places. When we assumed government, we met the waste contractors but noticed that there was laxity. I had to call the Head of Service to question if the waste contractors planned to sabotage our government because they were appointed by the previous government. I do not believe in the fact that because we were not the ones who appointed the waste collectors, they should be sacked. If they abide by their terms of contract with government, and government plays its role, we have to ask them to give value. We set up a task force to engage them and that discussion is ongoing. However, we have said it in the media that the people should use waste collection bags and patronise the existing waste collectors. So, the status quo should remain while we still look at the terms of contract of the existing waste contractors. After examining the terms of contract, we will know the next step to take.

    On the day of your inauguration, you scrapped the N3, 000 Education Development Levy but in some public primary schools, students are still being asked to pay money despite that order and the one on the N500. Doesn’t your free education policy apply to primary schools?

    That is not possible. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that primary education up to JSS3 must be free and compulsory. The law also stipulates that any parent that doesn’t ensure that his ward/children goes to school should be sanctioned. So, no one is expected to collect fees from students.

    The payment of primary school teachers is first line charge in the allocation going to the local government from the Federal Government. I will make public a telephone number for the people of the state to report such issues of noncompliance on the collection of fees to government. I will monitor to address complaints. Anyone collecting fees that should not be collected will be invited to give explanations about why they are collecting such fees.

    Those children begging on the streets constitute a security threat and are tools in the hands of criminals. Is there anything being done by the state government to address this threat and take them off the streets?

    I talked about a programme of the World Bank and the Federal Government is assisting us through a programme known as BESDA. The children roaming the streets should be in school and the programme is to attract them. To answer your question, it is not only about taking those children off the streets; rehabilitation entails thinking about their future and we have to give them hope. So, we have to take a whole gamut of steps to rehabilitate those children. The need to attract students to school is also one of the reasons behind our decision to stop the payment of N3, 000.

    The opposition in the state is worried that you hardly stay a whole week in the state that you jet out often. Are those trips official?

    They are official. What I can assure the people of the state is that if they look closely, they will know our movements. Last week, I visited the Executive Secretary of UBEC (Universal Basic Education Commission) because about N2.5billion meant for Oyo State was not released. The immediate past government seriously tried to get the money released but was not successful. Based on our conversation, the UBEC decided to release the money. So, I think it is better for me to go to Abuja to get more money for the state than to stay in the state. Those who talk about my movement out of Ibadan should calculate the number of days I spent in the state and see if I have not been able to meet up with 20 days that I should devote to work. I also work on Saturdays and Sundays when there are files to be attended to. This is because I have a contract with the people of the state to make the affairs of the state utmost on my mind.

    Immediately you assumed office, you sacked local government chairmen. Do you also plan to appoint caretaker chairmen or would you conduct local government election?

    We will conduct local government election within the first quarter of next year. We will not contravene laws in the election we plan to do. It’s the opposition that is scared about the conduct of election. The matter of sacking them is now before the court so I will not be able to say a lot about that. We are ready to comply with court judgment on the matter. The court asked them not to proceed with the election but they got another judgment to vacate that previous judgment. We have seen so many infractions and they know. But, I am also concerned about the fact that the constitution recognizes 33 local government areas; the issue of creating 35 local council development areas (LCDAs) is still in court. But despite the fact that the case was still in court, why did they proceed with election? You can create LCDAs for development to get to the grassroots but you have to abide by the constitution. You can hold election in 33 local government areas but can only appoint to the 35 LCDAs. I initially agreed with the concept of LCDA but we considered that that was what we met on ground and that it will bring government closer to the grassroots. But most LCDA chairmen do not go to office daily. They just wait for money to be disbursed and share it; only for them to return when another money is to be shared. You conducted an election for chairmen and councillors but you did not swear in councillors. After losing the governorship election, that is a year after conducting the local government election, then you swear in councillors and constitute ALGON. Who does that? But as I have said, we will abide by court judgment but continue with governance.

  • Oyo governor restates plan to fulfil campaign promises

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has reassured the people that he will not renege on his campaign promises, adding that he will govern the state with the fear of God.

    He called on the people to be peaceful and embrace peace, saying development can only thrive in the atmosphere of peace.

    Makinde spoke on Sunday through his deputy, Rauf Olaniyan, at First Baptist Church, Anko, Eruwa, during the thanksgiving service held in honour of the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Debo Ogundoyin.

    The event was attended by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairman, Chief Kunmi Mustapha, traditional rulers led by the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adegbola, Oyo State Commissioner of Police Shina Olukolu, members of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigene (CCII), led by its President-General, Chief Yemi Soladoye.

