Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has announced the disbursement of the sum of N750 million for the rehabilitation of dilapidated inner roads across the state.
Makinde made the announcement during the commissioning of 7.2km Idi Ape-Basorun-Odogbo Barracks Road and the new General Gas Flyover on Thursday.
The governor, who reiterated that his administration has also begun efforts to fix internal roads, as it has released the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N750m) to the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) for the rehabilitation of internal roads, said that the state government has not hijack functions of the local government contrary to insinuations in some quarters.
According to him, “well, some people will say there are other roads that need repairs; that some roads in Ibadan need rehabilitation. Yes, we are aware of the state of roads, not just in Ibadan but the whole of Oyo State. And as we have promised, governance will continue to the last day of the life of this administration. So, we are already doing something about inner city roads.
“Earlier in the week, we gave the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) N750 Million for the rehabilitation of roads.
“The plan is to ensure that all LGAs get some of their roads fixed. The chairmen are here and we are collaborating together. This is a federal road but the people plying here are local people. So, I believe the three tiers of government have to work together to deliver dividends of democracy to our people. It is just that simple.
“Let me quickly address again an issue that keeps coming up in conversation. There is this idea that the state government has hijacked local government functions. “Well, let me repeat that we have not in any way hijacked the functions of any local government. We are only putting in the work needed to assist them in their functions.
“We all know the economic realities in our country right now and this has often led to people having to make tough decisions. Sometimes, looking at the money in your pocket, you may decide, meat is not my problem tonight, let me buy bread. It is this same decision that governments at all levels need to make. For example, we ask ourselves if we should pay salaries or use the money to build roads because the money is simply not enough to do both.
“But here in Oyo State, we decided to make that decision easier for the LGAs. We tell them to go ahead and pay salaries – which stimulate the economy – we will assist you in doing other things that you should be doing. Yes, they are paying salaries and, at the state level, we are also helping them to do other things like waste management, which should have been a local government issue but we are taking it up at the state level,” Makinde said.
