Idris animasaun

POTENTIALS IN THE OYO STATE TRANSPORT SECTOR, Idris Animasaun and Adetoro Toheeb writes another open letter to Governor Seyi Makinde

Leave a Comment / Opinion / / / ,

The Executive of Governor of Oyo state, H.E Governor Seyi Makinde. Sequel to my publication on 21st of June, 2023 where I highlighted five key factors on reform of public transportation in oyo state which includes digitalization of incentive collection, registration of transport workers, code of conduct of Park Management officials, amidst other important key factors enlisted in the publication. The fruition of my publication could be evidenced with the abduction of digital means of revenue collection by governor of Abia state, H.E Gov. Alex Otti which also includes issuance of identification and registration of transport workers in the state which is in line with global practices to curb corruption and enhance security of the state. It is best understood that the government of Oyo state has good interest in reformation of public transportation in the state in line with creation of Park Management System which was expected to profer a lasting end to hooliganism, thuggery, factionalism, maiming amidst many other social vices of National Union of Road Transport Worker and It’s counterpart, Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria in 2019 but however, upon appointment of leadership of the board (P.M.S) every concerned observers and residents of the state will doubt the intention of the government because it was indifferent to “pouring the old wine into a new cup”. Despite heavy political criticism on the multimillion spent on construction of central bus terminals by the state government, it is undoubtable that if the public transport service is well organized and put to proper usage, government investment in construction of the central bus terminals is indeed a threshold to bringing sanity and civilization to public transportation within the state. However, it is gainsaying for anyone to commend the spending of the government due to how the terminals are currently underuse. The built bus terminals under Omituntun 1.0 is an eye opener on how to curtail the issue of road hawking, and ineffective road usage in the state as majority of traffics are caused by road hawkers and car parks. Government has to do more in creation of more simple bus terminals at every stops within the state example of those terminals is that at Ojota and Berger at Lagos state where the road width is extended at such stops for road hawkers and car parks. Through such innovations, the roads are able to serve its full purpose and it will drastically reduce road accidents since that will put a lasting end to the scrambling between road users and road hawkers. The good intention of government investments in building bus terminals and creation of Park Management System became a subject of query and is perceived unwanted because government is yet to do enough in aspects of drawing proper usage and enforcement of reform policies that will directly benefit the transport workers and residents of the state. Part of which includes registration and provision of means of identification for transport workers to further reduce kidnapping and hence strengthen security of the state against other related criminal activities. Digitalization of incentive collection policy to reduce corruption practices and to promote transparency and accountability of the revenue generated by the management system. Such incentives should be targeted at welfarism of transport workers, direct taxpayers such as provision of health insurance, birth cares and emergency purposes instead of preceding manual ways of enriching few individuals. Lastly, one of the prime cause of road accidents is the usage of “moving scraps” as cabs, drunk drivers, and obstruction caused by road abuse. Therapeutic rehabilitation with stiffened penalties should be enforced to road abusers. All this will reduce traffic congestion, road accidents, promotion of security, reduce environmental pollution, beautifies, and strengthened the state’s economy.

POTENTIALS IN THE OYO STATE TRANSPORT SECTOR, Idris Animasaun and Adetoro Toheeb writes another open letter to Governor Seyi Makinde Read More »

THE OYO STATE PARK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: THE HULLABALOO

