* As Party, Leader Greet Christians *
Opposition Accord has come out to criticise the donation of an ICT centre to a private university by the wife of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, describing it as morally wrong, especially when many state-owned institutions are lacking the facility.
The first lady, had last week, commissioned a state-of-the-art ICT centre at Ajayi Crowther University, ACU, Oyo, to mark her 58th birthday.
The disclosure was made in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, to greet Christians on the occasion of Easter.
According to the party, donating such a money-gulping project to a privately owned university “is morally wrong as Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, a university owned by the state, cannot even boast of such facility. To us, as the biggest opposition party in Oyo State, we believe charity should start from home.”
The statement described the current APC administration in the state as one that is “committed to a culture of waste and a dogma of ego. How else can we explain a situation whereby government expended several millions of public money to purchase tricycle ambulances at this jet age only to discover that non of them is functioning. The colossal waste of billions of naira on a Technical University at a time LAUTECH workers and lecturers are being owed several months of salary arrears leave much to be desired,” the party lamented.
The statement reads: “Furthermore, Oyo State has been without a substantive Auditor General for the past three years while the State account is un-audited for the period mentioned. However, the listed are among other issues Oyo State citizens must reflect on.
Quoting its chairman, Alhaji Wahab Oyelade, the party charged Christians to spend the period in sober reflections because of the current situation faced by the country and Oyo State in particular. He wondered why “Oyo State that is blessed with abundant human and material resources, including fertile arable land cannot supply enough to cater for her citizens despite huge federal allocations and internally generated revenue.”
He stated further: “Oyo State, one of the most endowed State with vast arable land, cannot feed its population. Oyo State, the ‘Pacesetter’ and a State that has produced many first in Nigeria and Africa is finding it difficult to meet her financial commitment to the workers, pensioners, local council staffs and the masses making the APC led administration in the State to continuously go cap in hand to Federal Government to save her from collapsing.”
The party urged the citizens to “be patient with the present administration pending 2019 when the electorates will have chance to give Accord the opportunity to set Oyo State on strong economic footing even as the essence of Easter is patience, fortitude and tolerance,” he added
On his own part, the leader of the party, Sen. Rashidi Ladoja was quoted as urging Nigerians to support the rebuilding of the country.
He said: “We must eschew hate speeches and all acts capable of inciting our followers. We must avoid extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle in order to teach our followers simplicity and the need to avoid greed and avarice. These are the things we must do to get out of the doldrums.”
