By Lai Mahmood, Ilorin
The Alliance for Democracy (AD) 2019 governorship candidate in Oyo, Engr Oyèdélé Hakeem Alaó has charged governor Seyi Mákindé not to blame Sunday Igboho over what happened in Igangan and listen to voices of reasoning as insecurity in the state had reached a boiling point.
In a statement made available in Ibadan by his spokesperson, Omotayo Iyanda, Àlàó noted that the composition of Amotekun was wrong from onset and that impacted negatively on the present state of security in the state.
“If the recruitment into Amotekun has not sidelined our local warlords among the hunters association, OPC, VGN, etc. individualistic “liberation” struggle as displayed recently by Mr Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday Igboho in Igangan would not have occurred, which informs that he should be blamed less for his action.
“Our governor did not take any serious actions on the crimes of gruesome killing, kidnapping, raping, among others, going on in Ibarapa land until Sunday Igboho stormed the place, only for the governor to wake from his slumber and made a hasty broadcast that is capable of worsening the situation. What kind of an administration is that?” The statement reads.
“It is Engr Makinde that should desist from running a close-ended kind of government where he always thinks he and his clique have the best ideas,” adding that the governor “should listen to the leaders of thoughts across all shades of opinion(s), particularly those of local security and militant groups as Comrade Adesina Akinpelu, Sunday Igboho, Baba Olororo in Ona-Ara, among others, judging from the near total lack of competence and experience of the governor in public service understanding.
“His Excellency, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former Governor of Oyo State, has said it all that Governor Makinde needs help, particularly in the area of maintenance of law and order, urging him to call the Council of State meeting comprising all former governors and other stakeholders, which he has not convened since he became the governor of the state,” it added.
Alao took a swipe saying that Makinde always felt he had all the best ideas to run government by sidelining all other people’s ideas and suggestions.
“Since the beginning of the administration, we have been playing our role as a constructive opposition but it is a pity that most of those things we have called the attention of the Engr Makinde government to have been ignored, rather his garrulous, ignorant and arrogant aides and party men would often and quickly term such calls as enemies’ attempt to discredit the government of the day.
“That is most unfortunate and undoing of a government which we thought had assembled men who have seen it all, but their petty attitude and abysmal performance in governance has proved us wrong.”
Alao challenged Mákindé to tell the Oyo residents the steps he had taken to address the issues he (Alao) had raised so far which included but not limited to “the killing of Dr Fatai Aborede, Mrs Serifat Adisa, Alhaji Fatai Yusuf Oko Oloyun, Alhaji Babatunde Ore, Modupe Oyetoso’s fiancé (at Lanlate in August 2020), Barakat Bello; the issue of Omo Onile ravaging Ibadan residents in remote areas; allegation of inflation of cost of vehicles and contracts; excessive loans and bonds; alleged shortchanging of the genuine applicants for the Oyo State post Covid-19 Stimulus MSME loans for which they paid application fee of N3,000 each; Oyo local government crisis; deceit in government; illegal sales of water pipes; reckless spending of Oyo State’s money for political activities; among others.”
Engr Hakeem Alao said that more than 20 press releases were issued by his group, OHA Campaign Organisation, in 2020 alone calling the attention of the Engr Makinde-led government to how to deliver better governance, noting that “but the arrogance, pettiness and incompetence of the team have blinded them to see anything good in whatever any opposition in the state talks about.”
The former AD governorship candidate concludes and advises thus: “When a sitting governor sees himself and his incompetent team as all-in-all and maintains a hardliner posture jettisoning all voices of reasoning, it is then we will have at hand the kind of present situation of security in Oyo State, a state almost leading to insurrection where there is a legitimate duly elected government, and street urchins and hoodlums have taken over Oyo State, Ibadan in particular. Nothing can make this happen than the incompetence of the government of the day.
“Your Excellency, be truthful, open, transparent and carry relevant people along properly in the affairs of Oyo State. This is not the time to feel that “It’s our government.” That line of thought is crude and counter-productive.
“It is high time Mr Governor came down from his high Olympus and listened to the voices of reasoning and stop playing politics with every serious issue. Mr Governor, sir, enough of this gallivanting!”
