Oyo state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has stated that his administration has not in any way hijacked the responsibilities of the state’s local government reiterating further that his administration is collaborating with the LG to better deliver good governance to the state’s residents.
The Governor said this at the official commissioning of the 7.2km Idi Ape-Basorun-Odogbo Barracks Road and the new General Gas Flyover.
According to the Governor, the local government in the state inject more than N4.5 billion naira into the state’s economy revealing further that the state government help with things such as waste evacuation and other which the present Administration and local government agree on.
“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.
In his words: “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.”
He added that while the local governments pay about N5bn as salaries every month, the state pays about N7bn.
According to him, it means that the sum of N12 billion is being injected into the Oyo State every four weeks.