Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, has called on the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, to probe his predecessor former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, over the N7billion Ibadan-Iseyin road project.
Ajimobi’s administration in February 2018, approved the rehabilitation of the 65- kilometres Moniya-Ojutaye-Iseyin road for N6,952,565,074.97, and the project was expected to be completed within 18 months.
But Ajimobi, however, explained on several occasions at the twilight of his administration and after leaving office that paucity of funds prevented his government from completing a number of projects it embarked on.
In an interview with journalists in Ibadan, Mustapha described Ibadan-Iseyin Road as an important road that connects the ten agrarian local government areas of Oke-Ogun political division to Ibadan, the state capital, adding that Oke-Ogun is the food basket of the state.
Our correspondent reports that the incumbent deputy governor of the state, Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan, hails from Oke-Ogun, as well as his predecessor, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, the current PDP chairman in the state and the former deputy chief whip of the Senate and PDP chieftain in the state, Senator Hosea Agboola.
According to Mustapha, “Governor Seyi Makinde, in his inauguration address said although he does not like to step on anybody’s toe, if condition warrants stepping on some people’s toes, he will.
“So, the Ibadan-Iseyin road project awarded by the past administration must be looked into. If you pass through that place, you will see how they have wasted our money. Even, the little they have spent on it is a waste because anybody that is going to take over that project will have to start all over again. You can imagine how much that was lost.
“When you know this is a project that will last, and you don’t provide money, what do you expect? You said you have awarded the project and you did not provide the money.
“When your administration is winding up, you don’t award a big project like Ibadan-Iseyin road. And if you want to award that kind of project, you have to provide money. Yet, the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration awarded the Ibadan-Iseyin road. It should be noted that the project was stopped before the last administration left office.
“The governor (Makinde) should probe the Ibadan-Iseyin road project. It is being said that N1.2billion was released to the contractor. This is why the project should be probed. It is one of the projects we are going to probe.
“All the uncompleted projects will be reviewed and viable ones, we shall complete them.”
