“The people of Oyo State will vote so massively for me that any plan to rig the March 2, 2019 election will count for nothing.”
This was the assuring remark of Engr Seyi Makinde as he fielded questions on a popular radio programme Crossfire, hosted by Fresh FM 105.9 in Ibadan over the weekend.
According to the Director of Communication and Strategy of his Campaign Organisation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, Makinde said the 2015 mishap that gifted victory to the APC with only 33% of the total votes cannot happen again because the scenario has changed, and the PDP is far stronger, more peaceful and acceptable than the ruling party
Makinde criticised the state government for choosing to construct and rehabilitate a few roads in the cities with billions of naira while neglecting 80% of rural and feeder roads particularly, the hinterland roads that serve as conveyors of farmers’ proceeds into the cities. He said he will never understand why any government will feel comfortable leaving the 65 kilometres Ibadan/Iseyin road and other agriculturally strategic roads in their present conditions for nearly 8 years.
On education, the PDP candidate said that tertiary institutions have never had it so bad; with constant strikes over unpaid salaries and acute underfunding. He said education must be given priority as it is the pillar of development and that the retrogression at LAUTECH should never be tolerated by any progressive government. He reiterated that LAUTECH was the best State owned University in Nigeria, biggest employer of labour and the commercial hub in the large Ogbomoso community comprising of five local governments. So anything that affects the institution will have adverse effects on the entire populace in Ogbomosho land and beyond. He promised to clear all hurdles in the way of total ownership of the institution by Oyo State.
Makinde also described as myopic, the idea of setting aside a few schools and naming them model schools. ‘When did we start to practice Apartheid in our schools?’ he queried. He said all the over 600 secondary schools should be model schools not in terms of structures but in the quality of education provided.
He condemned the allocation of a meagre N3.2bn to the health sector out of N271bn in the 2018 budget while N15bn was allocated to the Governor’s office.
Engr Makinde said while the record debt profile of the present administration is reckless and disturbing, he will not waste time and state resources in probing the past because he doesn’t believe that such investigation is the reason for his election as Governor of the state.
On sports, he said that as a childhood fan, he will take a lot of interest in the 3SC Ibadan and ensure that the club plays continental competitions as soon as possible.
