Immediate past chief medical director of the University College Hospital, UCH, Temitope Alonge, has revealed how his appointment by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, has afforded him a privilege of a new life.
The professor spoke at the launch of his two books – ’Public Private Partnership in Health’ and Driven by Passion, Enabled by Grace’ last week.
Saying that his relationship with Makinde has been smooth-sailing.
Taiwo Adisa, in a statement, quoted Alonge, who is assisting Makinde in the management of coronavirus pandemic in the state, as saying that the appointment has “removed the garment of reproach from my body. People thought I was useless and good-for-nothing. I believe he is not in politics to make money and to ‘eat.’ He has more than enough to use to feed millions like he has been doing before.
“But many have taken politics as a profession. Governor Makinde is also an outlier in politics just the way I am an outlier in some other realms. You do not fit into the norm because you are a star many of us are envious of. So, that was the reason I wrote the book.
“First is to provide information about other models of Public-Private Partnership that can be deployed in the health sector such that the governor will not put too much money in the various sectors including the economy and education.
“Many must have heard about ‘The Platinum.’ People are fighting against the governor because he brought in a private investor to streamline excessive wastage of money, and having saved over N1billion for the state, all they could say is they don’t like the governor because the civil servants are not allowed to steal.”
Speaking earlier, the governor had praised Alonge for adopting public, private partnership during his tenure, adding that the same approach which the state called alternative project funding approach (APFA) is the saving grace for infrastructure development in Oyo State at the moment.
