Oyo lawmaker distances self from Makinde’s N300bn loan approval

By Adejayan Gbenga –

The member representing Saki West constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Ibraheem Shittu, has distanced himself from the approval of a ₦300 billion loan sought by Governor Seyi Makinde.

In a statement posted on his social media page on Wednesday, the APC lawmaker said the House was on a six-week recess when the emergency sitting to approve the loan was convened.

“I want it on record that I, Hon. Shittu Ibraheem, representing Saki West State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, was not among the lawmakers who approved a ₦300 billion loan on August 19, 2025, and perfected on August 26, 2025, during an emergency sitting held while we were on recess,” he stated.

According to him, the Assembly had been on recess from July 31 to September 16, 2025, yet an emergency plenary was arranged to pass the loan without informing all members.

Shittu questioned both the urgency and transparency of the process, wondering why such a huge loan was considered an “emergency” when the state was already receiving increased federal allocations.

“Oyo State now receives about a 500% increase in FAAC. Why then take another loan? Why was the sitting not communicated to all honourable members?” he queried.

The lawmaker insisted that he should not be associated with the approval, stressing that the state has adequate resources to fund its development agenda without additional borrowing.