Oyo State commissioner for information, culture and tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun has said that communication minister, Barr. Adebayo Shittu is not capable of running a state like Oyo.
Arulogun, reacting to Shittu’s criticism of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, explained that the governor was not caught unawares. “Generally speaking, the minister has declared his intention to vie for the governorship of the state in 2019. Who else will he attack than the incumbent? We are not caught unawares with such development. It is expected and a lot more will still come,” he disclosed.
In an interview published by Sunday Tribune, Arulogun said: ”We would like people in Abuja to do a critical appraisal of the minister’s tenure and let us see whether he will get a pass mark or not. Some of us know what is happening in the ministry under his watch. If he can’t mind such a small place, how can he run a whole state? I think he should do the business he is given to do part-time instead of causing distraction. He should remove the speck in his eyes before he can attempt to remove the log of wood in other people’s eyes.
”What is important is for us to tell the people what we have done. Governor Ajimobi is not going to contest any election again. So, at some point, it will be among the contestants.
“Yes, people can criticise. For me, criticism is negative, appraisal is positive. Is he saying there is nothing good that this administration has done? An appraisal looks at both the negatives and the positives and a conclusion is reached afterwards. Is he saying there are more negatives than positives? Certainly not. Election time is fast-approaching and it is not only the minister who has been saying different things. We are the government in power and so it is natural they will say they can do it better. We understand the dynamics and the nuances of this kind of political comments.
“For us, what he has said is a non-issue. One of the things I have learnt from Governor Ajimobi is that we should not listen to market noise. We remain focused on what we want to do. What is important is that Governor Ajimobi will be remembered as the founder and architect of modern Oyo State. That is incontrovertible,” he boasted.
