Akobo flyover: Fijabi must learn to speak the truth at all times –Makinde’s CPS

The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, has cautioned a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, to stick to speaking the truth at all times.

Adisa, who was reacting to  comments credited to Akinade-Fijabi when he featured on a radio station in Ibadan on a programme tagged Bottom-line, said since the truth was always constant, Governor Makinde’s actions and position could “not be muddled up in hay of lies by opposition elements.”

He stated that it was shameful that Akinade-Fijabi attempted to sweep under the carpet the unsightly and incomprehensible conduct of the immediate-past administration in Oyo State, “which frittered away millions of naira in its failed bid to construct the Akobo flyover.”

“Rather than criticize Governor Makinde over Akobo flyover, every well-meaning indigene and resident of Oyo State should praise the governor for saving the state a little over N400 million in the award of that contract,” Adisa said.

He added that it was shocking to hear that Akinade-Fijabi was “annoyed” at the feat achieved by the governor, stating that only people who had lost their souls to lying would celebrate falsehood and impropriety above transparency which Governor Makinde demonstrated in re-awarding the Akobo flyover project.

“It comes as a surprise that Hon. Akinade-Fijabi would publicly express anger at the governor’s insistence on probity and accountability to the extent that he would go on the radio to express such disgust.

“Akinade-Fijabi needs to tell the world whether he was happy that the sacked contractor had close to N400 million of the state’s resources in his hands but failed to deliver on the project since 2017, putting thousands of residents plying the Akobo – Ojurin road in hardship.

“He should also explain that he is unhappy with the insistence of Governor Makinde to recover every kobo illegally paid to the contractor by the previous government and tell the whole world whether grandstanding on the side of falsehood is how to be an opposition politician.

“Whereas the previous government had awarded the contract for the bridge in May 2017 at the cost of N1.464 billion and paid N368 million to the contractor, no tangible work has been done up to May 2020, when the contract was terminated.    

“In any case, we need to put it out clearly that the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi has not paid for the Akobo flyover as erroneously claimed by Akinade-Fijabi. What that government did was to overprice the contract by as much as N400 million and paid N368 million in 2017 for a ‘mickey mouse’ job inherited by the Makinde government.

“Signs of the poor job done by the contractor after collecting N368 million are still at the foot of the bridge as we speak,” Adisa said.