Oyo APC slams Makinde over ₦110m football match funding

By Adejayan Gbenga –

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticised the state government’s decision to commit ₦110 million to hosting an international football match between Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team and their Rwandan counterparts.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, on Monday, the opposition party described the move as “insensitive” and a misplaced priority.

Sadare argued that the state’s health sector is in dire need of urgent attention, lamenting that essential facilities such as X-ray machines and ambulances remain scarce luxuries in many hospitals, while qualified health workers continue to resign in large numbers due to poor working conditions.

He further claimed that the fixture had already been captured in the 2025 budget of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), through the Nigerian Sports Commission, and questioned why the Makinde administration opted to bankroll the event.

According to him, the government’s “emergency decision” to host the match at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, and allocate ₦110 million for it raises concerns over financial prudence.

The APC insisted that the funds would have been better channelled into improving the state’s healthcare delivery system rather than on what it called a “federal responsibility project.”