1 Comment / Politics / / / , , ,

Globally, public transportation is key to social, economic, and general human development. Public transportation is a means to create employment opportunities for citizens, a source of revenue and taxation and an avenue for well meaning members of the public to create a business enterprise with which they can earn an income, become an employer of labour, and pay taxes to the government of whichever jurisdiction in which they operate. The public transportation system in Oyo State is no different to what obtains globally. The Oyo State government has its own buses, with private groups and individuals have the larger share of the public transportation sector. There are also the different unions that operate at various carparks who control the revenue collection at these parks and all these activities are controlled by the union chairman. It is important to note that the funds required to be an investor in the public transportation sector are quite high ranging from about NGN300,000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) for a motorbike (OKADA) to the multimillion Naira buses. The rewards are quite high as well, however, there is no clear figure as to the average income as this is usually decided by the owner of the motorbike, taxicab, or bus. The hullabaloo within the public transportation sector across most States in Nigeria is down to the revenue collection at the various motor parks, and Oyo State is no different. The question that always come up whenever there is a change of government or handover or renewal of tenure at the State level is: ‘who controls the motor parks?’, in other words, ‘who becomes the chairman of the road transporters’. The answer to these questions usually leads to major physical conflicts between different groups within the road transporter union, these fracases have in the past led to fatalities. In 2019, to avoid the usual conflicts that accompany the change of chairmanship, the Governor set up the Park Management System and appointed Mr Mukaila ‘Auxillary’ as the State Chairman. This appointment came with its baggage, and some people felt it was the wrong appointment considering his antecedents and the role he played during Late Governor Ajimobi’s years. Fast forward to the current situation, the Governor has removed ‘Auxiliary’ and appointed someone else. As a neutral observer, the issue of ‘old wine in new wine skin’ comes to mind. What is the difference between the new appointee and the old one ? There are certain questions neutral observers want answered, they are: What support has the government put in place to help manage the emotional stability of these men in the motor parks? Have these men undergone any form of therapeutic rehabilitation? What training, campaign or code of conduct has the government put in place to manage issues relation to alcohol and substance misuse, personal presentation, Health, safety and security around the motor parks, proper road use, vehicle maintenance, customer care which will include adult and child safeguarding etc? Will there be an introduction of automated revenue collection in and around the motor parks? If yes, when, and how? Will the government provide the PMS staff with proper registration including ID cards, uniforms? The situation that unravelled in the last 4 years makes answering the above questions key to the development that is expected within the Park Management System over the next 4 years. It is important that anyone involved in the PMS undergo serious training in several key areas to ensure history does not repeat itself. To be fair to the immediate past Chairman of the PMS, there was no obvious rehabilitation, training or human relationship support. Auxiliary had history, he had been in prison for some time before he was released and saddled with such enormous responsibility. He handled the role the way he knows best, and to be fair it is a generally accepted fact that the role of the chairman of transporters is not for the faint hearted. Although, majority of the men that fill the chairmanship role are gentle and kind in nature, they must however, play the role of ‘hardmen’ to maintain authority. For example, the very first day I met Alhaji Akewusola Tokyo was about 25+ years ago at his Elere residence which is along Odo-Oba/Boluwaji road. I can tell you from that very first impression that such a man with how he treated me that day gladdens my heart, and it was difficult to believe he is the same person everyone feared so much. My mother who at the time was a friend to one of Alhaji’s wives maintained a concurrent relationship with Alhaji Tawa’s second wife who also lived less than a kilometre away. It is a fact I grew up visiting the homes of Alhaji Tawa more often and the feeling is yet the same. I had hoped that I would be able to work with Alhaji Mukaila Auxiliary before his recent travails in order to remodel the management system of our motor parks and road transport union so that they become more community friendly and have a more presentable image. To have grown up in Molete that was once regarded as the headquarters of Ibadan and Oyo state politics with the kind of brigadance that characterized the carriage and news around Baba Adedibu is also a contrasting image of how compassionate Baba is to me at my very first meeting (this was documented in my last post). We must all realise that behind all these men there exists, someone’s father, a husband, a brother, a friend. Rather than stand on the side-line criticising the current situation, there must be an open and honest dialogue with everyone willing to accept their failings and the needed correction made. It is in line with this that I reached out verbally to those I know can get words to the Governor on what we need to do to salvage the already difficult situation we found ouselves with escalated public perception of our security situations beyond what truly applies. None got back

THE OYO STATE PARK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: THE HULLABALOO Read More »

Democracy Day: My Encounter With Late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu — Self Acclaimed Mogaji Molete, Idris Animasaun Shares Experience

