Makinde at the market square, dancing naked, by Kola Amzat
Proverbially, it’s not who began the race that receives accolades, but the one who gloriously completes it.
After three (3) unsuccessful attempts at governorship office, providence eventually smiled on Governor Seyi makinde, paving way for his emergence in 2019 as the governor of Oyo state after fourth bid, and this was after his now estranged political benefactors-Nyesom Wike, Hosea Agboola Halleluyah, Alhaji Olopoeniyan etc handed over to him PDP structure in the state.
And by all standards, he reasonably started well: constructing and rehabilitating road networks although majorly at Ibadan; fixing dilapidated government institutions; building schools and rehabilitating the rest; and attending to the yearnings of the populace, as well as proffering solutions.
However, this was short-lived. Some two years before his first tenure came to a close, the real Seyi Makinde began to manifest. His DNA that encompasses arrogance, insolence, greed, avarice, crass disregard for Yoruba traditions and cultures, conduct and comportments generally alien to Yoruba ways of life started manifesting in torrents.
And the few discerning minds who noticed this anomaly were put on edge but were circumspect, thinking that there might be a change. But, they’re all disappointed. Alas, the real Seyi Makinde is the present one the Nigerian people are seeing operating with IMPUNITY!
But sensing that people have found him out, he was clever and smart. He quickly embraced the slogan then-“Power must shift to the South after eight years in the North”.
This period also coincided with the time that all the political blocs in the South needed to battle Atiku Abubakar to submission to pave the way for the emergence of the southern presidency.
It’s in the public domain that then, the Turaki Adamawa was poised to truncate Asiwaju Tinubu presidency bid after the North had had their reign of eight consecutive years through the deceased Muhammad Buhari’s presidency.
Wike Nyesom and the other then four PDP governors of Southern descent including Seyi Makinde stoutly rose in defense of the South, teamed up and collaborated with the ex-Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Tinubu for him to claim the presidential crown.
Nigerians recollect that the aforementioned collaboration was the saving grace that paved the way for Seyi Makinde’s second term in office as governor. Absolutely nothing else, as he would have surely lost his bid!
Immediately, he got inaugurated into the office for the second term, the real Seyi Makinde in him that has germinated emerged, blossoming and flourishing into the ugly and very detestable personality the Oyo state citizenry and Nigerians are presently seeing.
In no time, he drew the battle line. He firstly pulled out of G.5 alleging that he benefitted nothing from the collaboration, making a spurious claim that the president bluntly refused to accept his ministerial nominee. He didn’t declare to Nigerians that he couldn’t have triumphed in his re-election bid without the collaboration G.5 had with the president.
Not only did he pull out of the G.5, he severed relationship and membership with PDP. As a matter of fact, he made frantic efforts to EXTINCT the party but for Wike Nyesom who stoutly stood his ground and deployed all resources in his armory to rescue the party.
Presently, Seyi Makinde is taking refuge in APM, where he’s daily squandering Oyo state’s hard-earned monthly allocations from FAAC, as well as her internally generated revenues on the presidency’s bid that is generally regarded as dead on arrival (DOA).
In the last two years, he’s been threading the path of abomination; terrorizing and demeaning the key traditional institutions in the state.
He’s been at loggerheads with Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Akeem Owoade.
It’s already in the public domain that the governor has been withholding for several months, the monthly dues of the highly revered monarch, as well as other government obligations accruing to the palace for the reasons only BEST known to him.
Once or twice, news was rife that he was poised to dethrone Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, also a revered monarch. He didn’t bother the imperial governor, that the monarch was once a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and even, a previous occupier of the Agodi governor’s office as Chief Executive Officer of the state.
The governor is involved in series of high-profile financial infractions and malfeasance, an unsavory developments that have not only attracted the attention of EFCC and ICPC, but making the two agencies to be lurking in the wings waiting patiently for when his tenure would come to a close before they swoop on him.
It’s instructive that for about 4 years, he’s been denying the Local Government Authority/s in the state of their HUGE monthly Federal Allocations from FAAC that runs into several hundreds of billions of Naira, a development that has rendered the third tier of government in the state PROSTRATE AND INCAPACITATED in their quest to engage in any meaningful and significant developments in their jurisdictions.
