Better Oyo Movement (BOM), a sociopolitical group committed to the development of the state, has lampooned the ever-inconsistent waste management strategy of the Seyi Makinde Government, labeling it as a reeking of hypocrisy, and a terrible attempt at bottling up an inevitable public health crisis. That strategy, the group argued, is best described as “clean outside, very dirty inside”.
In a statement issued on Sunday, September 4, 2022, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, by its Chairman, Dr. Femi Fakunle, and Secretary, Engr. Tunji Hammed, the group lamented Governor Makinde’s inability to sustain the tempo of public waste management instituted by the Ajimobi Administration for almost 8 years, wondering why for the umpteenth time, he had to stop contractors from picking refuse within the neighborhood leading to an accumulation of waste everywhere.
“A check within neighborhoods in the Ibadan metropolis shows an avalanche of dirt which have accumulated for months due to the stoppage, by government, of licensed, refuse contractors from picking them, even though these services aren’t free, as neighborhoods pay well for them” the group opined.
Going further, the release maintained that in the Makinde government’s usual hypocritic manner, while large waste trucks can be seen picking refuse along medians on the main roads in the city, heaps of refuse abound within neighborhoods, capable of posing serious threats to the health and vitality of residents, if unchecked. This uncaring, diabolical, and propagandist approach to the management of the public health of the people of Oyo State by Governor Makinde the group noted, is characteristic, predictable and in sync with his approach to all issues demanding seriousness, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness, bar those on which loans can be applied for, and same disbursed hurriedly.
“The current poor state of our environment now that heavy rains have commenced provides an expose of the Makinde Government’s cosmetic management of the waste disposal and attendant poor execution of road contracts, across the state. We invite the public to note how a section of the heavily-funded Moniya-Iseyin road has been washed off, ditto the Odo-Ogun section of the Oyo-Iseyin road, which unfortunately has extended to the Eruwa-Ibadan road, effectively shutting off commuting from Ibadan to Iseyin, Ibadan to Eruwa and Oyo to Iseyin, at least in the last two days and counting,” BOM wondered.
Arguing that the Makinde Government had consistently advertised its inability to think through policies and sometimes deliver standards, BOM noted that where that was the case, nothing stopped Governor Makinde from learning from others, whether currently or in the past, who had done some convincingly, and without much fuss. “While we know an amateur can by providence find himself in positions of responsibility, nothing stops him from consulting professionals who have distinguished themselves in such paths to get the job done,” BOM said philosophically.
Calling on Government to get its acts right, especially given the delicate nature of public waste and the spin-offs which can regrettably result in a pandemic, BOM advised Governor Makinde to immediately dust off files on the strategies deployed by the former governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi on same, which gave the state in general and Ibadan particularly, a clean and modest outlook otherwise, the group contented, he may, to save face, call on the previous contractor the Ajimobi Administration used since it appears his current template is defective, poor and inconsistent with the demands of a modern-day, 21st Century waste management.