Leave a Comment / Politics / / / , , , , ,

Walking through Molete this evening brought back nostalgia of those early years. And how at times we lined the street waiting and waving at dignitaries making their way to palatial home of Baba. The sirens, police escorts, luxury vehicles and joy of the goodies being shared at the aftermath of these guys leaving our neighborhood. My first contact with Baba was in 2002 when I went to deliver a letter I have written on behalf of my late aunt. As I approached the waiting chamber, I saw large crowd of people gathered also in waiting for his supposed attention. It was around 10am in the morning and initially I cared less about the huge number of people loitering by his gate and in the compound until I saw the ones that filled up his lounge. I went straight in and made my way to about the only space that looked comfortable for me to sit. Obviously anyone who’s familiar with Baba’s Lounge will remember this curvature chair that had just a centre part of it cut out. That is exactly the one I made my way to sit into as I didn’t have any idea of what it was meant for or any significance until I heard some women yelling at me not to sit there as it was reserved. I was deviant and as I about sitting, Baba appeared and told them to let the little boy alone. Baba sat beside me, I was struck by his humor and before I could make any statement one Alfa knelt and offered him prayers and everyone said Amen. He dipped his hand into his pocket and offered some few naira notes, then came a pastor who did the same and he replicated the same. It is like everyone taking turns to narrate their ordeals while he attends to them one after another. Then came a sudden interruption, as a white bus made its way into the arena with a lot of people singing his praises as he’s being ushered into another private chamber not far from where we all sat. Baba excused himself and directed his PA to attend to me immediately, I responded with a fierce look that I was told to deliver the letter to him personally. As at that time, it didn’t dawn on me that these PAs are privy to some of the things we thought are of private concerns. I had felt the content of the letter is deeper beyond what a 3rd person should know about until the man started to describe my aunty even before I could say jack. He went further by asking if the letter contained an agreement to a subject matter I have written to decline such requests. Few moments later, Baba made his way back as the meeting was a brief one, the hailings and chants made me later realized it was Senator Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja who came visiting Baba. Baba who had joined PDP ahead of the 2003 general elections was victorious not only in Oyo-State but PDP winning across the entire South-West cemented baba as the a major force to reckon with in the country. Baba who “mastered the art of political mobilization, demobilization and necessary coercion” meant different personality to different people due to his involvements in activities and events that may make or mar people’s interests. In fact, he’s reported to have lived a day at a time and is reknowned for contradicting himself some of the times. To Ladoja who he won an election for, he’s father and enemy at the same time. He got Ladoja removed from office as Governor and installed his deputy, denied him a second term ticket that earned the Ogbomoso born Alao Akala his election as the Executive Governor of Oyo State in 2007 (the party primary is not without drama). Looking at some of the timeline of events between 2003 until his death, one will agree to the fact that he’s till date the most colorful, controversial and ofcourse a peaceful person who hardly does anything without putting the interest of his people first. In pursuant of political relevance, the interest of his candidates and followers Baba philanthropical live was shrouded by mechanisms he adopted in getting the much needed results that consistently endeared him and the same time dreaded by his followers. Some the activities engaged by him involved; *House for the blind In Sabo. Bills of uncountable number of children. Salaries to many old people. Friday donations to all manners of people in need of help. Baba share rams and cows yearly. He renovated Mapo Hall Bulldoze Akala Express road and made motorable. Baba believed that freedom is basic and in whatever way it secured, should be pursued. In 1993, he pursued a conditional release of MKO Abiola but his adversaries disagreed with his position and later led to death of a Man who’s regarded as the hero of our Democracy. Baba loved his people, and leveraged on his strategies, smartness, boldness, to stay with them in 1983 when people like Richard Akinjide and Meredith Akinloye fled to exile for fear of incarceration. and a never give up person. Twice he lost an councilor election. Baba has a personality that doesn’t give up and such is seen when he lost councilorship election twice in 1954 when he ran with Action Group and 1956 with NCNC only to win at the third attempt in 1976 when he ran on his own name as an independent candidate. The aristocratic power broker gave up the ghost on the 11th day of June 2008 and buried on this day of the same year at the age of 80years old. The vacuum of leadership of people like Baba is greatly missed till date.

