Alleged Funds Soliciting For The Renovation Of Local Government Secretariat Building: Oyo East Chairman As ‘ Abifunrairai’?// Sola Abegunde
Some days ago, I read a wonderful piece by Dr. Festus Adebayo where he highlighted the characters of ‘ Afokeemu’.
The piece was one hilarious but thought provoking one.
I was somewhere in Oke-Ogun yesterday when I saw the report that the Chairman of Oyo East Local Government is once again in the news.
You will recollect that he was somehow suspended by the Oyo state House of Assembly last year when a video of him went viral on social media platforms.
In the said video, the fellow was seen, half naked , enjoying a sumptuous meal in what looked like a hotel room.
Had he enjoyed his meal in silence, perhaps, the fate that befell him then would have been avoided but he chose to wax some lyrics in praise of his godmother whom he referred to as ” Aduke”.
According to him, ” Aduke” was not only responsible for his selection as Local Government Chairman but also took him abroad to enjoy himself.
” Love you daku”, he praised ” Aduke” in the viral video.
I remember doing a piece titled ” Were wo ni o M’Aduke” at the time.
The Oyo state House of Assembly at the time, suspended the Local Government Chairman and set up a Committee to investigate his conducts but eventually made a mockery of themselves when the Committee came up with a wishy-washy reports that exonerated him and the House eventually reinstated him.
At that point, I remember convincing myself that ” Aduke” is indeed what the Chairman of Oyo East called her.
” Were wo ni o M’Aduke”? Even the House of Assembly bowed and trembled before her.
Yesterday, the same Chairman of Oyo East Local Government was in the news.
It was reported that the Oyo East Local Government allegedly wrote letters, addressed to the public, soliciting for funds to renovate the Local Government Secretariat Building.
I saw a copy of the alleged letter and infact, I have seen copies of receipts for transactions by some members of the public who have made donations to the designated Local Government account.
The incident at Oyo East, as unfortunate as it appears, does not surprise me.
The only thing that baffled me perhaps was the fact that the man at the centre of this ugly incident is no other person than the Oyo East Local Government Chairman.
Yorubas would say that when a person is being perceived to be a nit-wit, such a person should at least attempt to appear smart. ( Bi won ba npe eeyan ni abifunrairai, o ye ko pa ifun e mo).
I must say that I saw a weak rebuttal from the Council chairman where he claimed that he did not ” authorize” the ‘ Bambi Allah ‘ letter.
I am not convinced at all.
In all these, my major concern is not the Chairman of Oyo East Local Government.
I am more concerned about the process that has turned the 33 Local Governments in Oyo state into paupers and beggars.
Not only Oyo East, take a trip to all the Secretariat of the 33 Local Governments in Oyo state and the shabbiness of the structures there will tell you a complete story of the damage Governor Makinde has done to the third tier of Government.
I am happy that the report I read quoted a staggering sum of 300 million Naira as the monthly Allocations to Local Governments in Oyo state.
That is in the minimum per month. Excluding VAT, IGR and excess Crude.
I am always surprised that when Governor Makinde comes out to say that things have become very hard under Tinubu and urged the public to look towards Abuja, no one cared to ask him to confirm if it is true that the same Tinubu has tripled the monthly Allocations to States and Local Governments as he claimed.
If that claim by Tinubu is correct, no one asked Makinde to give the figures and what he has been doing with the tremendously increased monthly Allocations to Oyo state and the 33 Local Governments.
Honestly, Governor Makinde is indeed a talk and do Governor.
He publicly declared that he doesn’t believe in the existence of Local Governments and he is killing the third tier of Government before our very eyes and a lot of people are clapping for him!
The funds belonging to the Local Governments which Governor Makinde have been mismanaging is in hundreds of billions of Naira, if we have not entered the threshold of trillions.
Where is the reflection of such a humongous amount of money in the 33 Local Governments?
Despite collecting and illegally spending hundreds of billions of Naira yearly on behalf of the 33 Local Governments, Governor Makinde has also committed them to heavy debts but he has created a system of cover for himself and those who should be asking questions about these illegalities will dare not do so.
In a normal society, Governor Seyi Makinde should have no mouth to criticize Tinubu if he has not been able to account for the trillions of Naira he collected as monthly Allocations for the state and the 33 Local Governments.
Unfortunately, each time he stepped out to say trash about the President, he knew that he was operating in an environment which is completely tamed.
Those who will report whatever he says have been bought to report it as he wishes.
Thankfully, the ‘ Iya L’Aduke’ exponent has given us another opportunity to ask Governor Makinde to give accounts for what he has been doing with Local Governments funds since 1999.
We know he doesn’t believe in the existence of the Local Governments but his belief is immaterial.
Despite the fact that he doesn’t believe in the existence of the Local Governments, yet, funds are being released to them monthly and he, as Governor has been the one collecting and illegally spending the money.
To that extent he owes Oyo state explanations about what he did with the money.
Just a few days ago, a former self acclaimed Leader of the APC in Oyo state was heard in a voice note asking someone to follow him to Governor Makinde, claiming that if the unknown individual agreed to follow him to Makinde, he was sure that the fellow would leave with not less than 5 to 10 thousand dollars.
That is a huge amount of money these days when converted to Naira.
I am not aware that Governor Makinde has refuted or distanced himself from the recklessness claims of the Ibadan socialite turned scrotum gatherer for the Governor.
I expected the Press to have interrogated the very reckless statements by the individual in question but, it is what it is.
It is not only the scrotum of politicians that is in danger from Governor Makinde.
Even the Press, Union Leaders, Religious Leaders and even Monarchs are targeted and scrotums are being harvested on daily basis.
Ten thousand dollars no be small money.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
