Makinde, with less than two years to end his tenure, is embarking on a project that many say would not be completed before his tenure ends. Despite that, he is bent on forging ahead. BAYO AGBOOLA reports.
Just recently, Oyo state government through a statement by the commissioner for information, Prince Dotun Oyelade announced the State Executive Council’s approval of ₦63,479,858,000 for the overhauling of Government House located in Oke Oloyinbo.
According to the Commissioner, the present state and ambience of the Government House is an embarrassment and unbefitting facility, saying, for the past six years, Gov Seyi Makinde and his deputy have been living in their personal houses instead of official quarters.
Prince Oyelade stressed that the Banquet Hall would be completed before the 50th anniversary of state as part of Makinde administration’s legacy for the next administration. He also said the Council approved the sum of ₦131,751,530 to employ professional gardeners for the maintenance of green areas and other designated places of the Government House. Similarly, in fulfilment of its determination to upgrade the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport to international standard, he said the state is processing the installation of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) as the approval was given for its procurement and installation for a sum of ₦14,296,507,000.
Opposition trailed move
Hours after announcement, it was criticism as analysts minced no words in condemning the approval with most of them describing the step as misplacement of priority.
The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) in the state in a statement its state secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun frowned at the approval of the N77 billion for the overhauling and the Ibadan airport upgrade, saying it is a display of insensitivity and misplacement of priority as the funds should have been invested in a massive public works programme, revitalising public education, healthcare and agriculture.
“As far as SPN is concerned, the Government House is already adequately equipped for administrative purposes and does not require expansion at this moment. We are not opposed to airport upgrade but such upgrade must be subjected to public debate and democratic scrutiny to arrive at what level of upgrade can be accommodated.
The leading opposition party in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) on it’s part asked Gov Makinde to reverse the decision to spend N63.5billion for the overhauling of Government House describing it as height of insensitivity and impunity.
In a statement by its publicity secretary Comrade Olawale, the party accused Makinde of treating the people with disdain.
“We watched keenly as concerned individuals and groups across the globe condemned the decision of Gov Makinde through the payment of huge sums on white elephant projects and misplaced priorities. “Interestingly, most of those who did not take us seriously when we raised the alarm on the production of 212,505 copies of exercise books for public school pupils at the rate of N2,100 per copy in 2019 are now the leading voices against the same Gov Makinde. To make the matter, Gov Makinde failed to justify the decision to expend so much billions on the renovation of structures which had been built to last decades several years ago and renovated to taste by the immediate past administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi in 2017.
“All that played out in Gov Makinde’s official address to the state lawmakers at the Oyo State House of Assembly on Thursday was a futile attempt to cover up a case of brazen corruption and impunity. At the same time, Gov Makinde has a lot to tell the world about alleged contract splitting which has been established in the ongoing upgrade of Alakia Airport because he has not explained why he had to release another N10 billion and now N14.3 billion for the the same project estimated to gulp N14.3 billion to complete the project and after full payment had been made, the governor keeps making fresh budget as extra billions are being paid by the state government.
“On the issue of aircrafts, The best thing which Gov Makinde would do is to pay for two new airplanes from the coffers of the state and then allegedly bring one Tokunbo private jet which would move him and his cronies around the world at the expense of the masses. Aircrafts are not what Oyo state needs at the moment to combat crime but synergy among stakeholders, motivation of security agents and deployment of relevant technologies as the idea of surveillance with airplane is premature.”
Offering clarification
Gov Makinde while presenting a ‘State of the State Address,’ at the state House of Assembly in Ibadan on June, 20 however cleared the air on issue of the overhauling of the Government House as well as others being played upon by the critics of his administration, saying, the instability in foreign exchange, among other factors, is responsible for the perceived high cost of the project, which is expected to cover the reconstruction of buildings, roads and other ancillary facilities in the Government House and adjoining chalets.
“Yesterday, I trended for the wrong reason because people were saying we want to spend N63bn to renovate the Government House. My answer to them is just to point our attention to one thing and I want you to listen to me attentively.
“Before I came into office, the previous administration took a loan of $200m from the World Bank for Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP). As of the time I came on May 29, 2019, that dollar-denominated loan was in the book of Oyo state as N70bn, because a dollar to a naira was around N350. We were paying about N700 million every month to service the loan. We finished the project, though before I came in, $100m had been spent and $50m committed.”
Gov Makinde stressed further, “This administration was supposed to spend N$50million to complete the projects but we did not spend the amount. We honoured all the commitments made by the previous administration and returned $18m to the World Bank which we didn’t spend. That was how we have managed the project prudently in Oyo state. But that is not even where I am going. My point is, in 2019 in the Oyo state books, N70bn was what Oyo state owed. Fast-forward to today, the IUFMP project is completed without adding one inch of drainage to the project, but simply by the exchange rate movement, Oyo state today owes N320bn. This is because the N70bn calculated as N350 to one dollar in 2019 is now the same amount, but it is now calculated at about N1,540 to the dollar; that is our reality. We have now moved from paying N700m on the IUFMP loan when I came in to now paying N3bn to service that loan monthly now.
“Can we sleep when it is raining? Yes, because the IUFMP has basically tamed the issue of erosion. We have an Advanced Warning System installed in that place; but, my point is to manage our exchange rate is not for me to determine in Oyo. It is on the Exclusive List. But whatever it is, we will do what is in the best interest of our state.”
Stressing that his administration is committed to building a resilient economy, improve the quality of life and secure the future for generations to come, the governor noted that through several policies being implemented and its simple approach to solving complex governance issues, Oyo has become an investment destination and that the government’s efforts have yielded many positive results, including the designation of the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub as Nigeria’s first agricultural transformation centre by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the ongoing construction of the Eruwa Agribusiness Industrial Hub and the admittance of Oyo state into the World Union of Wholesale Market, the first sub-national in Africa to achieve such feat.
Other projects due for upgrade
At the ‘State of the State Address’ presentation, Gov Makinde listed others as the ongoing upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport of which the first phase would be commissioned in October 2025, the fixing of the state’s infrastructure deficit, with major arterial roads across the state, inner roads in Ibadan already done and dusted and the ongoing construction of 87 kilometres of rural roads under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), while efforts are also on to complete the 48 kilometres Ido-Eruwa road. He said the fixing of inner roads would continue in the coming months with Ogbomoso and Oyo zones set to become the next ports of call.
Makinde stressed that his administration would not relent until the vision of making Oyo a regional economic powerhouse, cultural beacon and a place where every citizen can thrive is achieved.
Governor Makinde said his government would bridge the gap between rural and urban education and continue to upgrade education infrastructure so as to reduce deficit and as well continue to provide healthcare programmes that would bring benefits to the people of the state.
With the explanation by Makinde, it is glaring that overhauling the Government House, upgrade of Ibadan airport to international standard and others have come to stay even in the midst of criticisms which observers said are not unusual in politics.