SSACO: Makinde, Adekanmbi Dodging Questions on LG Paralysis, Poor Hospitals, 674,000 Out-of-School Children

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has criticised Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) chieftain, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, over their allegation that Senator Sharafadeen Alli copied policies of the Makinde administration in his manifesto, describing the claim as an attempt to divert attention from pressing governance challenges in the state.

SSACO said the criticism of Alli’s manifesto, tagged Oyo AHEAD, was a distraction from critical issues confronting the state, including local government administration, healthcare delivery, poor educational infrastructure and the growing number of out-of-school children.

The organisation maintained that the manifesto contained practical proposals aimed at addressing challenges in education, healthcare, agriculture, grassroots development and youth empowerment.

In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, the campaign organisation said Alli was an experienced public administrator whose record in public service had equipped him with the capacity to offer effective leadership to the state.

“Alli is not a newcomer learning governance from press releases. He was a Council Chairman, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and is now a serving Senator.

“That experience from the ward to the Senate is what positions him as the best for Oyo State. You cannot copy what you have lived,” the statement said.

SSACO accused Makinde and Adekanmbi of avoiding substantive questions raised by the manifesto, particularly the alleged paralysis of local governments, manpower shortages in public health facilities, inadequate funding of schools and the high number of children outside the classroom.

On local government administration, the organisation claimed that the 33 local government areas in the state had received approximately N873 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) since 2019, but alleged that none of their budgets was publicly available online.

It said Alli’s manifesto proposed the issuance of an Executive Order on his first day in office to guarantee local government autonomy, ensure payment of allocations to councils on a fixed date and facilitate the monthly remittance of the 10 per cent of state revenue due to them.

The organisation said the proposals were designed to strengthen grassroots governance and ensure that development reached communities across the state.

On healthcare, SSACO cited figures which it claimed showed that six local government areas had no general hospital, while six general hospitals had no doctor as of October last year. It added that 10 other hospitals had only one doctor each, while primary healthcare centres reportedly had an average of three workers, against a national standard of 24.

The campaign organisation argued that Alli’s healthcare proposals were designed to address the gaps rather than merely introduce another policy slogan.

“Alli’s response is not a copied slogan but a system. The Oyo Care guarantees free healthcare for every infant, every pregnant woman and every resident of over 70 years old and above.

“The manifesto shows the plan for continuous recruitment of health workers, provision of hospital facilities and work tools, medicines on the shelf, solar power for every rural maternity and a public dashboard in every ward,” the statement added.

On education, SSACO said Alli’s manifesto drew attention to figures from the state’s school census, which reportedly showed that public primary school classrooms accommodated an average of 100 pupils.

It further claimed that about 674,000 children between the ages of three and 17 were out of school in Oyo State, describing the figure as the highest in the South-West, while seven out of every 10 children aged between seven and 14 reportedly lacked basic numeracy skills.

According to the organisation, Oyo AHEAD proposes reducing classroom populations to 30 pupils, rehabilitating schools across the 33 local government areas, introducing scholarships for gifted children from poor backgrounds and enacting an Apprenticeship Law.

Other proposals, it said, include restoring School Governing Boards to parents and host communities, revitalising agriculture, establishing a N10 billion Youth Fund, providing affordable housing for low- and middle-income earners and introducing a 20-year warranty on every newly constructed road.

Reacting to claims that Oyo State was the most liveable state, SSACO challenged the Makinde administration to make public the report, its publisher and the methodology used in arriving at the ranking.

The organisation also faulted the administration’s alleged claim of implementing one primary healthcare centre per ward, arguing that the policy had not translated into adequate staffing and effective healthcare delivery.

“They claim Oyo is the most liveable state but cannot produce the report, the publisher, or the methodology. They claim Alli copied one-PHC-per-ward, yet our PHCs have three workers instead of 24. That is not implementation. That is abandonment,” the statement said.

SSACO further described Adekanmbi as a continuation of the present administration’s policies, which it accused of excessive centralisation and treating governance as a business venture.

“Adekanmbi is not change. He is continuity of failure, continuity of centralisation, continuity of government-as-business.

“Oyo AHEAD is a correction. It is a covenant. And we will continue to highlight the issues that matter to the well-being of the people of Oyo State,” the organisation declared.