2027: Don’t Divert N85bn French Loan To Fund Your Campaign, Alli Warns Makinde

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organization has cautioned Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde against diverting the €55 million, approximately N85 billion, French Government concessional loan secured for healthcare development to politically motivated projects ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The campaign organization, in a statement on Tuesday, said the facility was secured to improve the state’s decrepit healthcare facilities and should be deployed strictly for that purpose.

It warned that the loan represents a major financial obligation on the state, with repayment of the N85 billion expected to commence under the next administration.

The organization alleged that Makinde had constituted a committee to determine how the funds would be quickly spent on projects, describing the development as questionable given that the governor has only months left in office.

“It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government,” the statement said.

The campaign organization also recalled that the Oyo State House of Assembly approved Makinde’s request in June to raise a N200 billion bond to refinance the state’s debt, expressing concern over what it described as hurried and poorly conceived financial decisions during an election season.

It further argued that increased monthly allocations to the state and its 33 local government councils following the removal of petrol subsidy should provide the resources needed to address pressing needs without imposing additional financial burdens on residents.

Although it said it would support genuine initiatives aimed at improving healthcare delivery, the organization demanded full disclosure of the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors, procurement procedures, implementation timeline and beneficiary hospitals.

“Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent,” it said, warning against inflated contracts, hurried procurements, questionable consultancy fees or projects allegedly designed primarily to fund political activities.

The organization urged the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organizations, professional healthcare bodies and the media to closely monitor the utilization of the loan.

It stressed that residents need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines and modern equipment, rather than cosmetic renovations, abandoned structures or projects existing only in government publicity materials.

The campaign organization maintained that transparency and measurable value must guide public borrowing, saying every loan contracted in the name of Oyo residents must produce visible and sustainable benefits.

It said it would continue to scrutinize the deployment of state resources, particularly as the 2027 elections approach, and hold the Makinde administration accountable for what it described as ‘curious expenditures’.