Makinde’s Acquisitions Of Public Spaces For The Privileged.
It is the Law in Nigeria.
Governments, be it Federal or the state can acquire any land when there is need for it.
However, a caveat is attached to the power of Government to proceed on such acquisitions.
The acquired space must be put to use for public good.
Now, when you look at the “phrase public good”, it suggests that the acquired space must be put to use by Government in the interest of the general public regardless of status.
Let us now make a critical analysis of what projects of Government could be regarded as one done in the interest of the general public or for the good of the public.
If Government acquires public spaces to build schools, hospitals, stadia and other structures where the citizens could access for one benefit or the other, all this could be regarded as acquisitions to foster public good and interest.
However, acquisitions of public spaces for the purpose of building Housing Estates which prices is outside the reach of the general public but is only meant for a privileged few is against public interest and is counter productive.
That is exactly what Governor Makinde have been doing in Oyo state.
The rate at which the Governor have been converting Oyo state Public Spaces into Housing Estates is alarming.
The Governor within a few years have sold off part of the untilized space within the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo state, BCOS, the Trans Amusement parks and recently, some part of the Agodi Gardens despite stiff condemnations from the public.
The Governor is also currently demolishing houses which fall within 500 metres on either side of the circular road in Ibadan.
You can bet that the seized spaces will also be sold off most definitely.
The unfortunate thing is that in all of this spaces, there were beautiful plans which would have benefitted the general public if actualized.
For example, the space which was converted into a Housing Estate within BCOS have long been marked for the construction of a Film village.
This is a project that would have benefitted the general public.
It would have attracted an enduring revenue for the state and also added to the number of monumental structures within the state.
The place have been sold off, most likely to cronies of the Governor and the concept of the Film village gone with it.
There was so much opposition to the convertion of the Agodi Gardens to a Housing Estate.
Those who have knowledge of the original concept of the area put up a good fight to preserve the place but the Governor would have none of their actions.
Thugs were dispatched to disperse those who dared to protest against the action of the Governor and in a Media chat, the Governor called this patriots all manner of names.
Sadly, Governor Makinde have raised an army of Media maurabouts who are signed to defending all of his actions no matter how ugly they are.
This compromised section of the Media are always at hand to create narratives that makes the Governor look good in all circumstances.
Unfortunately for both the Governor and the hatchet men, History have a way of unearthing the truth and separating propaganda from facts.
The spaces Governor Makinde have been selling off have been preserved by his predecessors, starting from Awolowo, Bola Ige, the Military Administrators, Lam Adesina, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Adebayo Alao Akala and Abiola Ajimobi.
This men never dared to conceive the thoughts of selling off the spaces.
Governor Makinde himself should be concerned about how History would record him as the one who sold off vital and historical spaces of Oyo state.
One would have thought that the mess created by him through the inglorious deals that saw to the unpleasant sight that Agbowo shopping complex have become should be enough for him to ponder on.
If his predecessors have engaged in indiscriminate selling off of spaces as he is currently doing, would there have been anything left for him to sell?
History is very unkind at times.
It has a way of recording those who preserve and those who discard.
Governor Makinde have enough on his plate.
He is the one who is insisting on mending what is not broken in the Education sector that was already revived by Ajimobi and the beautiful succession system of Ibadan Obaship.
On both issues, he has created a mess where none existed.
The Governor is having a field day now because he is lost in the euphoria of an artificial image created for him by a heavily compromised Press.
It will do the Governor some good to take a pause and meditate on where the Media was yesterday and where they will be tomorrow when he no longer sits on the seat of the Governor of Oyo state.
Perhaps, in doing so, he could take some lessons from his colleague, the former lord of Rivers state.
One just hope that Governor Makinde would not wake up one day to see the need to sell off the Agodi Government House.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
