AS the year 2015 winds up, some memorable events  happened in the year in the Pace-setter state. While some are favourable, others are not too pleasant.  The events however made the year very interesting in the anals of the ancient city of Ibadan and in Oyo state in general. The events range from politics, crime, development and many others.

By Ola Ajayi

Ajimobi becomes first to get second term in Oyo

Since the inception of the populous city of Ibadan, no governor had ever governed the state twice. No wonder, the state has been dubbed the political hotbed of the South West. Before the commencement of the 2015  election, there was palpable tension in the state as political gladiators slugged it out in a very keenly contested election.

*Gov Ajimobi

The key players in the  election were Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Former Governors Adebayo Alao-Akala, Rashidi Ladoja, Accord Party candidate, Mr Seyi Makinde, an engineer governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP, Senator Teslim Folarin, PDP candidate, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, former Minister of State, FCT and many others.

The deep political difference between Ogbomoso and Ibadan city actually came into play on one hand, while the inability of the likes of Chief Alao-Akala, Senator Ladoja, Senator Folarin and Oloye Jumoke Akinjide determined the results of the election which was in favour of the incumbent governor.

When it was evident that the ruling All Peoples Congress would clinch victory for two successive administrations, a meeting was held at the Bodija residence of Senator Ladoja where it was suggested that other parties should vote for a joint candidate. But, when the issue of choice was put on a negotiating table, it was gathered that Otunba Alao-Akala distanced himself from the plot because it was decided that Ladoja, being an Ibadan indigene should emerge as a consensus governorship candidate.

Also, Akala and Folarin were both planning  how to settle old political scores at the election. When all these political machinations were going on, the ruling APC was busy strategising and breaking the ranks of the opposition. Another factor that led to the victory of APC in the election was the perceived controversial international electio process within the Accord Party. The process of selecting candidates for the election in the party could be described as the undoing of the party as many of its chieftains defected to the ruling party.

Mr Deji Aboderin left Accord with his supporters while Mrs. Bola Amole who was a very popular politician was on the verge of defecting to the APC when she died suddenly. By the time  the dust settled, many of the politicians bit their fingers in regret, while some boasted of their victory. PDP, a once vibrant party kissed the dust in defeat, while APC won the election with Ladoja coming second and Alao-Akala’s Labour Party third.

Crime

It was harvest time for the Oyo State Police command as it paraded hundreds of robbery suspects , kidnap gangs, suspected fraudsters, rapists and others. During one of the several parades by the command, a student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, was alleged to have raided a female hostel in the institution where he allegedly raped and stole some of their property.

As the year comes to an end, the crime rate reduced drastically. The success, according to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, was as a result of effective policing and the competent officers that surrounded him. As the police recorded huge success, other security agencies like the Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC,  moved swiftly to curtail pipeline vandalism and civil disobedience.

The Oyo/Osun area command of Nigeria Customs Service  led by the Abdulsalam Hassan, the Acting Customs Area Controller, made a lot of seizures. He said the command generated a total of thirteen billion, two hundred and one million, nine hundred and eighty seven thousand, three hundred and twenty two naira, seventy seven kobo( N13, 201,987, 322. 77 ). The controller also hinted that a total of 166 seizures with a duty paid value of over N395million were made.

Infrastructure

In Oyo, the state of infrastructural development which was highly commendable in the first year of Governor Ajimobi did not witness much progress. Without mincing words, many of the roads within Ibadan metropolis and its environs are presently in a state of disrepair.

While some repairs were made on some roads, some roads are still begging for attention of the governor. The roads that readily come to mind are Ologuneru-Eruwa road, Akobo-Asi road and others. In fact, the situation is so bad that some youths now use mud to fill countless potholes and get money from willing road users.

Civil Service and education

Workers in the state no doubt went through a turbulent year due to government’s inability to pay their salaries and allowances. Before the bail out, the workers were owed as much as five month which forced them to go on strike. When the Federal Government released the bailout fund, the governor did not renege on his promise as he settled the workers.

Governor Ajimobi complained bitterly about the huge amount that the state pays every month to workers saying the state was not financially buoyant to continue. The governor and leadership of workers later agreed to start what is called selective payment of   salaries when the workers rejected downsizing of the workforce.