Members of Good Governance Advocates, a sociopolitical organization, have lauded Governor Seyi Makinde for his innovative transformation of various sectors of the state over the past six years.
The group revealed this in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Deacon Ademola Alabi, in Ibadan on Sunday.
They noted that across the state, residents are grateful for the progress stirred by changes in the state’s housing and welfare sectors.
The statement read:
“We at Good Governance Advocates (GGA) have been watched with dismay, the wave of criticisms hurled against the acquisition of some lands in Ibadan metropolis for the development of housing estates by Governor Seyi Makinde led administration.
It came as a surprise that none of these criticisms was against the housing development embarked upon by Seyi Makinde’s administration but only single out the landed properties acquired for this all important sector.
It is laughable to see what the opposition elements have reduced opposition to because how can you criticize an elected official for making use of his constitution enabled rights in fulfillment of the pledges he made to the electorates during campaigns. This is tantamount to blaming an individual on the right he has for breathing in the nature embedded air.
The Land Use Act, specifically Section 28(1), states that “it shall be lawful for the Governor to revoke a right of occupancy for overriding public interest”. What this simply means is that the Governor can acquire land for public purposes, such as building roads, schools, housing, or hospitals etcetera.
Going all out to criticize Oyo State’s Government for using available lands to build the long overdue low-cost and affordable housing estates for Civil Servants and residents of Oyo State shows the level at which these opposition elements have reduced governance to from the prism of their eyes.
Governor Seyi Makinde during electioneering campaigns of 2019 and 2023 pledged to make housing development a priority in Oyo State, stressing that his aim is ‘to address the growing housing deficit and provide affordable housing for residents’. His electoral manifestos on housing development includes creating new town housing schemes in Ibadan and easing procedures for processing certificates of occupancy within 60 days.
Seven years along the line, Governor Seyi Makinde had delivered on his electoral promises by making available affordable housing options for Oyo state citizens . The Makinde’s led administration has embarked on the construction of hundreds of units of homes for low-income earners in Ibadan. This he has been able to do through a public-private arrangement . The implication of this is that Governor Makinde has been able to face head long one of the major problems of civil service without causing a strain in the finances of Oyo state government .
With about seventeen percent of Oyo State population falling within the work force net; it is surprising to know that a whooping 40.42 percent of Oyo state households spend between one percent to thirty percent of their income on housing which is considered as ‘normal affordability’, while forty-five percent spend thirty to fifty percent of their income indicating ‘tolerable affordability’ and thirteen percent spend more than half of their income on house rents.
With this eye-opening statistics, it is only a government that care less about the welfare and mental health of his citizens will not place high priority on massive construction of low budget housing estates.
Therefore, we at Good Government Advocates are not surprised about the high premium Governor Seyi Makinde has placed on housing development in Oyo state. Anyone, who is familiar with Governor Makinde pre-governance period’s kindheartedness and welfarism mindset will not be surprised at the springing up of various housing schemes within the length and breadth of Oyo state.
It is against this background that Good Governance Advocates (GGA) join other well meaning citizens of Oyo State to continue his housing development drive.”
