Will Makinde make a difference in Oyo?

On May 29, there will be a change of guard at the Oyo State Government House, Ibadan, as Mr. Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will take over the reins of power from Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the challenges that the new administration is likely to encounter.

AS someone who has been aspiring to govern Oyo State for some time, Mr. Seyi Makinde is not unaware of the challenges associated with governance. The governor-elect, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contested for governor as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2015.

He acknowledged the challenges in his acceptance speech, after emerging as the PDP governorship candidate. He described his victory at the primary as bitter-sweet, because he was aware of the work ahead, if he eventually wins the contest. At the same time, he said he was capable of solving the problems that daily confront the people of Oyo State, “particularly the vulnerable citizens whose numbers have continued to increase in frightening proportions in the past seven and a half years”.

His election has elicited hopes and expectations among the people. There are many challenges before the incoming government. How the governor-elect will tackle them on assumption of office would determine the success or failure of his administration. In two years, people would start comparing his government with that of his predecessor.

Security will serve as litmus test for the incoming administration. One of the major challenges that Governor Abiola Ajimobi faced at inception in 2011 was how to bring the state back to the path of sanity and ensure the security of lives and property. Before the advent of the administration, there was total collapse of the security apparatus, culminating in total breakdown of law and order.

Then, Oyo State had become a state of bedlam, with stories of wanton bloodshed always in the news. Murder, brigandage, arson, rape, armed robbery, burglary, destruction of property and clashes of miscreants were the order of the day. Ibadan was a fiefdom under the firm control of some political merchants, with motor park touts, political jobbers and unsuspecting youths as willing tools to unleash terror on the residents and visitors of the city.

To reverse the situation, Ajimobi launched a joint security outfit codenamed ‘Operation Burst’ to tackle the inherited security challenges. He equipped the outfit with the state-of-the-art communication equipment, a fleet of patrol vehicles and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to enhance its operational efficiency. To enhance the restoration of peace, the governor launched Oyo State Security Trust Fund in July 2012. This was how Oyo State has remained one of the peaceful states in the country till today.

Security is sine qua non to good governance. Indeed, the primary responsibility of government is to ensure security of lives and property as enshrined in the constitution. It is hoped that the Makinde administration would not abandon or dismantle the security apparatus put in place by his predecessor. A relapse to pre-2011 era would be disastrous.

Makinde won the governorship election with the support of four other political parties, namely the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The three parties adopted Makinde as their consensus candidate for the governorship election. The details of the agreement were not made public. The leaders of the coalition were Chief Rasidi Ladoja of the ZLP, Senator Femi Lanlehin of the ADC and Alhaji Kola Balogun of the SDP.

Unless there is a sharing formula for spoils of office, the coalition will run into trouble. For instance, how many commissioners, special advisers and board chairmen and members would be appointed from each party? The rancour that would ensue may distract the governor from concentrating on the business of governance. The ‘god fathers’ would like to influence government policies to accommodate their interests. Even though Makinde said he has no god father, can he bluff those that sacrificed their ambitions his victory at the poll?

Another issue is the future of the coalition. Can it remain intact in 2023 when Makinde will be seeking re-election? A veteran politician like Senator Lanlehin, who is so desperate to be governor, may likely pull out and contest in 2023 to actualise his political ambition.

The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State is low. From the paltry N600 million per month in 2011, Ajimobi has increased it to N1.8 billion. He promised to further increase the IGR to N5 billion before the end of his tenure. The low IGR has been attributed to tax evasion by residents of Oyo State and a drop in amount derived from Pay As You Earn (PAYE), owing to irregular payment of salaries. Makinde has to face the challenge of internal revenue generation. His administration must resolve to tax all taxable entities in expanding the tax net and thereby increase the state’s IGR. This has become necessary, in view of the fact that the monthly federal revenue allocation from Abuja is hardly enough to pay salaries of workers let alone the pensioners.

Also of great importance to the people of Oyo State is the issue of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTEC), Ogbomoso which has been adversely affected by under-funding caused by joint ownership of Oyo and Osun governments. Some students have spent up to seven years in the university without graduating owing to incessant strikes embarked upon by the lecturers to back up demand for unpaid salaries. Interestingly, Makinde addressed the LAUTEC students in their campus during the campaign. He promised to find solution to the problems facing the university within his first 100 days in office. How the incoming governor would achieve this remains to be seen. Can he convince Osun State government to cede the ownership of the university to Oyo State as a permanent solution to save the institution from going under?

