The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday described the claim by Governor Seyi Makinde of the state that he met about one hundred and fifty billion naira (N150 billon) debt as an indication that he (Makinde) was not ready to occupy the position.
APC while reacting to some claims by Makinde during a media chart held on Saturday in Ibadan, the state capital, described the claims as a reflection of his (Makinde) unpreparedness for the exalted office of governor.
DAILY POST recalls that Makinde had on Saturday while featuring on a media chart held at Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) said that he met about one hundred and fifty billion naira debt in the state. He also threatened to expose the immediate past Governor Mr. Abiola Ajimobi if he (Ajimobi) continues to ‘disturb’ his government.
But, the APC while reacting, insisted that Makinde’s statements, further reflected his low or practically non-existent grasp of governance.
Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Abdulaziz Olatunde, said “specifically, Governor Makinde said he met a debt of N150b when he assumed duty. In the same breath, he said monthly allocation from the federal government was N4.5b while salary was N5.5b leaving a shortfall of N1b. The internally Generated Revenue was about N2b, now considering the developmental strides of Senator Abiola Ajimobi which was not in doubt, where did he think the money for all these was coming from?
“It is important for the governor to be educated on financial matters and governance issues before he comes out to make statement as if he was still in opposition and was on campaign trail.
“A critical look at the debt profile of Oyo State when compared to other states will reflect the prudence in the financial management of the state. Considering the size of Oyo State, we can categorically say that Oyo State did not feature in the list of 10 highly indebted states in Nigeria.
“A report in 2018 gave the debt profile of States and for any one that cares to know, the information is just a click away. If Governor Makinde is now saying he met a debt profile of N150bn we know that he was being economical with the truth. In any case, governance is a continuum, he can not expect to inherit assets and not the liabilities.
“The Governor stretched the truth a bit far by stating that a kilometre of road was done at N2bn by the Ajimobi administration. The only people who would believe this barefaced lies are illiterates and undiscerning minds.
“Does he not know that a proposal to spend such an amount of money on a kilometre of road would instantly raise a red flag in the State Executive Council where such approvals are given and could be a cause of anti-corruption probe? Who then would grant such approval?
“He should tell a different story. In any case, the contractor is there and everything that was done is a matter of public records. He is free to take on the contractor or is he afraid of ruffling the feathers of his party having recognised that the contractor has affiliation with his party, the Peoples Democratic Party?”
The party also expressed surprise at what it called the Governor’s double speak on the issue of the local government.
“Having said that he would wait for the court’s decision on the matter, he said he would conduct election into the local government areas by the first quarter of 2020 and would restructure the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission by appointing people of integrity into the commission. Obviously, the governor is privy to the court’s decision on the matter for him to make that categorical statement.
“He should however be informed that OYSIEC commissioners have five- year mandate, they still have two more years to go. He should not push the state into unnecessary litigation or further heat up the polity in the state.
“In what way is Ajimobi disturbing his administration? He seems to have forgotten that he is the governor of the state, he should take pride in command. We however expect him to come out with any thing he has. He should not hide under any guise.
“We expect Governor Makinde to come up with his developmental blueprint instead of the piecemeal serving of his programmes. His first month in office should have been devoted to unveiling his blueprint, rather he was focussed on irrelevancies that would not advance the course of the state,” he said.
