The Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has floored the gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Seyi Makinde on what it termed “deliberate misrepresentation” of facts in the state’s 2018 budget.
The ruling party said Mr. Makinde needs tuition in elementary mathematics to perform as an elective office holder and arrest his intellectual laziness.
Mr. Makinde had described the 2018 budget passed by the state House of Assembly as capable of further escalating youth unemployment in the state.
The PDP guer aspirant said allocating less than 3 per cent of the N271.7b budget for agriculture, which employs over two-third of the population will ensure that unemployment level rises amidst the constant attacks by fulani herdsmen leading to the dislocation of farmers from their farms and the spiraling costs of food items.
But APC in a statement made available to insideoyo.com on Thursday said that the desperation of Mr. Makinde to govern the state is beclouding his sense of judgment, explaining that 12% of the 2018 budget would be in the region of N32bn as against the falsehood being spread by Mr. Makinde that N15bn represented 12% of N271bn by his calculation, as being budgeted for the governor’s office in the present fiscal year.
The Party’s Director of Media, Research and Strategy, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde said that it was premeditated mischief and malicious intent that motivated Mr. Makinde’s allegation that Governor Abiola Ajimobi allocated less than 3%, 2% and 1% in the budget for Agriculture, Health and Education respectively, clarifying that 11.67% of the actual estimate is budgeted for youth related activities, 10.30% for Agriculture and 5.6% was budgeted for the Governor’s office. In addition, 17% of the Budget representing N46.2B was budgeted for the Education sector.
Dr Olatunde said that the total amount estimated for youth and youth related programmes and projects is N31.8B, representing 11.67% which covers several programs that have direct and indirect impact on Youth Welfare, Job Creation, Empowerment amongst others, noting that a total of N28.03B, representing 10.30% of the Budget went towards Agriculture and Agriculture-related programmes and projects which included the provision of Agricultural inputs, Agriculture Credit provision as well as construction and rehabilitation of rural roads to strengthen the Agricultural value chain, etc.
The APC Chieftain said that the total estimate for the Governor’s Office is N14.02B, representing 5.16% of the total N271.7B Budget which includes personnel cost, overhead costs, capital expenditure and consolidated charges, stressing that it must be emphasized that all MDAs draw upon the Governor’s Office fund for running cross – MDA / inter- ministerial projects and programs.
According to Dr Olatunde, “An informed examination of the budget shows that all aspects of the Budget are intertwined and inter-connected. The Budget is a financial proposal for the year. There is no way you separate the benefits of Road Construction from Youth Empowerment, Health Care Delivery and improved Agricultural yields.
“All Projects and Programmes of Government, as proposed in the Budget, are aimed at enhancing the Socio- Economic well-being of the citizens of Oyo State. APC as a responsible Party has taken the pain to study anew the recently passed 2018 Budget of Oyo State, in order to objectively examine the claims made by Mr. Seyi Makinde.
“We have presented empirically backed statement of facts, on the issues raised and it is very clear that Mr. Seyi Makinde is being out-rightly malevolent. For Mr. Seyi Makinde, the campaign for 2019 has begun early, albeit a very dirty and conscienceless campaign.”
