Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, says his boss is running the affairs of the state with ingenuity to deliver incisive governance.
A statement issued by Moses Alao, Makinde’s Special Assistant on Print Media, indicated that Adisa said this during a radio programme in Ibadan on Saturday.
Adisa maintained that Makinde has been spending the state’s resources to benefit the people of the state, contrary to insinuations that the governor has been spending Oyo State’s money on politics in other states.
“There is no truth in the claim that Gov. Makinde has been spending the state’s resources on politics in other states.
“This is why a lot of efforts have been going into turning around the infrastructure of the state across health, education and other sectors.
“The Makinde administration’s innovative project funding approach is bringing about an ongoing massive turnaround in the infrastructure deficit of the state, notwithstanding the global setback occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The introduction of the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA) by the Makinde administration, which allows contractors to raise funds to execute critical infrastructure, while the state pays at a later period, has enabled the state to substantially bridge the worrisome infrastructural deficit it inherited in 2019.” Adisa explained.
He said the criticisms coming from the opposition party in the state over volumes of loans or planned bond issuance were needless and mere distractions.
Adisa added that the state government could not fold its arms “and say that because there is COVID-19 it would not plan for the future of the state.”
He stated that infrastructure projects, including the ongoing 21 kilometre Ajia-Airport road, remodelling of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, as well as construction of four transport interchanges, among others, were parts of the innovative plans of the administration to turn things around and expand the economy.
Adisa said that the processes of getting the bond were ongoing, saying that government has not collected any amount.
He added that every kobo that would be borrowed “is tied to infrastructural development and they are highlighted at every point in time.”
On the ongoing remodelling of the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan, in spite of limited attendance at stadiums due to COVID-19 pandemic, Adisa said that the Makinde administration was already looking beyond the pandemic and planning for the future.
“Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, built stadium in the 1950s, at that time, the population of Oyo state should be under 2 million and then, the people did not ask if the stadium was a priority.
“Some 44 years ago, Adamasingba Stadium was built and allowed to go to ruins. How do you prepare for tomorrow when you leave today in ruins?
“It is because we are preparing for tomorrow that we don’t want to allow COVID-19 to keep the world down longer than necessary anymore; that we want to build youth and investment capacity.
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“And all that; to make sure we have a thriving stadium that we can use to pull out the energy of our youths once again in all aspects of sports so that they can compete nationally and internationally,” he stated.
Speaking on the establishment of the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency, Adisa revealed that work had reached an advanced stage.
According to him, the state government had instituted a painstaking process to search for persons of impeccable integrity to man key positions in the agency, which would commence operations soon.
NAN
