The Oyo State chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN has condemned the approach of the state Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde towards the approval of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 8 roads in the state.
The party in a statement signed by secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, made available insideoyo.com on Saturday requested the Ministry of Works to handle the roads projects.
The statement reads in full “The Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, Oyo State Chapter notes the decision by the Engr Seyi Makinde/PDP-led government to approve not fewer than eight roads for either reconstruction or rehabilitation in the state.
“According to media reports, the eight approved roads are: Airport-Ajia-New Ife Express way with spur to Amuloko(21km); Apete-Awotan-Akufo junction road (12.km); Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho(44.7km); Reconstruction of Under G-stadium-LAUTECH Gate Road, Ogbomosho (3.0km); Takie-FGGC Road, Ogbomosho (2.5km); Reconstruction of Isaba-Ogundoyin Road, Eruwa (2.5km); Rehabilitation of Gadu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road, Oyo (5.20km); Akingbile-Lagbeja-Ajibode road (3.0km).
“The SPN acknowledges the importance of these roads particularly their potential to stimulate and boost the economic growth and encourage more socio-cultural interaction of the people of the state if they are put in proper pliable condition.
“However we fault the contract system as the modality through which the repair are planned to be executed.
“Contract system under Nigeria’s capitalist governments, which is usually done as political patronage for cronies, is one of the major means through public resources are pilfered and indeed looted in the guise of infrastructural development.
“We therefore stand by our demand that the dubious system should end and be replaced with a public works programme under which the ministry of Works will be equipped with adequate equipment, machineries, expertise and manpower.
“With public work system under the democratic control and management of the committee of elected representatives of the working people, projects like mass building of schools, hospitals, roads, mass housing, water-works, mass electrification, etc. will be executed at a much reduced cost while still be of the standard quality. Thus, it helps to conserve resources which can also be deployed to other areas of pressing needs of the people
“This is not to say that Oyo State at the present time lacks the resources to adequately meet the area of need of the people. The point therefore is that it is an ill and faulty decision to adopt the contract system that is prone to corruption and encourages undue concentration of wealth in the hand of a few rich individuals especially in a situation where most roads in the state are still in deplorable condition and social services like education, health care continue to suffer chronic underfunding.
“Currently Oyo State is one the states with high prevalence of COVID-19 infection in the country. There are indications that this is likely to be worse in the coming days due to the fact the state lack adequate reliable and modern health care architecture to combat the spread of the virus Right now for a population of over 6million people, there are just three functional isolation centres with just one diagnosing center for the COVID-19 in the entire state. This is grossly inadequate to guarantee mass testing and treatment of the people for the COVID-19 in each of the 33 local government area across the state.
“SPN condemns this as we believe that the recent approval of the roads has further demonstrated the financial capacity of the Oyo State government to reposition the moribund state of education and health sector in the state. It is in the light of this we call on Engr Seyi Makinde–led government to extend similar commitment to the health sector starting with the provision of adequate facilities for mass testing to enable quick detection, isolation and subsequent treatment of any infected person in the 33 local government across the state.
“We also demand the upgrading of all the general hospitals across the state with necessary equipment and recruitment of more health workers with provision of adequate protective gear and special allowances in order to encourage effective handling of Covid-19 cases and other diseases.”
