Alliance for Democracy, (AD) governorship candidate in Oyo state in the last general elections, Engr Oyedele Hakeem Alao on Thursday blamed Governor Seyi Makinde over the threat by the World Bank to withdraw the N26b (USD52m) World Bank Ibadan Urban Flooding Projects (IUFMP).
Oyedele in a statement by his media spokesman, Comrade Omotayo Iyanda, in Ibadan attributed the World Bank decision to what he called “the inordinate ambition of Seyi Makinde and the docility of the people of Oyo state, especially, the members of the State House of Assembly and All Progressives Congress (APC), the major opposition party in the state, that made the state lose the N26b (USD52m) World Bank project (IUFMP).”
The AD Chieftain pointed out that he had once called the attention of the residents of the state to the possibility of losing the World Bank-funded project in his press release of February, 2021, in which he echoed that the Oyo state government under Makinde will lose N26b World Bank (WB) project which will be beneficial to the people of the state in the area of environmental flood control.
Alao stressed that it was very sad that the project/fund had been “withdrawn” by the World Bank due to inordinate ambition, adding that it was unfortunate that the people of the area not seeing anything wrong in the activities of the administration of Makinde just because we “love him.”
“Although, in a quick response, Governor Mákindé via Mr Taiwo Adisa, his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), has denied the withdrawal, yet they said they had sent an “appeal” to the World Bank. An appeal for what. Whether or not an appeal against the withdrawal has been forwarded to the World Bank, we’ll be playing our role as a constructive opposition”, he said.
Engr Alao added, “We’ll be doing a lot of disservice to our state if we continue to be docile, gloss over issues and refrain from telling the Governor Makinde the bitter truth all in the name of politics, favouritism, nepotism and unreasonable solidarity.”
“Nobody is working against the government of Engr Makinde or doing what we’re doing to pull him down to seize his seat. All we are doing is to point the areas that need attention to the governor to have a better Oyo State because we all own the state and it’s nobody’s private property.”
The AD Chieftain stressed, “when it’s time for anybody occupying any position to leave, he’ll exit!
Although Makinde has demonstrated penchant for ignoring advice and suggestions and always thinking his ways and approaches are best and that his most undoing and the reason he keeps at bay leaders of his party who could help him and surrounds himself with neophytes, we’ll continue to tell him the hard truth.
“He refused to listen to us on the establishment of PMS, and judgement was obtained against him by NURTW; also the apex court in the country delivered a landmark judgement against him on the matter of hurried local government dissolution after we told him it was unconstitutional to do so”
