By Oluwakemi Ishola
Indigenes of Oyo State had cause to jubilate when the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde reeled out a number of progressive actions taken at the state’s 29th Executive Council meeting.
Especially pleasing to the people was the approval of N9.3bn for the purchase of 106 buses to support already existing transport fleet of the state’s transport system, Pacesetters.
The Governor as usual, put the people first as he also announced through his commissioners, other ground breaking projects such as the rehabilitation and construction of two link roads to be executed through direct effort labour from the Oyo state transport and road management agency, with an estimated cost of N64 and to be completed in two months, plus a
2.5 billion Naira traffic signal and light system with its own control room to ease vehicular traffic movement within Challenge to Idi Odo and Challenge roundabout.
While other states were still grappling with the vandalism and destruction that was witnessed across the nation after the EndSARS protests, the Oyo State Governor swung into swift action with the above progressive projects.
It is however unfortunate that some elements within Oyo State, specifically the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, believe that running the government down senselessly at every point, is the sole aim of their position as opposition party in Oyo State.
Reacting to criticisms by the APC over the approval of N9bn for the purchase of 106 buses, the Oyo Pacesetters Transport Services Chairman, Dare Adeleke said the APC should examine itself critically before going public with spurious allegations:
“In the Bible, it is said, remove the log in your eye, before trying to remove the peck in your brother’s eye. The APC is so corrupt, they believe everyone is like them. Despite glaring evidence of His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde’s progressive achievements in the very short time he has been governor, despite the love and support he gets from the people, the APC still tries at every point of motion, to form a clog in the path of development”.
Adeleke says: “The APC is so steeped in corruption and petty mischief, they fail to recognise that their looting is glaring and evident every where they are.”
According to the Pacesetters boss, the APC seems to have forgotten that there are records available in public and comparisons in figures which are documented.
“Lagos is an APC State that has invested heavily in Mass transportation through world bank funds. While we sympathise with the state over the recent ugly event which saw the destruction and burning down of 82 of it’s buses by arsonists and vandals, we must remember that the government pegged the net cost of the buses at $200,000 and $100,000 each which is a total cost of N5bn for 82 buses.
Is it not therefore absurd that the Oyo APC would shamelessly be criticising Governor Seyi Makinde’s approval of N9Bn for 108 buses, especially given the present reality of the exchange rate which has skyrocketed from N180 to N450 to a dollar, under the APC? Adeleke questioned.
Speaking further the Pacesetters boss noted: ” They must also note that our buses are not Chinese but Leyland and Turkish,”
Adeleke stated that: “It is bizarre that rather than join the good people of Oyo State in jubilation over the fact that Oyo state continues to march forward in developmental activities, the Oyo State APC through her various handlers are busy comparing an obvious misnomer, by making reference to the Lagos figures that are glaringly much higher than Makinde’s honest figure. Isnt that ridiculous?”
The Pacesetters boss described the opposition APC in Oyo state as rabble rousers, advising them to go into deep introspection and self examination: “If they spent this much time into more positive pursuits rather than mischief, their crumbling house would be in better order,” he said.
