Kudos, knocks for Makinde’s first year in office

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde recently presented his scorecard after one year in office. The governor rated his administration high within the period. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the achievements and constraints of the administration.

 

 

IT has been one year after Governor Seyi Makinde was installed at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. In his inauguration speech, Makinde pledged to serve the people of Oyo State. He said: “I am here as your governor to serve you. I will work tirelessly and take responsibility for the workings of every sector. While I will delegate effectively, the buck will stop with me I want you to hold me accountable and I will also hold you accountable as we work as partners to bring Oyo State to glory.”

A year after Makinde has rated his administration high. Addressing the people to mark his one year in office, the governor said the future is, indeed, bright for Oyo State, saying that “we have kept our promise to finish what previous administrations left undone instead of selfishly starting new ones”.

Here is what the people of Oyo State are saying about Governor Makinde’s one year in office. The deputy governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in 2019 election, Dr Olaiya Abideen said the administration started on a good note of populism occasioned by some point of departure of the last administration from good governance for which the citizens made them pay good prizes at the polls. This, he said, is definitely unsustainable for longer than election periods.

Abideen, a lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State said faulted the integrity of the coalition that helped Governor Makinde to secure victory during the election. He said: “Our political terrain is full of intrigues that portend danger to one of the principles of good governance which are participatory, equity, consensus and inclusiveness. The current administration was birthed by a coalition spearheaded by Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, though he left the coalition midway, it was piloted successfully to the end by Chief Rashidi Ladoja, while Chief Femi Lanlehin and Chief Sharafadeen Alli were at the receiving end. Good governance stresses integrity over intrigues since both are intertwined in the political domain.”

On transparency and accountability, the university don said the debt profile of the state has been on the rise since the advent of the Makinde administration. He said: “As at last count, it was over N40 billion without any tangible project to show for it. Oyo State House of Assembly has not successfully defended itself in the public. The government has not equally shown transparency or the necessity for the projects, which include building modern terminuses, developing agriculture and other ventures that the loans will be used to finance. Also, what was responsible for the sudden change in the wage bill from over five billion to over 10 billion monthly? This is still shrouded in controversy. The government needs strategic thinking in managing the state’s economy.”

Abideen lauded the administration in the area of prompt payments of salaries. Nevertheless, he said other emergencies that required quick response have not been adequately tackled. He said the cases of fire outbreaks, road accidents, and COVID 19 pandemic are glaring examples. He said the administration responded late to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially after a political rally was held, key functionaries of government fell victims, leading to paralyzing of government activities for over a week. He added: “The state’s position on COVID-19 causality incidents is on the rise, while the provision of palliatives and purchase of Personal Protective Equipment for the health sector was poorly managed. It is highly necessary that the government put in place a robust emergency and disaster management agency for the state.

“The return of garages control to rival thug group of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) under the guise of park managers have heightened the tensions around the garages. It is good that the legal framework has been devised for Amotekun security outfit which we are monitoring its take off. The issues of arbitrarily sacking the elected local government executives before approaching law courts are seen as lawless or abuse of lawful process. The administration, as a matter of urgency, needs to resolve these bottlenecks or lacuna as it is negatively affecting local government administration in the state.”

Abideen also lauded Makinde for the abolition of school fees and development levies in public primary and secondary schools, describing the provision of exercise books to pupils as a welcome development. However, he said the educational sector requires more than that. He said the sector requires the declaration of a state of emergency such the one declared during the late Bola Ige’s era.

To Professor Albert Olawale of the University of Ibadan, Governor Makinde has performed well in his first year. He said though a year is not enough to assess a government, compared to his predecessor in office, the Makinde administration has earned a pass mark. Olawale, a professor of Peace and Conflict Studies said the Makinde administration has endeared itself to workers through prompt payment of salaries and pensions to retirees. In this regard, he said Makinde had succeeded where his predecessor, former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, failed.

