A group at the vanguard of the sociopolitical development of the state, Better Oyo Movement (BOM), has berated the state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, over what it described as false welfare claims for state-owned tertiary institutions.
Makinde, while assenting the bill to transform the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo to a university had on Monday, 5 December, 2022 claimed tertiary institutions in the state were now receiving 100% subvention, away from the 25% they drew between 2016 and 2018 during the administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
BOM, whose statement released in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and signed by Dr. Femi Fakunle and Engr. Tunji Hammed, Chairman and Secretary respectively on Tuesday, 6 December, 2022 berated the governor for deliberately spewing falsehood, in the knowledge that those affected, being civil servants, having sworn to the oath of administrative secrecy, wouldn’t come out to openly deny his outlandish claims, forgetting however, that in this information age, nothing is hidden.
“We like to remind Governor Makinde that though the payment of 25% subvention to tertiary institutions began under the Abiola Ajimobi government, in answer to the financial crunch that hit the world at that time, and in which private sector consultants, one of which is now a senatorial candidate in Governor Makinde’s party even advised the sack of many workers in these state-owned institutions, and the total scrapping of a few, also approved of the idea of a downward review of subvention to these institutions, a result of which was the 25% paid between 2016 and 2018.
“Despite protests and strikes, the then governor didn’t budge, until the unfortunate demise of then Speaker, Michael Adeyemo necessitated a bye-election in the Ibarapa East State Constituency, where the agitated and distraught workers came out en masse to show their political strength, by voting Adebo Ogundoyin. Governor Ajimobi, sensing defeat in the 2019 polls, initially jerked up the subvention to 80%, before returning it to 100%.
“It was 100% subvention that Governor Makinde met, and began paying, including the arrears left by Governor Ajimobi, and for which he was rightly commended.
“However, beginning from September, 2021 Governor Makinde began baring his fangs when he began delaying salaries, and in February, he immediately stopped the payment of arrears. To add salt to injury, he also reduced subvention to 70%.
“Disturbed by this assault, workers in these institutions, under the aegies of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) began a series of warning strikes before commencing full-scale industrial action in March, 2022.
“The governor, after avoiding the unions severally, eventually met them in July, and reluctantly acceeded to their requests, even feigning ignorance that he didn’t know the “no work, no pay” policy had been fully implemented in these institutions.
“The workers later resumed in August, after almost 5 months on strike, and the promise of the return of their subvention to 100% remained elusive. It was after JAC began mobilisation for a mother-of-all-protests, that the governor eventually returned subvention to 100%, paying same as November, 2022 salaries.”
BOM, therefore, expressed surprise at such ridiculous claim of paying full subvention to Oyo State tertiary institutions, giving the false impression that had been the trend since 2019 when he took over, when the truth of the matter is that for over a year, same was not the case.
“Instead of painting a picture of eldorado, when the governor in all fairness knows that’s not the case, we remind him to note that since promising the College of Education, Lanlate N100Million during his inspection visit in February, 2022 no kobo has been released to that College. That College’s bridge, which he promised to fix, has remained impassable for almost 4years!
The group told the governor that the damage he had done to tertiary institutions in the state would take years to remedy.
“Imagine a governor who despite appointing members to the institution’s Governing Councils, and paying them allowances as and when due, still castrated them by appointing a one-man Consultant, whose word is law, and who continues to dictate the tempo in these institutions to the detriment of the establishing law and the Governing Councils, painting a picture that all was well with these institutions, when in all honesty, he knows it’s not?
“While we know Governor Makinde’s next moves will be political, and that he thinks he’s being strategic, we only want to implore him to stick to telling the truth, instead of lies, as in the words of Uthman Dan Fodio, conscience is an open wound, which only truth can heal,” the statement concluded.
