Oyo Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) gubernatorial candidate, Barrister Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, has played down on the achievements of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, describing it as mere cosmetics.
He said the achievements can only be seen on papers.
While addressing newsmen on Friday, in Ibadan, the former Secretary to the Oyo State government enjoined Governor Abiola Ajimobi to source for money elsewhere instead of imposing security levies on religious centres such as churches and mosques.
Alli described such policy as “anti-people polices” and advised the government to look elsewhere for revenue.
His words, “If you’re looking for money you should go elsewhere. There are some untapped revenues the government has not tapped. Churches and mosques should not be taxed. What do they have in churches and mosques that you are taxing them. That is not the place to make money. Go elsewhere.
“There are a lot of untapped areas. So, if you are looking for money, you don’t go there. Ajimobi’s achievements is just cosmetic. What we are after is good governance in the state. Pensioners won’t be afraid of retiring.
“We, are after getting good governance in Oyo, government is not about propaganda. Since we left government in 2017, no government again. Infrastructure has been dilapidated. Agricultural policy is on the paper. We don’t see it in the life of the people.
“Crime rate is higher now. The achievement of government is just cosmetic. What we are after is good governance in the state. Pensioners won’t be afraid of retiring.
“The state is now 26, 30th position the state which used to be first for many years. For many years Oyo is yet to access its counterpart fund. The money is there. It is now 25% so that the state will be able to access it. We’re going to give a human face to governance. I will take off where Ladoja stopped.
“We had community-driving economy when we were in government. It isn’t about having empty silos in the state. In other climes farmers are rich but here the reverse is the case. We are going to create a prosperous Oyo state. We are pacesetter but now we copy the others most unfortunate is the we didn’t copy right.
“Some local government don’t have general hospitals. It show you that there is nothing like modernity. We have been backward, when Akala constructed road with certain amount, people were complaining but now they constructing a kilometer road with 1 billion naira, is that modernity. Look at the Mokola-Ojoo road constructed over ten years ago and the one constructed recently in Eleyele-Dugbe, can you compare the two? That is why I said that we are only copying in Oyo state.”
In November, Oyo state government introduced security levies on industries, businesses and churches and mosques in a bid to raise money to assist security agencies in order to ensure a crime-free state.