He also commended the administration for the introduction of electronic Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). He said processing C of O in the state now is seamless and that property owners can now process their C of O without going through intermediaries and get it within two weeks. He added: “The introduction of electronic C of O has opened a window of revenue generation for the state. The state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) will go up so that it will have a lot of money to do certain things for the people. So, as the government renders services to the people through the provision of amenities, it is getting more money from those that have for the services they are benefitting from the government. I consider it a scientific approach to governance.

“At personal level, Governor Makinde is not too flashy in public outlook and always goes out in a small convoy. He is not a flamboyant public officer. Rather, he has always identified with the grassroots. He has started well. One hopes he will keep it up.”

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has however accused Makinde of hijacking projects and programmes initiated by his predecessor. APC spokesman Abdul Azeez Olatunde said instead of creating isolation centres for COVID-19 pandemic, Makinde converted the Abiola Ajimobi Maternity and Paediatric Centre, Olodo, Ibadan to Infectious Disease Research and Treatment Centre, without acknowledging the Ajimobi administration that built the medical facility.

The opposition party also identified the inaugurated Mobile Police Squadron station at Ago-Are as another project hijacked by the governor. It said that it was Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who requested for the Mobile Police station to be located in Oyo. It recalled that Alaafin visited President Muhammadu Buhari on February 2, 2019, with a letter requesting for the location of Mobile Police Squadron Station in Oyo town.

But, contrary to the directive of the Police Service Commission, the APC said the Mobile Police Squadron Station was inaugurated at Ago-Are in Atisbo Local Government by the governor on May 27, 2020, as one of the projects marking his one year in office. The opposition party has challenged Makinde to make public the letters of request and documentation to back up his claim that his government requested for the Mobile Police Squadron Station to be cited at Ago Are.

The party also debunked the claim by Makinde that his administration introduced electronic C of O. It said the Ajimobi administration launched e- C of O in the state on August 20, 2017, under its Homeowners Charter policy designed to enable homeowners regularise their land documents.  It recalled that the policy was announced at the official flag-off Enumeration and Assessment of properties held at the State Housing Corporation three years ago.

A cleric, Pastor Akinola Akinwunmi also scored the governor high. He said: “My assessment of Governor Makinde’s first year in office has been fair. It is indeed new dawn that he promised us in the Pacesetter State. He was able to meet with some expectations, while we hope for more in the coming years because expectations of Oyo citizens are high. Governor Makinde has done one major thing different from some past administrations; he has ensured that some of the ongoing projects his administration inherited were reviewed and some were considered for completion, such can only be done by a sincere administration like that of Seyi Makinde. For now, I think he has been handling the security architecture, workers welfare and education so well. I hope he will put more action into infrastructure development in the coming years.”

To Professor Olabode Lucas, who resides in Ibadan, the Makinde administration has been people-friendly and its attitude is also devoid of any hint of arrogance or talking down on the people. He said the governor has made an impact on the people in the following areas: peace, education, the welfare of the people, fighting unemployment, infrastructural development, health and agriculture.

Lucas said the state has enjoyed a period of relative peace under Makinde. He said: The controversial NURTW has been reorganised and made responsible; gone were the days when motor garages were turned to battleground among warring motor transport unions. On the day of his inauguration, he announced the abolition of all levies paid by parents for their children in primary and secondary schools. His administration also supplied exercise books to students in secondary schools. Subventions to higher institutions like Ibadan Polytechnic were increased to unprecedented levels. Repairs of township road are currently going on in the state. In Ibadan, the capital city, Apete road is being rehabilitated. Street lighting of the major roads in Ibadan had been completed to the delight of the inhabitants.”

Public Affairs analyst, Dr Ademola Adedipe observed that the governor has been inconsistent in his approach, much like a leader without a blueprint for navigation and leadership. He said: “Makinde’s awareness of public relations is strictly hinged on media propaganda, served on a platform of maligning the public view on progress report and development. His philanthropic efforts before the election are unparalleled but his leadership tenet in government is lowly rated and had been a determinant of the poor organisational skill of the governor.”