    Others are President, Ibadan Baptist Conference, Dr. Adeyemi Adekunle, Oyo Deputy Speaker Abiodun Fadeyi, members of the Ninth Assembly, former lawmakers and clerics among others.

    Makinde said his administration will rule the state with the fear of God and ensure that the dividend of democracy gets to the nooks and crannies of the state.

    Read Also: ‘Why I want to be Oyo governor’

    He said: “We have promised during the campaigns that we will rule with the fear of God and that is what we will do.

    “We assure the people that we will deliver on all our promises. We want our people to live in peace so that we can have development. We should live in peace.

    “If we live in peace, the dividends of democracy will go round. We are god-fearing and we will ensure that our people feel the impact of our government positively. But, our people must learn to live in peace with one another.”

     

     

     

  • Just in: Makinde dissolves OYSIEC Board

    Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde has dissolved the board of the state electoral umpire christened Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) with immediate effect.

    The dissolution letter dated July 1st addressed to the Chairman of the Board noted the governor is aware the tenure of the members has not expired but the government will offset all the salaries and entitlements of the members for the remaining period of the tenure.

    The letter signed by the Head of Service, Mrs. Amidat Agboola, however directed that all the property of the commission in the custody of members be handed over to the most senior director in the commission.

    The development could be said to be in fulfillment of the plan of the new government to reconstitute the state electoral body with a promise to conduct local government elections latest by the first quarter of next year.

    Read Also: Makinde to probe LGs, LCDAs accounts

    The letter entitled “Dissolution of Board of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission” reads in parts:

    “I wish to refer to the above subject matter and inform you that His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde has approved the dissolution of the Board of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission with effect from 1st July, 2019.

    “While noting the fact that your tenure has not expired, the state government is prepared to offset the salaries and allowances payable to you till the expiration of your tenure.

    “His Excellency wishes you the best in your future endeavours.

    “Kindly hand over all property of the state government in your care to the most senior director in your commission.”

    Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi had on Friday, June 17, 2016 appointed the eight- member board chaired by Mr John Ajeigbe to conduct elections into the 33 local governments and 35 local council development areas.

  • Oyo NURTW factional leaders reach compromise

    THE two warring factional leaders of Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Friday agreed to sheath their sword in the interest of peace.

    The leadership tussle had led to the proscription of the union’s activities by Governor Seyi Makinde following reported clashes by rival groups loyal to the incumbent state chairman, Mr. Abideen Olajide, popularly called Ejiogbe and a former chairman, Mukaila Lamidi, popularly addressed as Auxiliary.

    The struggle, which started following the victory of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the March 9 governorship polls, saw the factional NURTW members loyal to the victorious party threatening to unleash hell should the incumbent stayed a day longer than the May 29 handing over day of political leadership at the state helms of affairs.

    Read Also: Oyo is technically bankrupt, says Makinde

    Following the proscription, the NURTW National President, Nojeemdeen Yasin, visited the state to appease the governor.

    Makinde insisted that he would not compromise the state’s security on the altar of affinity with any interest or group.

    The efforts of Yasin paid off when he addressed reporters in the company of the two factional leaders to inform the public that a compromise had been reached that would fast-track the lifting of the ban by the governor.

  • Faceless contractor got N7b Moniya-Iseyin road, says Makinde

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has alleged that a contractor with untraceable office address was awarded the Moniya-Iseyin road for N7billion by the immediate past administration.

    According to him, N2billion out of the total contract sum was paid to the contractor, who he described as ‘faceless’.

    The governor added that his assessment of the job done so far on the site would barely pass for N150million.

    Makinde spoke after taking a tour of the road leading to the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt plant, located at Km 25, Moniya-Iseyin Road, Ojedeji Village in Akinyele Local Government Area for an assessment of the plant.

    The governor lamented that the road which serves as the economic route for farm and agricultural produce into the state could be abandoned after the contractor collected N2 billion, with little or nothing to show for it on the project site.

    He said his effort at locating the site address of the contractor to interact with them on the level of work done despite the amount of money released, revealed that the office address was not traceable and the name faceless.

    Makinde said: “My impression of the work done so far if I will have to evaluate  and cost it, it couldn’t have been more than N150million that I will spend on it.

    Read Also: Makinde raises panel to probe local govts, LCDAs accounts

    “It was a faceless contractor and we don’t even know where their offices are located. I could have stopped by to go and discuss with them, but there is nowhere to stop by.”

