President of the Asabari Youth Forum, a major body of all youth groups in Saki, Saki West Local Government of Oyo State, Prince Taofeek Olusami, has described a claim by one AbdulAzeez Olatunde, who identified himself as the Caretaker Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, that killing and maiming followed the celebration of Governor Seyi Makinde’s birthday in Saki as untrue and unfounded.
Olusami, in a statement he made available to newsmen on Thursday, said there was no iota of truth in the claim, which he described as ungodly and evil, adding that such lies could come from enemies of Sakiland.
The youth leader, who maintained that nothing could happen in Saki without his organisation knowing, challenged the APC not to make unverified claims based on lies and evil intentions to oppose Saki, which it “neglected for many years before God sent Governor Seyi Makinde to our rescue.”
He said: “I read a statement allegedly authored by one AbdulAzeez Olatunde, in which he claimed that “Gov Seyi Makinde chose to celebrate his birthday in Saki, Oke Ogun, what followed is mayhem of maiming and killings. This is an outright lie and a great disservice to Sakiland. It is the height of falsehood unexpected of a political party like APC.
“The visit of Governor Seyi Makinde to Saki, where he spent four days, attracted a lot of people to the city and it brought a breath of fresh air to businesses in the area.
“As a matter of fact, our desire in Saki is for the city to develop and attract more activities. Governor Makinde’s effort in rebuilding the moribund OYSADEP now Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), which headquarters is now in Saki as well as the speedy completion of the 9.7 kilometres Saki Township Road have made that desire achievable.
“We are grateful to the Governor for these and many more projects, including the ongoing renovation of the Saki Township Stadium. We are equally grateful that the Governor found Saki worthy of a four-day state visit.
“Sadly, enemies of Sakiland, who are looking for opportunities to block developments have found another means to push their evil agenda, engaging in outright falsehood about the city.
“If there was killing or maiming in Saki aftermath Governor Makinde, that only existed in the imaginations of Olatunde and his journeymen in the agenda to ensure that Saki remains underdeveloped.
“While we would not have loved to join issues with politicians, we challenge Olatunde and his party to present evidence of the killing and maiming they claimed took place in Saki or they would go down the annals of history as liars and enemies of the people.
“We will never experience killing and maiming in Saki; we only desire developments and progress, which the Makinde government has proven it can attract to our city. The APC, which abandoned our Road for years, only for Makinde to complete same within one year, should take its evil wish elsewhere.”