Members and stakeholders of the Indigenous Boreholes Drillers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, under the chairmanship of Comrade Ajibola Anjorin, have protested the imposition of Engr. Kolawole Olayinka as the Chairman of borehole drillers and practitioners in the state. They insisted that Olayinka remain the government consultant.
This was disclosed during an interactive session with journalists at Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, and it was disclosed that any imposition and price hike won’t be tolerated.
The Association stated that it is an act of impersonation and undue imposition for Engr. Kolawole Olayinka to be parading himself as the Chairman of All drillers borehole associations and practitioners without election or nomination in a democratic system.
Anjorin noted, “How can one be the government’s representative and at the same time, the people’s voice? This is nothing but abuse of power from some individuals. There should be limitations to one’s spheres of influence, and on this note we like to inform the general public that our association is democratically constituted and we are not in support of price hike from Indian expatriates.
“The Indian expatriates need to know that before their arrival, we were operating within a considerably affordable range. They introduced depth extension from 60-70 meters to 150-200 meters, and our locally made or indigenous fabricated machines can’t go this far. On this note, they have pocketed us, and we want Gov. Seyi Makinde to intervene through several measures based on extended consultations with all parties.
He also noted, “We implore the government to curb the excesses and monopolistic power of Indian expatriates. We equally call on the consultants of the Oyo State government to be more transparent concerning the money generated from the masses through drilling permits.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Indigenous Borehole Drillers Association, Comrade Eyitayo Ojo said, “We are not happy with the state of things going on in the State. How can Engr. Olayinka, a consultant for the State government be using such a position to impose and dictate without proper consultation with the stakeholders and members? Someone charged with consulting for the government is now parading himself as the Chairman without any election or nomination. He can’t dictate to the three associations, and we want this administration to check and curb his excesses.
“We kick against any act of dictatorship, especially from any government official. We are in support of the present administration and ready to work with the government. This dictatorial attitude of Engr. Kolawole Olayinka, who was initially the Chairman of the Rig Owners Association, and now the Drillers’ Chairman by imposition won’t be tolerated.
“We support Omituntun 2.0 to the fullest, and we have mandated our members to be committed to their dues, that’s permits. We have been paying these drilling permits as a bid for more revenue to be generated by the state government, and ready to keep supporting them.
“We want urgent government intervention by challenging this monopolistic power or introducing uniform price control. This exploitative attitude has unreasonably inflated the prices, and we are not happy with the latest developments. This poses a threat to drinkable and affordable water in the state.