Democracy Day: My Encounter With Late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu — Self Acclaimed Mogaji Molete, Idris Animasaun Shares Experience Read More »

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: #beatplasticpollution

4 Comments / Volunteering/Social works / / / , , ,

The theme for this year’s world environment day is “Beat Plastic Pollution” which became necessary due to our planet being inundated by over 400 million tonnes of plastic with about half of that number designed to be used once. Plastic which has become part of our daily lives with variety of uses ranging from bottling soda, water, beverages, packaging etc. Today, our drainages, waterways as well as landfills, rivers and lakes are clogged with plastic which also combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet. The history of flood in West Africa is long dated but a recent look at such issues was emphasized by (IRIN, 2004) which blamed it on uncollected small plastic pouches in which drinking water is sold. Ibadan the state capital has continuously witnessed her own share of flooding but climaxed in August 2011 leaving some people dead, others homeless and their valuables destroyed. Ibadan with a population of over 3,000,000 people which qualifies our city as a metropolitant areas, 1 of 55 in Nigeria and 1934 in the world has in times past being labelled and tagged the dirties city in west Africa is no thanks to the mismanagement of our wastes. As such it is very necessary to pay attention to combating the impending crises that are already arising from unmanaged plastic pollution. The administration of Governor Seyi Makinde under Omituntun 1.0 recorded laudable achievements with building of drains, culverts and bridges across 17communities in the state which were completed under the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project as indicated in some of the news bulleting of promises kept. However, much can not be said about waste management in the state capital as issue of waste collection is still a major concern with our road median continued to be littered with refuse not being collected on time. The challenges posed with collection which is the first stage of three in waste management (Collection, Disposal and Recycling) made me conduct an independent research and result revealed that the amount of plastic we are generating amidst these waste contributes to about 20%. As such it is important to note that majority of sodas, herbal mixes, man-power, energy drinks, aphrodisiacs, beverages and all that were being consumed at different locations across the states now comes in plastic containers. An early morning road walk across ring-road and Bodija on a Saturday morning will reveal varieties of plastics and polythene littering the sidewalks and sometimes finding their way to the roadside. I have written in time past on the need to pay adequate attention to our waste management system and it is in line with this year celebration of world environment day that I am using this medium to appeal to your excellency to come up with policies that will help reduce plastic pollution and waste generation as a whole. Unlike Ibadan, Abidjan that was chosen to host this year’s world environment summit has become a hub for environmentally minded start-ups creating jobs for her residents and boosted the country’s IGR which is aided by the country’s resolve in combating plastic pollution by placing a ban on the use of plastic bags since 2014. This is a follow up on the likes of Bangladesh who in 2002 became the first city that banned the use of plastic bags due to devasting floods that occured in 1998 when plastic bags clogged drains and delayed water levels falling. To achieve a sustainable environment, your intention to come up with a policy framework that will aid waste sorting and recycling is well indicated in Omituntun 2.0 road map to Sustainable Development. It is now becoming important to speed up action in discussing with relevant stakeholders in ensuring we beat Plastic pollution. We are presently looking forward to the creation of Oyo State Mobilization Agency for Socio-Economic Development whose part of their key role is to come up with policy framework for enforcements of street trading and waste management, we therefore appeal to you to ensure you constitute this team with seasoned professionals and environmental enthusiasts most importantly when you finally name a commissioner for the ministry of environment. The waste management consultant Montainnai brought some waste receptacles to your inauguration venue at Liberty stadium few days ago and one can only imagine what could have been if such were made available all day everyday in schools, markets, hospitals, shopping malls, churches, mosques, stadia, car-parks, bus terminals and other public places. Ibadan is a pace-setter and we can as well be on the frontline of sustainable solutions by adopting reusable packaging and recycling promotions. Your administration in the mean time, should mandate waste management consultants/contractors, ministry of environment, waste management authority to collaborate with National Orientation Agency in taking campaigns seriously by ensuring they visit schools and markets creating the much needed awareness across the state on waste management. To make our environments clean, healthy and sustainable which is in line with the SDG 11- make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient and sustainable which the New Urban Agenda was designed to accelerate, we need to put priorities on beating plastic pollution. May your administration succeed as I wish you and the good people of Oyo State a very happy and sustainable World Environment Day. #beatplasticpollution Animasaun Ajibola Idris Public Affairs Analyst and Environmental enthusiast writes from Molete, Ibadan

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: #beatplasticpollution Read More »

SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN: WHY SEYI MAKINDE MUST PUT THEM FIRST IN HIS OMITUNTUN 2.0 PLANS

1 Comment / Opinion / / / , , , , ,

In the last couple of months at least five(5) children died due to alleged negligence/abuse of Private Schools across Nigeria. In Oyo State there has been cases of alleged child neglect/abuse recorded within the Private and Public School system over the years. The question remains, what is Oyo State doing to eliminate this menace?

SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN: WHY SEYI MAKINDE MUST PUT THEM FIRST IN HIS OMITUNTUN 2.0 PLANS Read More »

ELECTION 2023 MEMOIR 1: The “near” fatal supplementary election in Ibadan wrongly reported.

7 Comments / Politics / / / , , , , , ,

Why is no radio station bold enough to go around to ask questions from random people on the street and have their opinions aired?  Or maybe I missed such program because I was in transit. If so, can anyone fill me in. Sadly, I witnessed first hand how people were crying, lamenting how they were manhandled, threatened, beaten and denied the opportunity to exercise their rights across the affected polling units.

ELECTION 2023 MEMOIR 1: The “near” fatal supplementary election in Ibadan wrongly reported. Read More »

OYO STATE AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY: ONGOING ONLINE PALAVA

1 Comment / Opinion, Uncategorized / / / , , , , ,

It is no longer news that there are certain people ‘Concerned Citizens’ that appear to have an issue or issues with the Agribusiness setup in Oyo State. These people have taken aim at the DG of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency OYSADA in some recent online publications which I have been following keenly since my outburst about the agency in an online publication on my Instagram account on 3rd Decemeber 2022. Certain claims have been made online via different news platforms such as westerdailynew.com and oyoecho.com requesting the State government to set up a panel of enquiry to look into the activity of the agency headed by Debo Akande. One will wonder what these detractors stand to gain as the election is over and Gov. Seyi Makinde has won his second term. So why now, why OYSADA, why not any other ministry or agency? OYSADA on their own part have since come out fighting with different articles to defend their position and to discredit the articles from their detractors which indeed confirmed to me that something must really be going on. Blogs such as goalpoacher.com, flowerbudnews.ng and oyotruth.com have since been employed to not only respond but fire back. As a neutral observer who has been following the various articles on the OYSADA/Agribusiness topic from afar since some friends who went on the so called training in Nassarawa returned back without any serious form of engagements at neither of the state owned farm settlements or some sort of empowerments. There are so many aspects of this whole issue that is confusing and should be laid bare. On the side of the so called ‘Concerned Citizens’, what exactly are they after, what do they stand to gain? They have claimed that there is mismanagement in OYSADA, what proof or evidence do they have? The must provide details. On the OYSADA side, the DG claimed that 600 out of 3300 youths from YEAP have been empowered, OYSADA should provide the names of these 600 and how they were empowered. This information will kill off the rumour being peddled by their detractors regarding this project. The DG talked about the management staff in an article by Adewale Owoade “Gov. Makinde places Oyo State a step ahead of others on agribusiness development”. He clamed that IITA was responsible for funding the management staff of OYSADA, and that OYSADA decided to make do with two management staff even though it has the statutory powers to recruit more staff. This is where this gets tricky, is the DG saying OYSADA has only two management staff? This needs to be cleared. Why is IITA funding OYSADA staff, does IITA have shares in OYSADA or are they just helping the State out for free. Then who are the two management staff and who appointed them and when? The DG has left so many more questions unanswered. Simple research into the staffing of OYSADA shows that the secretary of the organisation is a civil servant and there are several directors that are also civil servants. Are these not management staff, and are they being paid by IITA? The Western Daily News published a report on the 1st of April 2023 and mentioned a Mr. Peter and a Miss Gift, are these two people the management staff being funded by IITA? Who are the people giving their sweat and blood for the project to succeed? Are there people working for free in OYSADA? Are the pictures posted in the Western Daily News really from the Centre in Awe? If not the OYSADA must file an official compliant with the NUJ. The Oyo State Independent Monitoring Group’s (OYSIMG) investig ative unit also need to provide information on the detailed and thorough investigation they conducted. What is being alleged has to do with mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, so the question is, did the investigators go through the financial records and contract award records of OYSADA, did they physically visit all the sites under the supervision of OYSADA for example Saki, Fashola, Awe. Who invited OYSIMG to carry out the investigation? Why not invite the Oyo State Anti Corruption Agency (OYACA) for accountability, credibility, and transparency? AN ADVICE TO THE DG: To clear this issue the DG should showcase the work done in AWE, SAKI, FASHOLA for the public to see. Also, whenever the DG is representing OYSADA he should hold such meeting on an OY SADA site instead of IITA. This will shut his detractors up permanently. Further investigation is being done on this topic. It is important to ensure that the government of Gov. Makinde is not distracted from its good work. However, it is important to ensure that all the above is cleared up and facts are separated from rumours.

