Last night, I saw the video of an Ibadan based Fuji Musician whose son is also a member of the Oyo state House of Assembly.
In the video, the Fuji Musician, who was also appointed by Governor Makinde as SA on kinni kan, I wouldn’t remember the exact portfolio assigned to the gentleman but I think it has to do with Culture, the fellow was boasting about how both himself and his son have been drawing salaries from Government.
The gentleman was making the statement to show off and establish superiority over some colleagues.
Fuji Musicians and superiority fights are like five and six but Governor Makinde just afforded this particular gentleman a bragging right.
His son, I must say is entitled to draw salaries and allowances from Government coffers. The young man is a validly elected member of the Oyo state House of Assembly.
You will recollect that his said Fuji Musician was also gifted an SUV car when Governor Makinde gifted cars to selected PDP leaders in the state.
I guess the fellow is also considered a ” PDP leader” in Oyo state. Whatever qualified him to be one.
The Musician in question, to the best of my knowledge is not known to be contributing anything to governance in the state, yet he is drawing salaries and allowances and even got an SUV car as a gift! I am not even sure if he was provided with an office.
I must however, on the light side, say, that I’ve come across some funny Bill Boards in town with the picture of the musician in question and some funny messages on those Bill Boards.
Maybe, that is enough to give someone an entitlement to Government money, only Governor Makinde could answer that.
That is not the only circumstance of recklessness by Governor Makinde when it comes to his penchant for bizarre appointments and questionable car gifts to unofficial persons.
Another Ibadan born Fuji Musician was gifted a Jeep during the campaign for the 2023 general election.
The Musician in question was noted for having a beef with the Governor over neglect, after having allegedly assisted him in securing his first term as Governor.
You wonder how? Didn’t Auxiliary also claimed to have been instrumental to the Governor’s victories at the polls?
Has a popular Broadcaster in Ibadan not been claiming to be a stakeholder in Governor Makinde’s Government to the extent that he was invading public schools and doing all manner of stuffs during his first tenure?
Was the said Broadcaster not rewarded with an exercise books contract that has been alleged to have been in violation of the procurement Laws of Oyo state?
It’s like Governor Makinde has forgotten his promise to resign if the allegations against the contract were proven to be true.
The Governor has forgotten many things at any rate.
Now, back to the other Fuji Musician.
I remember listening to a very toxic record by the said Fuji Musician.
Governor Makinde must have been rattled by the lyrics of the record, titled ” Dewolu Pa Demakin”. Hence, the gift of the car to maintain peace with the musician in question who is noted for his fearlessness and I tell you, no one would wish to have the fellow as an enemy, going to an election.
Recently, Governor Makinde appointed a particular lady from Botswana as a Special Adviser.
It is also in the public domain that Governor Makinde gifted exotic cars to some On Air personalities.
One of them has since lost his soul to the Governor.
The fellow has turned his program to an extension of the Governor’s publicity apparatus.
Who would blame him? Things are hard. Damn principles.
I deliberately decided to bring this highlights to the fore, even though, it is not the centre of today’s piece.
Governor Makinde is someone who loves to present himself as one who detests wastages and leakages of Government resources.
I have said it times without number that the said and done of Governor Seyi Makinde are at variance.
See who is talking of blocking wastages!
How could someone who kept paying salaries and allowances to people who have no known contribution to Government be considered prudent?
How on earth could anyone justify the Governor’s penchants for gifting cars, bought with public funds to people who have no official functions?
Yesterday, the Governor, while commissioning the Oyo state Local Government Building located inside the state Secretariat, tried to justify his unnecessary meddlesomeness in the affairs of the Local Governments.
This brings me to the main issue of focus.
Who will wean Governor Seyi Makinde of his Colonization mentality of the Local Governments, even after the Supreme Court Judgment?
Yes, I am sure that he and his brother Governors have been mounting pressures on the Federal Government to delay the commencement of the implementation of the Judgment.
Unfortunately, that Judgment of the Supreme Court can not remain fallow.
I will come back to that.
During the commissioning of the said Building, which for me is another misplaced priority of this Government, the Governor said his Government would continue to seek innovative ways to support and collaborate with Local Government authorities for the benefits of the citizens in order to actualize his vision for the state
Governor Makinde, if I may ask, where is the positive results of such innovations and collaborations since 2019?
Where are the benefits of such collaborations in the 33 Local Governments where infrastructures has totally collapsed?
It is very good to make blanket statements colored in beautiful dictions but what are the specifics?
The Governor went further to say that his Government has collaborated with the Local Governments to upgrade 209 PHCs while 264 has been equipped.
Thank God. We’re getting somewhere. I have said it in the past that if you remove the projects Governor Makinde executed with Local Government funds from his list of achievements, the Governor would be left with almost nothing.
Now that the Governor has confirmed that the PHCs he had been listing as projects of the state are actually projects done through ” collaborations” with the Local Governments, would the Governor be good to tell us the details of such collaborations?
Who paid what? Who contracted the jobs out?
What roles did the Local Governments played?
Who is entitled to take credits for the jobs?
Governor Seyi Makinde also talked about the completion of 60 Model schools and also about the construction and renovation of hundreds of primary schools through SUBEB without giving details of the collaborations that made this projects possible.