    On the quarry and asphalt plant, which has been abandoned in the past eight years, Makinde expressed disappointment that the project that could have fetch the state some revenue was left unattended to due to political difference.

    The asphalt plant was established during the tenure of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, but could not attract any partner under the proposed Public-Private Partnership agreement.

    The inspection, according to the governor, was targetted at reviving the facility in order to reduce the money spent on road projects by the state government.

    “What we will do is that we will look at what has gone on it through the files, but it is a shame that we have an asset like this and it was just allowed to rot because of political considerations. And we will have to send people here to check the integrity of what we have here and quickly see what we can do because we are buying a whole lot of asphalt from other places for road maintenance agencies.

    “What we came to do is to check the integrity of the plant. Sometimes, it may be better to start something from the start, if we cannot bring this back to life, but the concept was well thought of and the state government has been buying asphalt from the third party, so we might as well put this back to life,” the governor said.

  • Makinde raises panel to probe local govts, LCDAs accounts

    Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has inaugurated a seven-man committee to investigate the accounts and finances of the state’s 33 local governments (LGs) and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

    The committee, which was given six weeks to submit its report, has the mandate to look into the council accounts from January 2018 to May 2019. It is to be chaired by retired Justice S. L. Popoola.

    Also inaugurated alongside the committee at an event, which held at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, were two separate visitation panels to Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa and another visitation panel to The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki.

    The event was witnessed by the Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan; the governor’s Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka; the Head of Service, Mrs. Amidat Agboola; Chairman, State Advisory Council Senator Hosea Agboola; Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matter Mr. Babatunde Oduyoye and the PDP state Chairman, Alhaja Kunmi Mustapha, among other dignitaries.

    Speaking at the inauguration, Makinde explained that the committee was not set up to go after the past administration, but a way of setting the stage for his government to take off and deliver dividends of democracy to Oyo State residents.

    He said: “The committee constituted to look into the accounts of the LGs and LCDAs from January 2018 to May 2019. This is highly needed at this time when there is paucity of funds and also the need to re-strategise and device means to fund activities of the government.

    “Let me reassure you that this government is not in any way going after the past administration, we are only setting the stage for our government to take off and deliver dividends of democracy to the entire citizenry.

    “In fact, I must say that the committee we are inaugurating today is pursuant to the Public Property and Funds Investigation and Recovery Panel law Cap 138 Vol 4 of the Oyo State Law, 2000 Section 3 of the law states thus: ‘Whenever it shall appear to the government of the state that any person or body of persons in the custody of any property belonging to the government or any company in which the state government has any interest, however, arising or is accountable to the government for any contract, entered into or purported to have entered into between him and the government or monies in which he may have collected on behalf or for the purpose of the government, the governor may set up a panel to investigate or ascertain the identity and the extent of such property or funds and make an order for recovery of such property or fund’.”

    According to Makinde, the seven-man committee is expected to investigate any dealings with the funds of the LGs and LCDAs and other matters as they affect the local government and retrieve all monies traceable to any individual and impound any equipment traceable to any individual.

    Read Also: Makinde to probe LGs, LCDAs accounts

    He added: “Let me at this junction, admonish the members of the committee to carry out this task efficiently and effectively. The task ahead is not that of the governor, but that given to them by the entire citizens of Oyo State.

    “You are all on this committee to serve the people of Oyo State. The LG is the government at the grassroots level and they are the closest to the people. It is, therefore, important to take into consideration all matters that affect our people as we have promised them, a sound service agenda.

    “Let me promise straightaway, our unquantified support in this assignment as we are determined to get to the root of any form of mismanagement that the Councils have been subjected to this past years.

    “We, therefore, give this committee six weeks to complete their assignment. On this note, I appreciate all members of the committee for accepting to serve in this capacity and I wish you all success in these endeavours.”

    Inaugurating the first female Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, the governor said he made a lot of introspection in making a decision to pick the new SSG out of the very eminently qualified personalities he had before him.

    He said “In taking the decision to pick her out of the very eminently qualified personalities I had before me, I did a lot of introspection. There is this usual divide between politicians and technocrats.

    “Some people would argue that the best person for the job is a politician, who understands the terrain as they put it. Others would say the engine room of government must be manned by a technocrat, who knows his or her onions.

    “But I must say we need a focused government, which will deliver on its terms. We need capacity and lots of efficiencies and we need a packed personality who in a way, encapsulates all of that.”

    He urged the new SSG to live up to expectation, saying many men are lurking by the corner, adding that the appointment was not based on sentiment, feminism or other undue sentiments.