OYO STATE AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY: ONGOING ONLINE PALAVA Read More »

Oyo 2023 Guber Election: The Mathematical Analysis

10 Comments / Politics / /

The governorship election in Oyo state this year 2023 is one which, to the keen observer is a important, if not more important than the recently concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections. The average Joe in Oyo state is more particular about who occupies “Agodi” for the next four years. While there are several parties and candidates jostling for the office- either as true contenders or mere pretenders, political climate in the state clearly and unequivocally indicates a two horse race between the incumbent, Eng. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde popularly called GSM(and might be referred to in the course of this article) of the Peoples Democratic Party and Oloye (Senator) Teslim Kolawole Folarin of the All Progressive Congress. Going down memory lane, the Governor who emerged after an eleventh hour coalition against the APC and its candidate, Chief Bayo Adelabu (who is now contesting under the aegis of Accord Party) are now in the minority after losing out completely to APC and PDP in the last Presidential and assembly elections. Now that is history. Despite the fact that the APC won convincingly in the last elections with three senators and at least eight members of the house of representatives from a possible fourteen, they are the ones clamouring, trying desperately to form a coalition in order to wrestle power from GSM. This has nothing but clearly show how worthy, credible and popular the APC candidate is. As for the incumbent, it is a well documented fact that a lot of people within our generation and youthful circle are not a fan of his administration because while they expected so much after his emergence in 2019, to both consolidate on the achievements of previous administrations and also, amend their deficiencies, his scorecard shows that he really performed below expectations. It is therefore deeply pathetic that the other candidates have failed to clearly elucidate to the voting public, especially the masses how they intend to differently address the core issues affecting our very dear state. It is just so disheartening that the measurement of performances by any government in Oyo state is under the purviews of few political gladiators who have the masses in their pockets. This coming election will reveal whether these gladiators are still heavyweight punchers or merely paper tigers with their rumoured coalition. So, will this election be a chance to re-elect a leader, with new and young breed politicians which includes some friends and acquaintances establishing their own authority within there respective constituencies, or do we do business as usual ? Time will tell. Take it or leave it, the re-election of GSM will automatically make Ladoja (who has been retired from active politics but still a major underground influence) be joined by the likes of Elder Wole Ovelese, Azeem Gbolarumi , Oloye Olopoeyan, Alhaja Mulika, Eng. Femi Babalola, Hon. Festus Adegoke all of whom have since held talks Oloye Teslim Folarin in the last few days for a possible coalition to unseat the Governor. Interestingly, the biggest voices campaigning against GSM’s second coming to finally balance this simultaneous equation are none other than the aggrieved party members and the coalition faithfuls who expected and large bracket of addition and multiplications ended up getting division and subtractions. In this aspect, statistics, based on the mean, median, mode and range available shows that the governor actually goofed on rates, ratios and proportions on interests out to him. My take on it all is that the fate of this state should stop being decided by indices and set theories propounded by politicians (Minority) but by the common man (Majority). While going to the polls on the 18th of March, 2023. It is very important that we are guided by our conscience and not the influences of the political gladiators who will stop at nothing to ensure there is a division tailored to winning a majority to their sides at the detriment of you and I. Let the people decide because, vox populi vox dei.

