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The Oyo State PDP Publicity Secretary, Engr Akeem Olatunji was hosted on Impact business radio IBR 92.5 Fm by Anuoluwapo Omorinde on the program where he talked about the affairs of the People Democratic Party, PDP and other matters concerning Oyo state and Nigeria as a whole.
The program titled “Podium”, which was aired on Saturday, 7th of August on IBR 92.5 FM attracted public attention as Engr Akeem Olatunji described the All Progressive Congress, APC as the walking corpse. He said this to counter the opinion of Barrister Adebayo Shittu who had earlier described the People Democratic Party, PDP as a dying party.
Olatunji said, “that APC is a walking corpse and if they call something or somebody a corpse, that means it has no hope again, it has reached is expiry date.
He was also asked about what he feels about the governors from his party decamping to join his supposed “walking corpse”, he said, “If you’re to bury a corpse, it will attract a lot of people to partake in it and after the burial ceremony what else? That’s the end of the story. And we are telling you by God’s grace, come 2023, that will be the end of APC in Nigeria.
Then, as for those that resigned, if you have read their letter of resignation, they still pledged their loyalty to the party. They still believe in the ideology of the party. They have no problem with the party. The scheming has to do with the convention and you know the national convention is coming up in December. As far as we are concerned, their resignation is party of democracy, they’ve withdrawn their resignation letter. So we don’t have problem with them, as far as I am concerned, as far as they’re concerned, all is happening is all about politicking ahead of the convention. It’s just an internal affair. It has nothing to do with the party, it’s just scheming.
They have acted within the constitutional guideline or arrangement with what they have done and for them to have withdrawn their resignation letter too, they acted according to the guidelines. And even from their resignation letter, they still believe in the party. For instance, in Nigeria of today, we are talking of state police but the constitution of the country doesn’t allow for state police but by the time people keep on talking, at the end of the end the national Assembly will look into it.
So, what I’m saying is that, they have called the attention of the leadership of the party to what they think is not favorable to them, but they were there for the past 3 years, nine months without complaints. That’s why you have to understand that it’s about the upcoming national convention.
Answering to what barrister Adebayo Shittu had earlier said that this is the first time unemployed youth will be given a certain amount of money by saying we shouldn’t forget that in 1999 or 2000, the then PDP federal government created NAPEP in which youths were given ten thousand naira each. How much was the exchange rate as at that time? Probably #100 or #110, how much is exchange rate now? Over #500. That means #10,000 then should be equivalent to let’s say #50,000 or more now.
During Jonathan’s time, we had Sure P. They were not only giving unemployed youth #30,000, they empowered some people and #30,000 during his time, I think dollar to naira was #150 and when he was leaving it was around #170. That means that amount is equivalent to #100,000 now. So, if after devaluing our naira, if after ruining our economy they’re still beating their chest that they’re giving people #30,000, I think they are supposed to cover their faces
The issue of 2019, you see when you give somebody a chance and he is messing up, he may have an excuse and that excuse and you may decide to give him second chance because of that excuse, APC were given between 2015 and 2019 and probably Nigerians believed they didn’t have enough time, that’s why they gave them another chance but now, majority have realized that they don’t have what it takes to govern this country.
As at the time we came in, there was nothing like EFCC, there was nothing like ICPC, so many institutions that are in place today, we are talking of BVN and other things. It is to curb corruption.
We actually laid the foundation if you were to see the then Muritala international airport, the roof were falling, it was in a sorry state and that’s how we met it.
The infrastructures have collapsed, in fact, we met zero allocation for local government and the rest because of the debt profile of the country, exited all those things. If we could do all those things despite how worst the situation was or the way we met it under military government. These people, they got a working structure that they’re supposed to build upon.
Look at Oyo state, we know how we met Oyo state and everybody knows how it is today. As at the time we came in, from Iseyin to Ibadan used to be 3 to 4 hours because of the bad condition of the road. As at today, it is 45 minutes.
For eight years, APC had the opportunity of executing the Iseyin to Ibadan road but they didn’t do it but we did it in less than two years. When the previous government came in, they promised to set up international market in 2011 at somewhere after Shaki at a border town there, it didn’t come to reality.
If the Iseyin to Ibadan was initiated in 2017, two years is enough to complete it if truly they had it in mind but it was a political statement, a political move. Look at Aso Ofi international market that they launched at Iseyin, go there before they left, it was all bushy. So, what I’m saying is this, it’s one thing to pronounce a thing, there is another thing for you work the talk and that what we are doing in Oyo state.
That Ibadan–Iseyin road has always been on the lips of every government, during Akala time, what he normally did then was to patch, when Ajimobi also came,
It was also the same patching. But you see when people are looking for votes, they projects like these. But whatever this administration starts will surely be completed.
When it comes to southwest, Oyo state is much more secured than most of the states in terms of security. We are not isolated from the rest of the country, we are not saying we are not having security challenges but we all know that it’s a national problem but compared to other states, Oyo state is far better.
The problem is that people have politicise so many things. Talking about the party, PDP in Oyo state is one indivisible entity under the leadership of governor Seyi Makinde and our chairman, Alhaji Mustapha but when you’re having a big organization like this, that the governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde has rebranded. People are now seeing PDP in Oyo state in a different perspective because he is a “talk and work” governor, he does what he says. And we allow democracy to thrive, if you see something, say something.
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