The governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 2019 elections in Oyo State, Oyedele Hakeem Alao has called on Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to monitor activities of Governor Seyi Makinde.
Alao stated that the monitoring by anti-graft and other intelligence agencies became necessary in order to prevent what he described as ‘wasteful’ spending.
Reacting to the recent announcement by Governor Makinde to spend N12billion in procuring 106 buses and rehabilitate 2 spots of roads in Ibadan, the AD guber candidate described the money to be spent as outrageous and questionable.
Makinde had last week announcemend that he will spend N12b to procure 106 buses and rehabilitate 2 spots of roads.
While describing the move as another reckless spending spree, he tasked EFCC, ICPC and all anti-graft and intelligence agencies in the country to monitor Makinde’s regime very closely and put searchlight on him and his syndicate being used to siphon the Oyo State financial wealth.
He alleged that a lot are not right with Makinde’s government, saying that the governor said that he has established an anti-graft agency, but the agency could not even catch those who were allegedly moving out the state’s water pipes for personal sales.
Alao in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Omotayo Alao, he also insisted that the current members in the state’s House of Assembly lack the shrewdness, guts, exposure, experience and sagacity to put the governor on his toes to be responsible.
The AD chieftain in the statement made available to journalists on Tuesday said, “It is on this note that we want to charge EFCC, ICPC, all anti-graft and intelligence agencies in the country to monitor this Engr Makinde’s regime very closely and put searchlight on him and his syndicate being used to siphon the Oyo State financial wealth to his cronies at home here, in Niger Delta and overseas.
“A lot are not right with this government. This government says he has established an anti-graft agency. Till now, his EFCC is till inactive. The anti-graft could not even catch those who were moving out the state’s water pipes for personal sales. No investigation on the reported incident till the moment. Our governor just moved on; he did not even utter a word and this suggests that scandals bigger than we see are going on under this government.
“The announcement of the Seyi Makinde administration last week to spend a total of N12b on purchase of 106 Mass Transit Buses and rehabilitation of just two spots of roads in the Ibadan metropolis calls for concern and questioning.
“First, how can the government of Makinde buy 106 buses with N9.3b? What type of buses are they buying with such a huge amount which can be channeled elsewhere for something productive? What type of buses is our governor buying at that cost when Lagos State was reported to have purchased the 80 BRT buses burnt down during the #EndSARS mayhem at the total cost of N3.9b.
“If Oyo State is buying the same brand of buses of Lagos State, it means that when Lagos bought a unit at the rate of N48.7m, our prudent governor will be buying our own at N87.7m. Again, why must the buses be purchased through a third party company, even if our governor must acquire them?
“Second, how on earth will our governor plan to spend almost N3b for rehabilitation of Felele-Idi-Odo junction and Akobo General Gas road? Of what serious strategic economic importance is the Felele-Idi-Odo junction to the general economic well being of the people of Oyo State?
“In totality, our governor is on another reckless spending spree of allegedly squandering almost N12b.
“It is now glaring maybe certain caliber of people are just in power to expand and strengthen their personal estates at the detriment of the poor suffering masses. Our present governor in the state seems to belong to this category of “leaders”.
“Well, it is on record that prior to the 2019 elections, the company of our governor, Makon Engineering Ltd, has allegedly gone into coma and bankrupt even till now as the top management level staff of the company were/are resigning their appointments due to the consistent lack of payment of salaries and other issues threatening the existence of the company, part of which is poor management of finances.
“It is now becoming glaring with the kind of projects the governor is spending the Oyo State’s hard earned financial resources on that Engr Seyi Makinde, a Niger Delta dude and contractor, is all out to steal money to refill the very deep financial hole and mess he has sunk his company into, to recover from his years of reckless and wasteful spending just to grab power which he does not know what to do with.
“It is sad that the current members in the state’s House of Assembly lack the shrewdness, guts, exposure, experience and sagacity to put the governor on his toes to be responsible. It appears this current assembly is all out to fill their pockets and have become a rubber stamp assembly. So, people of Oyo State need to wake up and stop this gullible praise-singing.
“Doling out cash gifts recklessly just as done in years past and as he freely gave N1m each to the 25 groups he met last week and others will not make him the governor of Oyo State the second time. Oyo cannot be fooled twice with that puerile insincere method of winning the people’s hearts. Is that how to run government?”.
