Makinde Has Demonstrated That Urban Renewal Doesn’t Have To Kick The Poor Out Of Existence – Yekini Adeojo

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A former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji (Chief) Yekinni Adeojo, has described as monumental the transformation of Oyo State under the leadership of the governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde.

Adeojo, who has retired from active politics, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan.

According to him, “Since the time of General David Jemibewon (retired) as governor, Oyo State has not witnessed this level of transformation.

“The obvious one is the Light Up Oyo State project, which has changed the narrative of the state. Now, most streets in Ibadan, the state capital, are illuminated all night long. We have had attempts in the past but nothing of this magnitude. The governor deserves our commendation.”

Alhaji Adeojo also stated that the state hospitals have not just been renovated by the state governor but also being adequately supplied with appropriate medical equipment and drugs to improve state of health of the populace.

“Critical roads are being built and fixed. The Ibadan-Iseyin road has already been completed, I am aware that the Eruwa road is about to be fixed, just as the Airport road is about to be widened and increased to four lanes. All the GRAs in the state will soon have their roads asphalted in a bid to uplift them and make life better for people living in those places. All of these are laudable,” Adeojo noted.

According to Alhaji Adeojo, who is also the Seriki Musulumi of Yorubaland, the governor has brought human face to governance in the state.

“Instead of making life difficult for struggling market men and women, he has devised a creative way of keeping them off the streets without keeping them out of business. That is what is called creativity in government. The problem of street trading at Challenge and Mobil, Ring Road areas has been creatively dealt with. Governor Makinde has demonstrated that urban renewal does not have to kick the poor out of existence.

Unlike the former administration that was seizing perishable wares of street traders and locking them up at the Secretariat, thus plunging the traders into deprivation, hardship and poverty, Makinde has found a way to accommodate the poor in his developmental agenda. This is highly commendable,” he said.

Alhaji Adeojo also praised the governor for making the payment of workers’ salaries and pensioners’ entitlement a priority.

“Governor Makinde is not developing infrastructure at the expense of the people; he is building the state and developing the people at the same time. He pays civil servants and pensioners promptly. Some politicians may want to downplay this and say it should be expected, but we should not forget that we have had governors in the state that did not make this a priority, that is why it is important to appreciate the governor. As we the Yoruba people say, ‘Yin ni, yin ni k’eni le s’emi.’ We should appreciate him to encourage him to do more,” Alhaji Adeojo said.

The retired politician added that the governor has also been empowering young people and creating employment opportunities through modern agricultural practices at the state farm settlements just as he is living up to his promise of providing free and functional education.

“Now, Ladoke Akintola University wholly belongs to Oyo State. The destiny of young undergraduates does not have to be tied down by power tussle between two states anymore as Oyo State is solely responsible for the university. Already, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Resources has been approved for Iseyin. This will open up more opportunities for our admission-seeking children as well as create employment opportunities for our people. At the same time, the economy of Iseyin will receive a boost. This is a feat that former administrations failed to accomplish.

“To give our state comparative advantage in agriculture, Governor Makinde enrolled many of our youths at the CSS Integrated Farms Limited, Gora in Nasarawa State, to learn the art and science of modern agricultural practices. Not only will this equip them with relevant skills, it will also propel them out of poverty into prosperity,” he said.

While commending the governor on the groundbreaking for the construction of 11 megawatts hybrid power solution in a bid to address the problem of unstable power supply in the state, the retired politician said it is the way to go.

According to Alhaji Adeojo, on completion, the project would ensure adequate power supply to the Government House, the State Secretariat, Lekan Salami Sports Complex, 12 healthcare facilities in the state, including Adeoyo Maternity Hospital and the State Hospital, Ring Road in Ibadan, the public lighting system under the Light Up Oyo Project, the two judiciary complexes at Iyaganku and Ring Road in Ibadan, the state House of Assembly as well as some schools.

“This project, which costs about N8billion, will be repaid over a period of 10 years. The import of this is that the light up project is not intended to end with this administration. The project will continue to improve life for many citizens of Oyo State and I am sure this will be the first phase of the project. Once this is done, I know that the governor will extend the same gesture to other critical sectors in the state,” Alhaji Adeojo said.

The former PDP National Deputy Chairman described those criticizing the project as myopic.

“They are myopic, pure and simple. We should not politicize everything. A person that has done well should be applauded to serve as example to others and to encourage him to do more.

“As an industrialist, I know that the greatest problem of industry in this country is electricity. If we get this pilot scheme right and it is extended to other sectors, imagine what this will do to the state. Imagine Oyo State having even 18 hours of regular electricity supply, it will transform the economy, there will be employment creation, there will be prosperity.

This is what those who are criticizing the governor should have done when they had the opportunity but failed to do so. Instead of keeping quiet, they want to distract the man that is doing what is right. The APC people that are making noise about should remind the people what they did when they were in office for eight years. They should tell us how they improved a lot of the people.

If they failed to improve a lot of the people when they had the chance, they should stop distracting the man that has demonstrated capacity to develop the state without consigning the downtrodden to penury and hardship. They should stop playing politics with people’s wellbeing.”

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