The All Progressives Congress APC in Oyo state has taken a swipe at Governor Seyi Makinde over poor service being derived from most traffic and street lights allegedly purchased at inflated cost by the state government and installed in some parts of the state.
There have been complaints by residents about the occasional disruption in the traffic control functions of the traffic lights erected at some strategic junctions in Ibadan – the state capital and some other major cities across the state while there were reports of some street lights going dead few months after installation and commissioning by the Makinde administration.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC charged Gov. Makinde to do more in complimenting the major roles being played by both the federal government and World Bank in preventing flood and erosion in Ibadan now that torrential rains are expected according to the prediction made by the National Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
“It is very disturbing that nobody is taking responsibility for the substandard traffic and street lights imported at inflated prices by the Makinde administration and installed for good reasons but which now cause nightmare on account of malfunction or total collapse a few months after commissioning in most cases. It is now a common occurrence for motorists and pedestrians to be thrown into confusion on major roads whenever those traffic lights break down as this has always been the case in Agodi-Gate, Idi-Ape, Bodija in Ibadan, Owode and Durbar in Oyo among other places.
“It is recalled that Oyo state was in the news for the wrong reasons about three years ago when Gov. Makinde announced that his government was changing powering of a N28billion street light project into solar after spending millions of naira on fuel for several months. Oyo state under Gov. Makinde has become the home of sleaze and recklessness as far as management of public funds is concerned and why this trend continues unabated is unexplainable.” Sadare submitted.
In another development, Oyo APC has charged Gov. Makinde to avoid treating the imminent threat of flooding in the state capital with kid glove “as experience in the last few days have indicated that NiMet was right in listing Ibadan as one of the cities that are prone to flood disaster in the country if the necessary steps were not taken to avoid the ugly experience of 1980 and 2011.
“As much as we appreciate the federal government for the release of improved Ecological Fund to the state governors including Engr. Makinde, we urge the governor to utilize the funds judiciously for the purpose which it was meant for and also involve relevant stakeholders in the campaign against illegal structures, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, deforestation among others in addition to complimenting the commendable Ibadan Urban Flood Management Projects being sponsored by the World Bank.” APC concluded.
