The Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Oyo State Chapter, Olayemi Olugbenga has expressed dissatisfaction at the performance of the APC-led administration in Oyo State, stating that there is nothing worth assessing about the government.
Making this statement during an interview with CEOAfrica on its online television programme Community Today, Mr Olugbenga opined that Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration in Oyo State has not performed as well as expected but has only been basking in the glory of infrastructural projects.
The State Labour Party Chairman observed that many people erroneously equate the success and performance of a government with the roads constructed during governance, stating that if other sectors of the state are neglected, then no development has taken place.
He said “We have one problem in this country. Most of the time, we relate and gauge the success of a particular government with road construction. That is not governance. Even if you are a stupid man and you have allocation, you cannot take the allocation away. You have to hinge it on a particular project. This issue is not peculiar to Oyo State alone. When people do projects in Nigeria, we know what is behind it. They do the project because of the money they want to make.”
Mr Olugbenga who explained that the Oyo State government has majorly focused on road construction to the neglect of other sectors of the state, stated that Ajimobi’s performance is not worth assessing as there are no obvious development in other aspects of the state. He stated that road construction cannot be equated with development
“As far as I’m concerned, in Oyo State, there is nothing to access. Is it in the area of agriculture?” he asked. “Tell me one clear call policy in the area of Agriculture that you will say you want to access. Is it in the area of education? Today they will say they want to privatise schools, tomorrow they will say no. Go to the government schools and see the condition they are in. So what are we to assess?” he queried.
Speaking about the activities of the Governor for the past six years of his administration, Mr Olugbenga stated that the state government lacks originality as it has only been imitating the activities done in other states. “For the past six years of this administration, I can say that they lack originality. They copy what other states are doing. The Ogun State government constructed Over-head Bridge and Oyo copied it,” he said.
Noting that the APC-led administration has only two years left before the expiration of its tenure, the LP Chairman expressed hope that a more selfless government will come on board to diligently serve the interest of the Oyo people. He said “In two years, this government will come to an end and we’ll have a God-fearing government in Oyo State that will be able to serve the people diligently and have the interest of the people at heart.”
What Labour Party would have done Differently
The LP Chairman stated that had a candidate from Labour Party won the state’s gubernatorial election in 2015, the story might have been different. He explained that the party is passionate about developing the educational sector of the state, with a particular concern for the welfare of teachers. He noted that a sincere motivation of teachers by addressing their concerns will improve the quality of education they give to the students.
While noting that the agricultural sector has been neglected, Mr Olugbenga stated that the Labour Party would have taken advantage of the extensive land mass of the state to invest in agriculture in order to generate revenue for the state. He said “We want to develop the area of agriculture. We have a lot of land mass in Oyo state that if it is well developed, the state can be making a lot of money without waiting for the allocation from the Federal Government.”
Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Oyo State Chapter, Olayemi Olugbenga (Seated Left) with Journalists present at the Media Chat
Opinion about Oke-Ogun Candidate ruling the State
Expressing his opinion on having a candidate from Oke-Ogun heading Oyo State, Mr Olugbenga explained that he is unconcerned about the birthplace of a leader or an elected official, as long as he governs well. He noted that he is more concerned about the ability of such person to serve the electorates satisfactorily than about where the person hails from.
“I don’t see anything wrong with any section of the state ruling or claiming to have his own turn, but what I want is good governance. Personally, I don’t care where people come from. From the Nigeria point of view, I’m not bothered whether a Hausa man, or Igbo man, or Yoruba man rules the country, but I’m only bothered about having good governance.
“Most of the time, people use ethnic and tribal sentiments to get elected and by the time they get in, even their people will be suffering. Obasanjo was the President of Nigeria on the ticket of the Yoruba people because of what happened in June 12; yet, he did not construct Lagos-Ibadan Express-way. So what did Yorubas gain from Obasanjo’s tenure?
Mr Olugbenga stressed that it is high time the country eschew ethnic and tribal sentiments as a criteria for governance. He stated that people should instead focus on the character and integrity of aspirants, adding that attention should be on their abilities to deliver satisfactory governance. “So we should move beyond ethnic and tribal sentiments if we want good governance. What we should be thinking about is a good man that would provide all the basic amenities. If we have a good man coming from Oke-Ogun, we should support him so that we can have good lives,” he said.