Oyo 2023 Guber Election: The Mathematical Analysis Read More »

Governor Seyi Makinde Beware The Ides Of March

3 Comments / Politics / / / , , , , , ,

Most people do not realise that the Ides of March has a non-threatening history. Kalends, Nones and Ides were ancient markers used to reference dates in relation to lunar phases. Ides simply referred to the first new moon of a given month, which usually fell between the 13th and 15th. In fact, the Ides of March once signified the new year, which meant celebrations and rejoicing. However, the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare play has not only branded the phrase, it also marked the phrase as a dark gloomy warning of eminent danger. In relation to Oyo State politics and the GSM factor, it is important that GSM is wary of all the hangers on around him. Some are appointed close allies and others are friends. GSM needs to investigate and carry out enhanced due diligence on some of these allies who follow him around. Some of these people are so far from reality that they believe they are GSM supporters, but their personal greed, arrogance and outright wickedness has become a major issue for the GSM brand. These people have directly and indirectly enriched themselves over the last three and a half years. The actions are a direct contradiction to the position which GSM himself tries to project to the masses. Governor Seyi Makinde presents himself as a man of the people, a man accountable to the people, a man that loves the people and a man ready to fight corruption. It is however so sad that there are a couple of major cases of corruption and financial mismanagement going on right under his nose. No one is sure if his is unaware, aware but likely scenarios or what then is the reason for the creating OYACA which is an agency established by the virtue of the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency cy Law, 2019. The activities of OYACA would plug revenue leaks in the government purse and stop the act of mismanagement of office by public office holders and government workers. Till date, there has never been a record of prosecution of any high profile case in the state. From what we see, GSM appears to be ‘unaware’, at least from his words and sometimes even his body language. His Excellency talks about the improvement of education in the claims that things are better than they were before he came into office state. Same in Health, Education and Security. However, the facts on ground do not appear to agree with his statements. HEALTH A good example is the Medical Outreach by Omituntun Initiative in the Diaspora (OID) and Seyi Makinde Volunteer in partnership with the Oyo State Ministry of Health held last December, 2022 in Adamasigba Stadium, with many state officials, hangers on and allies attending for the photo opportunity. In a State where Billions of Naira has been spent to supposedly rehabilitate the primary health centre (about 350 of them) across the state, you will think the government will partner with the sponsors of the Medical Outreach to publicise the rehabilitated primary health centres. Really the sensible thing to do would have been to use several primary health centres as venues of the outreach, thereby show casing the work of the government. They used the stadium, brought in several government officials and allies and then supposedly donated medical supplies to the state ministry of health. The question that should be asked is that if these government had improved the health facilities and health awareness, such outreach would not be necessary. Such programmes should be run by the opposition not the ruling party. We are all familiar with the usual practice of politicians seeking attention to carry out such programmes in other to get noticed in their efforts to be considered for a position in the future. In the area of health there was more audio work done than in real life. However, GSM can provide facts and figures, pictures by going to campaign in front of several of the rehabilitated and functioning primary health centres. EDUCATION In the area of education, at the primary level there are no obvious changes, GSM’s cancellation of the NGN3000.00 paid by the students is the major change at secondary level. Regarding education, there seems to be a whole lot of noise at the tertiary level. This however can be associated with the acquisition of the sole ownership of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso. Rehabilitation of old buildings is currently ongoing at several Polytechnics across the State. Oyo State they claim is becoming the centre of higher education. Even though they started poorly due to the initial choice of a commissioner in the ministry which was a colossal disaster. This is a man that is not known to have run any major organisation before becoming commissioner, and as such his tranfer or should we say demotion to the Ministry of Establishment became imminent. He was later moved to Ministry of Works (A Professor of Statistics) ? The people of the State particularly Ibadan can attest to his incompetence going by the state of the roads in the ancient city. Although, there are several major road projects going on in the State reliable source claim the Governor is directly handle these ‘deals’. And we are going to really do business going forward, we are better start by meaning them with right appointments in rightful positions. SECURITY In the area of security, there has been a couple of high-profile robberies, kidnappings, murders, and thugs going on rampage in the State under this government. Reliable sources also point to the obvious fact that a certain individual who can be considered as a major security risk is a close ally of the government and a regular visitor to the Governor’s house. The Amotekun security outfit championed by the Governor are poorly trained and there has been a few allegations of members being involved in crime. This will remain a problem until the government understand the importance of enhanced vetting of

