From Bode Durojaiye, Oyo
The Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo-Mesi) has challenged former Chairman, Oyo State Agricultural Credit Corporation, Mr. Gbenga Oyekola, to tell the people how he spent a sum of N320 million meant for farmers as loans while in office.
A member of the Oyo-Mesi, who is also the Samu of Oyo, High Chief Lamidi Oyewale, stated this while addressing people at Fashola Village in Oyo-West Local Government during the commissioning of a transformer.
Oyekola, a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the Labour Party House of Assembly candidate for Atiba State Constituency.
Oyewale said it was unfortunate that the confidence reposed in Oyekola by Governor Abiola Ajimobi could be betrayed and farmers in the state be made to suffer for unjust cause through gross misappropriation of public funds.
He said: “We are calling on him (Oyekola) to tell the
people of the state how the loan was disbursed to farmers in
accordance with their local governments. Farmers in the state are suffering, lamenting and erroneously blaming the state government for not fulfilling its promises. Our farmers from Oyo metropolis and villages are crying for their entitlements. We can say categorically that the loans were misappropriated.’’
Meanwhile, days into the general elections, the battle for
the House of Representatives seat in Oyo Federal Constituency of Oyo State has been hot up between two major contestants from the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Labour Party.
Oyo Federal Constituency consists of four local governments namely Afijio, Atiba, Oyo-East and Oyo-West .
The contest is between the incumbent Kamil Akinlabi and Alaafin’s son, Prince Hakeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is the former caretaker chairman, Atiba Local Government.
Prince Adeyemi is daily turning into a formidable force ahead of the race not because of unfounded rumours peddling that his father’s intimidating influence would scale him through the race, but his passion for the grassroots which cuts across all the four council areas.
Besides, there is no ward in the constituency that has not benefitted from the unprecedented gestures of the monarch’s son, in terms of assistance to indigent pupils, provision of non-refundable funds to farmers, provision of potable water, development of young talents in soccer and empowerment of over 7,000 in vocational skills.
Chances of the monarch’s son to make a reasonable impact in the lower chamber in Abuja is daily getting a boost as hundreds of residents, especially youths, are leaving their initial parties to join the APC.