We all know that Primary schools are a prerogative of the Local Governments.
So, why has Governor Makinde been claiming credits for this projects that belonged to the Local Governments?
If he will spend their money to execute the projects, shouldn’t he, at least be magnanimous enough to allow the Local Governments, whose funds were spent, to take credits for the projects?
There is a particular statement by the Governor which raises serious concerns and I will quote him directly.
He said ” we commissioned the first set of about 40 klm Roads in Ibadan in July and we have outstanding of about 60 klm to go in the first set. When we leave Ibadan, we will go to other zones. So, rest assured that we will continue to seek innovative ways to collaborate with Local Government Administration to the benefit of our people”.
Now, let me ask Governor Seyi Makinde, who are the” we” in the above statement of his?
From my understanding of the above statement, Governor Makinde just confirmed that he, as Governor has actually been dipping his hands in the resources of the Local Governments to execute projects on behalf of the Local Government Chairmen, while taking the credits for such projects.
If that is the case and the Governor must make clarifications urgently, but if that is the case, it is the heights of illegality and criminality.
May I ask, who prepared the Bill of quantities for the said Road projects?
How was the approval for the projects done at the Local Government levels?
How is it that monies meant for developments of different Local Governments could legally be polled together to fund a Road project in Ibadan?
Who engaged the contractor?
I am not surprised at all. I am only happy that the Governor, perhaps, as an unforced error, is now confirming the fact that he has been illegally meddling with the funds meant for Local Governments in Oyo state.
He did the same thing when he used the resources of the Local Governments to rehabilitate the Atiba Market in Oyo.
From my experience as a former Supervisor for Works in my Local Government, each Local Government collects their monthly Allocations from the state and once the Allocations dropped, the Executives of the Local Government sat to give approvals for funds to be spent on specific projects within the Local Government.
If the funds are beyond the approving limits of the Local Executives, further approvals would be sought through the Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy affairs.
I never witnessed a situation where the Governor would take monies belonging to the Local Governments from the main Joint Allocations Account and go spend on projects on behalf of the Local Governments or for whatever purposes.
In fact, such a circumstance is not provided for in the Constitution or any other statute.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what Governor Makinde has been doing and it is clear that it is the reason Governor Makinde has been very uncomfortable with the Judgment of the Supreme Court on Local Government Autonomy.
When Governor Makinde kept talking of collaborations with Local Government authorities, he is actually talking about a collaboration that empowers him, albeit, illegally, keep colonizing the 33 Local Governments through the status quo.
His reference to the ” benefits of the people” is just for the optics.
We all know exactly what has been happening in the 33 Local Governments of Oyo state since 2019.
Honestly, I’m beginning to feel some pity for those who have been serving as Local Government Chairmen under Governor Seyi Makinde.
” Olorun ma fi ounje wa si ibi to nira”. May our daily bread not come from unpleasant source.
What would you have them do?
Half of a bread is better than nothing.
I must however sound a note of warning that in the discharge of their duties henceforth, they must be aware that things have changed.
Citizens awareness about the Administration of Local Governments is becoming higher by the day.
It is over another hundred days that Governor Makinde planted another set of Ajeles in the 33 Local Governments.
The music has not changed.
It is yet another tale of continued plundering of the resources of the Local Governments.
For a Governor who has made so much noise about Agri-business, it is unfortunate that the Governor is feigning ignorance about the state of roads and infrastructures at the Local Government levels.
How do you propagate Agriculture when there are no roads linking farms and villages to the markets?
Oh! Governor Makinde has linked all the zones of Oyo state with the state capital through good roads. Ah! Sorry. The Governor forgot that the Ido/Eruwa road rehabilitation is still crawling at no speed.
No problems. However, who will link the farms and villages with Governor Makinde’s access roads to the state capital since he has decided to sit on the monthly Allocations for the 33 Local Governments?
Is this not the same as the case of the ” alagbara ma mo ero Baba ole?” ( The powerful without good plans).
For Governor Makinde, he doesn’t see the Judgment of the Supreme Court as capable of changing anything.
At least, from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaketh, so the Bible says.
Governor Makinde would rather prefer a system that allows him unfettered access to the funds meant for the development of Local Governments.
By the way, when the Governor said, ” when we leave Ibadan, we will go to other zones”, what does he mean?
He has eight years, having won a second term.
His sixth year of eight is running out fast.
According to him, he has commissioned about 40klm of roads project, illegally executed with Local Government funds out of a 100 klm envisaged.
So, when he’s done with the 100 klm in Ibadan, he will move to other zones.
Ni aago melo? ( When will that be) When his term expires?
If a lunatic takes ten years to prepare for madness, exactly when will he enter the market in full blown madness? ( Ba ba fi odun mewa pile were, igba wo ni were fee ja oja?)
There is the case of a former Governor somewhere who has been treating Nigerians to all manner of theatrics including the jumping of fences just to escape an arrest by the EFCC.
It will be interesting to see how things go here at the expiration of Governor Makinde’s tenure.
Anyway, Governor Makinde is a very athletic individual who plays Golf and pickleball games regularly.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
