Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has reiterated its earlier statement about the debt status of Oyo state.
According to Makinde, who was a guest on a weekly radio programme, monitored by Insideoyo.com in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Oyo State’s debt stands at N150bn as at the last time he checked with the Debt Management Office, DMO.
Speaking on the Ibadan Chieftaincy Law Reform, he said that “It is immoral for the present government in Oyo State to have reportedly doctor the speech of the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji. It is shameful. I believe the Olubadan when he came out to deny the statement being credited to him. I believe him because he is on the throne now and has no reason to lie to us. I see a lot of deceit.
“Moreover, if something is not broken, why fix it? The Olubadan chieftaincy arrangement is orderly. We are proud of it. It is a needless distraction. The government has more pressing challenges like salary payment, poverty, decaying infrastructures, health provision and others that should occupy it.”
He suggested ways of making Governor Abiola Ajimobi conduct the much desired local government election in the state.
Hear him: “we need to find an alternative means of conflict resolution. All opposition members need to come together to convince those in court to agree to an out-of-court settlement so that the issue of court case will be removed from the reason being adduced by Governor Ajimobi for not conducting the election.”
On the case filed by some traditional chiefs, Makinde said they must find ways of settling the matter out of court, explaining that “We must settle out of court. This is the only way the much desired local government election can happen in Oyo State. I do not think the ruling All Progressives Congress is sincere about conducting the election. I don’t care if APC wins all the seats but the election should hold. We are simply being taken for a ride.”
He said that he relates with the duo of former governor Rashidi Ladoja and incumbent governor Abiola Ajimobi, adding that the talk is ongoing with Ladoja on the need to form alliance as 2019 election beckons.
He explained: “I have met Senator Ladoja on the need to come together. This is because during the last election, it was the opposition that lost – as against APC winning. APC won with 36 per cent of the votes. This is not really convincing but then, our constitution allows this.
“So, I have met Senator Ladoja and we are talking seriously with others. The bottom line is that we are seeking to serve the people – this is why we are in politics. This means we should learn to put our differences aside.”
He punctured claim by the present administration as being the architect of modern Oyo State, saying that late Chief Bola Ige played a better role. “I agree that there was a semblance of development during his first term.”
He also spoke about the 2015 governorship election in the state. “APC in Oyo State knew the only way to stay in power was to make sure that the opposition did not come together. They succeeded. During all our moves, we saw their ‘hands’. At the end of the day, we the opposition members failed ourselves, we failed the people. Now that we know this, we will be more reasonable and put personal ambitions aside”.
He, however, shared some lessons learnt in the election. “The 2015 election has come and gone but the golden lessons learnt are many. In the first place, I know there is need for us to start early. We also need to consult widely. In addition, we should allow the voices of the people to be heard. We have to be ready to make sacrifices in the interest of the people. People are out there dying, people cannot send their children to school because of poverty, salaries are not being paid. We need to come together as one to fight the extreme poverty ravaging the state”.
On what he would do to manage the economy of the state If elected, he said: “In September 2014 when I formally declared to contest as Governor, I made it clear that I was not going to depend on Federal Allocations when elected to run the government. I stated it that the issue of Federal Allocation will become irrelevant soon. You see, I am a big player in the Oil and Gas industry, but the industry will soon die. We have to move away from waiting for Federal allocation every month. Land is our God-given allocation. We will focus on Agriculture and agro allied products and services. We have to fund education correctly. We will manage the resources of the state very well and expand the base.”
He said there is nothing like zoning in Oyo governorship election, adding that ”Democracy is a game of number. The governorship seat has never been zoned to anywhere in the state and it is not by rotation. We all have to work hard and generate followers. Nobody can stop anybody from becoming governor. When you work hard, you will see results.”
Additional report from PmParrot.
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