The development has also rendered the LG Autonomy agenda of the Federal Government practically non-implementable in the state.
Till date, about ₦50 billion relief fund meant to provide succor for the Bodija’s bomb blast victims remained unaccounted for. No single kobo was paid to any of the victims.
And, likewise several billions of Naira of Ecological Fund made available to the state by the Federal Authority for re-channelization of Ogunpa River and other projects that are meant for rehabilitation in the state.
Meanwhile, the governor squandered several hundreds of billions of Naira of the state resources on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Adamasingba Stadium. One expects that this humongous sum committed on the Sport Citadel would turn the complex to a world class stadium. Capital No!
As I put it in this piece, CAF has ruled out the stadium to host any international sporting event, how many global tournaments. This is the monster and locust that we have as governor in Oyo State.
It’s also instructive: so little was deployed of the several billions of Naira earmarked for the reconstruction and face-lifting of the Agodi Government Secretariat.
The same goes for the three Millennium Parks at Ojoo, Iwo Road and Challenges corridors where just about 40% of funds earmarked for the projects were expended. The remaining found their way into private accounts!
The governor’s borrowing from the local and foreign Financial Institutions amounted to about ₦250-₦300 billion have not been largely accounted for, as the governor has totally failed to showcase to the populace the projects the funds were committed.
Sadly also, Seyi Makinde has disposed of all known government lands that spread into kilometers and in prime locations across the state to proxies and phony companies, and with particular reference to all lands around Agodi government secretariat spreading to UCH and Premier Hotels.
The crux of this piece remains: Governor Seyi has opted to be dancing naked at the market square. He’s the only governor who has refused to attend FEC meetings in the last two years. The consequence: Oyo state remains severely cut off from the main stream of national politics, even, with Yoruba man as the president.
The governor has done INCALCULABLE and MONUMENTAL DAMAGE to the years of wonderful relationship between the state and Federal Authority and its Agencies.
His recent claims that federal Authority have denied all state governments ₦250 billion each, the sum he claimed was the accrued dividends payments from Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) have been found to be falsehood, concocted lies and propaganda against the federal government as well as calculated and deliberate attempt to curry favour and attract undue attention.
Few days ago while in an electioneering campaign that later turned to be a misadventure in Akure, he practically proved that his reign of eight years has not improved him whatsoever, particularly his conduct, comportment, maturity and general attitudes. Indeed, nothing has changed in him after 8 years as governor!
One expects that after 8 years as governor, he would have embraced the status of a Statesman. Sadly, he remains the same personality that was sworn into the governor office about 8 years ago.
How could a discerning mind, imbued with wisdom and good morals and conduct be comparing our president at 74 with himself in the mid-fifties in terms of physicality?
Despite his eight years in the governor’s office, Seyi Makinde remains a toddler, very anonymous, with no antecedent and pedigree to lay claim unto.
Who knows his family background? Who knows his father? And, indeed, after his non-salutary reign, Nigerians may never hear of him again.
In contrast, President Tinubu has seen it all, even before he ascended to power and authority as president.
He was a distinguished Senator, very dominant at the Upper Chamber during his time. He was unarguably a governor of the most prosperous state in Nigeria, leaving on his trail monumental developments in all facets, as well as Model of Development for 20 years ahead for the state before his exit.
He’s one of the closest to Aare MKO Abiola in his height of glory and honour and in his hours of presidency bid.
He was one of the major financiers of NADECO-a pro-democracy group that eventually sent military packing in Nigeria.
Tinubu singlehandedly restored the stolen mandate of 5 governors during the ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo government.
For the record, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu paved the way for Buhari’s presidency after the ex-retired general had made three unsuccessful attempts.
I’ve painstakingly chronicled the above for Governor Seyi Makinde to weigh himself on the scale and see that he’s just a KINDERGARTEN politician desperately seeking for undue attention.
As aforementioned, in the fullest of time, he would surely be a guest of EFCC and ICPC, when he would be due to answer to all his misdeeds while in office.
Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB, FCTI, ACS, MBA, Bsc )
Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,
09077509348.
