Two days ago, a friend forwarded an article to me on WhatsApp, authored by Sola Abegunde. The title of the article is: ‘Oyo Joint Allocations Account: How Governor Makinde Has Been Deliberately Destroying Roads In Ibadan To Drain Local Government Funds.’
The friend, an indigene of Ogun State resident in Sagamu, went ahead to say that Ibadan people are ingrates and that we are insulting a governor doing so much. Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about until I opened the link he sent to me. The truth was that he came to Ibadan about two weeks earlier and he commended our governor for his infrastructure development drive in Ibadan. He had jovially said ‘she’bi won ni audio governor ni Seyi ni? Mo so’nu l’ona Apata tan…mi o mo pe ona ti wa lati Apata si Akala Express…’
When he also had a cause to move round the city, he singled out the developments on Beere-Molete Road, Agodi Gate and General Gas Junction-Kolapo Ishola GRA-Iyana Church- Dizengoff Junction in Akobo axis, which he visited. A vivacious personality, my friend never hides his feelings. He concluded that Makinde has done well for Oyo State.
We once compared Governor ‘Seyi Makinde and his state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who he always jovially called Eleyi of Ogun State. About one and a half years into the first term of the duo, I and a few other friends were in Sagamu for a function and we were discussing the state of governance in the country. Each person volunteered opinions on their state governors and what they have achieved so far and everyone turned on me, noting how my state governor had only been popular on social media. But on his last visit, he asked if, indeed, Makinde constructed a 76km road to link Iseyin and Ogbomoso, apart from other things and I said yes. He concluded that the Oyo State governor is one of the best in the South-West. I agreed with him.
So, when he forwarded the article written by Sola Abegunde, an individual whose fan I had become due to the way he always put the Makinde government on its toe, I quickly read it.
After reading the article, I reached out to my friend and told him point blank that the article did not represent the views of Ibadan people. I told him that Ibadan people are never ungrateful and that if they were, they would not have re-elected Makinde by a margin that was unprecedented in the history of elections in Oyo State. I made bold to also add that the ongoing efforts by the governor to rebuild infrastructure in Ibadan as well as other efforts, including the building of a befitting palace for the Olubadan through the 11 local government councils, are a welcome development to the Ibadans. I also stated that though our people want the government to fix more inner roads, especially those in densely populated areas like Elebu, Akanran, Alakia, Moniya and others, they can never complain about the modernisation going on in the main city.
I am aware that Mr Abegunde is not from Ibadan and from the many articles I have read, which were written by him, he is pained that Makinde’s achievements in Ibarapa are few. He never hides his disdain for the government over the slow pace of works on Ido-Eruwa Road. He, however, goofed by criticising the state government for rebuilding roads in Ibadan. If he hates Ibadan, he should come out and state that plainly and we will match him and his ilk word for word and action for action. Where was he when the Makinde government was building different infrastructure around Iseyin? Did we Ibadans complain over whether the state and local government funds were used? Did we complain on which money was used to rehabilitate Eruwa-Lanlate-Maya Road or the Igboora-Iganna Road?
With due respect to the writer, who has been fond of going on a spree of attacking the governor, being a critic of the government is not a bad thing but of what use is criticism that has no basis or justification? It beats me how a sane person can claim that the reconstruction of roads in Ibadan is a bad thing and that the roads are being deliberately destroyed. Over time, I have enjoyed Mr Abegunde’s writings. I have also relished how he always took the battle to the gate of Makinde’s media handlers, who he accused of being silent in another piece on Lere Adigun Housing Estate. But reading this piece on Ibadan roads, I now understand why Makinde’s media aides give Mr Abegunde the silence treatment. Of course, intelligent people know that silence can be a double-edged weapon: it can be the best answer for a fool or an answer to a wise man. No reasonable media man handling government PR will always respond to a fault-finder.
While I will agree that he made some key points on local government autonomy and the poor performance of council areas in the state in the article in discussion, I don’t think the writer was fair to the governor to insinuate that the ongoing projects are meant to drain council funds. If he has more information, he should make it public instead of threatening fire and brimstone. But, even if he has concrete information on how the roads are financed, I am sure that no sensible indigene of Ibadan will side with him for saying that rebuilding infrastructure in Ibadan is a waste, even if it is being done with local government funds. Is Ibadan not the state capital for all 33 local governments? Are indigenes of all local governments not residing in Ibadan? Ibadan to gba onile, to gba alejo. Ogede to wo koko ye, se o wa ye ko di igi k’igi? I am sure that despite Mr Abegunde’s hurt about Ido-Eruwa Road and his now declared open hatred for Ibadan, he is probably not living in Ibarapa.
So, if the Oyo State government and the 33 local governments are fixing Ibadan roads with council funds, what I think we should be concerned about is how that effort will also reach other councils, not to oppose the development of Ibadan. I know that Mr Abegunde has been vociferous about local government autonomy. But wasn’t there a double speak when he said he didn’t care about conducting council elections when caretaker chairmen have a record of doing better than elected chairmen? Isn’t that double standard? Does that mean that Abegunde would not have cared if the council funds were being used to fix Ido-Eruwa Road or his council in Ibarapa, where he claimed he once served?
I would have left Abegunde to the Ibadan public, hundreds of whom have commended Governor Makinde, while also asking him to extend the reach of the inner roads being fixed. But I won’t. I dare him to take his hatred for Ibadan a notch higher and he will have a taste of his own medicine. No one has a monopoly of venom-laden writing. I have met market women and drivers who prayed for Makinde for deeming it fit to work on roads within the metropolis. If Ibadan residents are praying for the governor for easing their burden in terms of reduction in man hours spent on movement within the city, what will they do to Mr Abegunde, who thinks fixing Ibadan roads is a step in the wrong direction?
I do not want to believe the outcome of a search I conducted on Mr Abegunde, which states that he is an APC member in Ibarapa. If that outcome is true, then Makinde’s media handlers would be correct to insinuate that Mr Abegunde is trying to write himself into reckoning among APC chieftains. Could he also be the same Sola Abegunde that claimed that a member of the House of Representatives, Hon Remi Oseni, is the governor of his people? Can a sycophant claim to be a social crusader? Mr Abegunde should attack Makinde all he can, but on this Ibadan infrastructure development, all I have to say is “ti’wa naa lo de e o f’ara mo, igba ti tiyin de e n so’jika, ti’wa naa lo de e o fara mo…”
*Adetunji writes from Jankata, Ibadan.