Also, equal representation of the five zones in the state in the political appointment will determine the commitment of Makinde to fairness, equity and justice. It is very important to ensure that all zones are fairly treated in the appointment of commissioners, special advisers, senior special assistants, special assistants, boards’ chairmen and members. The essence is that all zones should be equally represented at the level of decision-making. The new administration must put an end to lopsided appointments, which have over the years been generating acrimony and fear of domination.

The rancour generated by the review of the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration and other related chieftaincies in Ibadan land by the outgoing administration will be a difficult nut for Makinde to crack. The review led to the elevation of some chiefs to the position of Oba. Ajimobi said the primary purpose of the review was to facilitate the development, modernisation and effectiveness of the traditional chieftaincy system in the ancient city in particular and across the state in general. But, the Osi Olubadan, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, who is eyeing the throne of Olubadan, said he was the prime target of the review. He said Governor Ajimobi carried out the review in order to stop him from becoming Olubadan in future.

The exercise has been polarised, with some Ibadan indigenes, particularly the elite, supporting Ajimobi’s move, while others were against the review. The Olubadan challenged the review in court and won. The court declared it null and void. Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has appealed the judgment.

The question is: will Makinde continue with the appeal or stop it on assumption of power on May 29, 2019? Will he protect the interest of Ladoja who is on the same page with Olubadan on the matter? Both played a major role in Makinde’s emergence as governor.

The governor-elect is aware of the intrigues and problems associated with governance in the Pacesetter State and has given a hint of how he would tackle them when he gets to office. He said: “The primary rationale for my decision to come on board is to provide solutions to public policy problems that have needlessly bedevilled the state. As a result, we have resolved to intervene in five strategic areas of agriculture, education, health, infrastructure and security in order to make meaningful impact in the lives of Oyo State citizens within the shortest possible period. This is because governance, especially in our own society where there is little or no social security, must have a human face.

“Oyo State resources have been badly managed in the past seven and a half years. With an average of N1.8 billion from IGR every month and a record debt of over N130 billion, it is not asking for too much for government to have eliminated the preponderance of the debt owed particularly to the vulnerable citizens. This has necessitated the need to formulate strategies to improve the revenue base of Oyo State using innovative approaches that will not affect the welfare of the citizenry or discourage investors.

“I believe that functional and qualitative education is needed to achieve Oyo State’s strategic visions and development priorities. However, given the dismal performance of Oyo State in national examinations, there is need for a renewed commitment to education.”

On health, he said: “We will ensure that adequate funding goes to the health sector under a well coordinated, efficient policy that also prevents neo-natal, post neo-natal and child mortality. In addition, government must stop the exodus of health professionals and deploy necessary and effective healthcare interventions to the rural communities. With the poor budgetary allocation to the health sector, this current administration has shown its distaste for factors that can bring about better health conditions to the poor citizens while more attention is given to contracts based infrastructural projects.”

On infrastructure, he said the level of decadence of physical infrastructure in Oyo State is quite appalling. His words: “The present government has largely concentrated in the urban areas, with poor connectivity to the rural areas. Our intervention in infrastructure in the state will be based on utilising development of infrastructure to stimulate economic activities. Access to good paved asphalt road links, adequate water supply and connectivity to power supply including rural electrification will be vigorously pursued. We will also ensure the sustainability and maintenance of  our infrastructure investments”.

Makinde also assured: “Our administration is ready to work closely with communities and all stakeholders to develop very effective and efficient strategies that will ensure the security and safety of communities in the state. We will intervene in the area of security with the creation of effective and efficient crime prevention units, adequate equipment support to the law enforcement agencies as well as the encouragement of active and equal law enforcement community partnership and a problem solving approach which is responsive to the needs and expectations of the community.”

For agriculture, the incoming administration promised an integrated solution based framework that will focus on assisting farmers through low interest credit intervention, technical support to enhance the expertise to produce subsidised warehousing, rural infrastructure, farm access roads in the rural areas agricultural research, adequate irrigation and regulated marketing outlets.

To solve the problem of youth unemployment in the state, Makinde promised to explore agro-processing with heavy financial backing and expertise in place as against what he called the current haphazard and tentative half hearted policies of the current administration. He said: “The way to go to have a competitive and robust agro-processing industry in Oyo State should be the creation of processing clusters across the three senatorial zones with infrastructural support, input supply and productivity enhancement and financing.”