Former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Barr. Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli has declared that Oyo State under the leadership of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as Governor, has become a commercial centre for his personal friends who he has turned consultants.
Alli stated this in a statement released by his media, Taiwo Ibrahim, while reacting to the recent crisis that resulted from the purported relocation of butchers in all the 11 local government areas in Ibadan to a central abattoir at Amosun village where about six people reportedly lost their lives.
He said, the Governor has turned the state to where every job is contracted out even to foreigners who have no knowledge of the social settings of the state in all ramifications.
Alli while condemning the clash, blamed Ajimobi for the crisis over what he called a travesty of justice considering the fact that a case on the matter is still pending in the court of law.
He said, “It was a travesty of justice considering that a case over the relocation of the market is pending before a competent court of law” as he “wondered why the lives of people have no value again”.
Alli also lamented, “The use of force in dealing with harmless people who, in a decent society, have a reserved right, to peaceful protest against any policy that does not go down well with them.
“There cannot be an end to dialogue, while the government has a duty to formulate a new policy to change the status quo, yet the same government has the primary responsibility to protect the citizens and make sure that lives that the policies are intended should be utmostly protected.
“Besides, this policy in question where the livelihood of hundreds of people will be taken away from them without a due consideration to the consequences especially in a society where people are losing their jobs on daily basis leaves much to be desired.
“It is becoming unthinkable that Oyo State government under the leadership of Senator Abiola Ajimobi has finally become a commercial centre for personal friends turned consultants where every system is contracted out even to foreigners who have no knowledge of our social settings at all.
“Markets and abattoir, are the constitutional responsibilities of the local governments, with the new policy of the APC government in Oyo State, local councils have been finally castrated.
“It is unfortunate that the so called consultants are bastardising every system, we can recall that they have kept many teachers and civil servants out of their jobs in the last three years because they are ignorant of the system, a Moses will surely come to judgement”.
Alli concluded by expressing his sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives to brutal dictatorship and urged the Ajimobi led-government to embrace dialogue and prevent further loss of life.
