By Adeola Badru

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to reconsider his plan to allocate a staggering N63.5 billion to renovate the Agodi Government House.

The party criticized the move as a blatant display of profligacy, insensitivity, and impunity, warning that it could further destabilize the state’s economy.

Recall that on Wednesday last week, the Makinde administration announced that the State Executive Council had approved the substantial budget for overhauling the Government House, in addition to N132 million earmarked for hiring professional gardeners to maintain green spaces at the governor’s residence.

Furthermore, another N14.3 billion was approved for procuring an Instrument Landing System (ILS) for the Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan.

In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the Oyo APC condemned Governor Makinde for allegedly treating the people of the state “with utter disdain and disrespect,” adding that “all he could do to defend the reckless spending in the name of Government House renovation was to announce another plan to purchase two aircraft for him to monitor criminals from the air space.”

The party noted that numerous individuals and organisations worldwide have criticised Governor Makinde’s decision, stating, “We watched keenly as concerned individuals and groups across the globe condemned the decision of Gov. Makinde to record another ugly stride in his penchant for financial recklessness and wasting of public funds through the payment of huge sums on white elephant projects and misplaced priorities.”

APC in the state recalled a previous instance where they raised alarms about the production of 212,505 exercise books for public school pupils at a cost of N2,100 each in 2019, which is now being echoed by leading voices against the governor.

The party further questioned the need for such a significant investment in renovations for structures built to last decades and previously renovated by the former administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi in 2017.

APC stated, “All that played out in Gov. Makinde’s official address to the state lawmakers was a futile attempt to cover up a case of brazen corruption and impunity.”

Additionally, the party raised concerns about potential contract splitting in the ongoing upgrade of Alakia Airport, questioning why the governor has allocated another N10 billion and now N14.3 billion for the same project, stating, “Gov. Makinde has a lot to tell the world about a criminal case of contract splitting.”

Regarding the proposed aircraft purchases, the APC warned that this could serve as a means for a few individuals in power to misappropriate public funds, asserting, “The best thing which Gov. Makinde would do is to pay for two new airplanes and then bring one tokunboh private jet which would move him and his cronies around the world at the expense of the masses.”

The party, however, concluded that “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.”

Vanguard News