Governor Seyi Makinde Beware The Ides Of March Read More »

Oyo State Education System in Complete Free Fall

Leave a Comment / Politics / /

Roll back to the swearing in of Engr seyi Makinde on the 29th May 2019 where he told the good people of Oyo State that there will be no more NGN3000.00 fees paid in State secondary schools. He also said that it was unacceptable that Oyo state stood at No. 26 among the 36 States of the federation in terms of the overall national WAEC results. As a new governor he promised to move Oyo State to top ten in the national WAEC standing. To be fair to Governor Seyi Makinde, his first commissioner of education was a Professor of Statistics from Botswana and the current one is a lawyer. Books were bought for the students, after school classes were organised state-wide, some form of teacher training was organised and to top it all the budgetary allocation for education was increased drastically. Unfortunately, all these failed to have any effect on the WAEC results till date, in fact Oyo State has come out worse off. The main issue is that we have a governor that appears to throw money at a problem without strategic thinking and planning. The intention was honourable however, when you have the wrong personnel or ill-equipped personnel, and you invest in the wrong areas the outcome will be extremely poor no matter the amount of money spent. Some of the key achievements of the administration are that they built so many classrooms, employed thousands of teachers and ensured the return of thousands of out of school children to the classroom to mention a few. Looking at these on the surface, one will praise the Makinde led government. However, a closer look will show that these are cosmetic actions used to gloss over the deep decay of the Oyo State Educational system. Going back to the promise of moving Oyo state from 26th position in the national WAEC result ranking to 10th position, this is possible if properly planned over a set period. However, the governor set an unrealistic target of achieving this in his first year in office forgetting that educational achievement can be likened to the construction of a building in engineering. To have a solid building, the foundation is key. A solid foundation that is properly designed and thought through can hold a skyscraper. This is also true in education. The foundation is the nursery and primary school, the pillars and decking are the secondary while the roof is the university. The governor and the ministry of education in Oyo State is expecting students sitting WAEC to produce at a higher level even though the educational facilities within the state are basic at best or non-existent in many places. The State has planted cheap products but expect to harvest expensive products. This is impossible, and the high level of expectation may be linked to why some schools resorted to exam malpractices which has resulted in WAEC delisting over 50 secondary schools in Oyo State. As reported, the Oyo State government plans to sanction the schools involved, before the State government can sanction the schools, the government must show concrete evidence of the facilities provided to these schools. Do these schools have up to date science laboratories, can the governor, his commissioners and appointees place their children in these schools? If the answer to this question is negative, then the governor and his appointees should cover their faces in shame and share the blame. The current administration has had over 3 years to sort out the primary and secondary educational system in the state, but it is obvious they have failed. Thousands of teachers were employed according to the information put out by the administration, but no one knows what level of induction was given to these new teachers. There are several individuals in and around this administration that have international educational experience either as students or teachers, yet this has not reflected in the processes in the educational system. One will wonder how these new teachers were employed. Who interviewed them? Who vetted them? What probational period do they have? Who inspects their work? Does Oyo State have a standardised primary and secondary education system that cuts across the State? What can be done ? – Standardise the State educational system – there must be a State Model used in all schools in Oyo State. – Develop an up-to-date teacher training pack that is linked with the Oyo State Model which must be included in the Teacher training curriculum. This must be taught in all colleges of education and departments of education in Oyo State. – Develop a continuous professional development system specifically tailored to improvement of teaching within State schools, this should have a point system linked to staff appraisal and promotion. – Create the Oyo State Teachers register for vetting and to monitor training and development. The above are just a few of the processes required to bring the Oyo State education system into the 21st century. In the higher education sector, the Oyo State government has to decide what it wants to focus on. For example, the College of Agriculture and Technology Igbo-Ora should be upgraded to include an agribusiness training centre where all the latest agricultural innovations are available to practicing farmers and would be farmers. Tractors and all farming machinery must be available in college so people can learn safe use of agricultural equipment there. Oyo state must not send anymore youths to Nasarawa state, remember Oyo State lead and others follow.

Oyo State Education System in Complete Free Fall Read More »