Makinde: I Can’t Take Away Street Traders Overnight As Some of Them Are Bread Winners of Their Families
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has said that street trading will not be eradicated overnight in Ibadan, the state capital.
He stated this while speaking live on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), where he was discussing governance issues in Oyo State.
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“Some of them are breadwinners, and that is their main source of income. I agree it’s very dangerous. Our position is, we can’t chase them off the street without an alternative.
“The ones removed from Ojoo were moved to the Akinyele trailer park. At scout camp, we reduced the rent for stalls and ordered installation of electricity, toilets etc. we have to be careful we don’t take away their means of livelihood without offering alternatives.
“Dealing with the issue of street trading requires careful planning and implementation by the government,” HE replied.
When asked by another caller his your plan for agriculture and youths in Ogbomoso, Makinde noted that the agricultural sector Oyo state’s main economy drive.
He added that his administration has therefore started the farm settlement in Akufo, using the CACS N7B, which he prevented the previous administration from spending.
“We will move to other areas gradually. There is interest from all over the world to collaborate with Oyo State on agribusiness. We have a lot of recommendations on agriculture. We haven’t used 10% of it, and we will ensure that we implement them. Also, we have written to the Federal Govt on federal road issues.
On the controversy surrounding Ladoke Akintola Technical University, Makinde maintained that the ownership is opaque.
“But I have asked the Governing Council to prepare a sustainability document. I have the preliminary report, but it’s not encouraging. If the fees are reduced, the university will collapse.
“We will make a decision in the best interest of the state. A lot of Oyo State money has been invested in that university; we want to get value for what we have put in the university. We are still going ahead with the sponsorship of students from Oyo State to attend the school.’
On transportation and housing, he assured that the growth of the Oyo state would be well managed, adding that the state has been extremely lucky with the good road network at its disposal.
“We do have a good road network. I don’t see the current influx of people into Oyo State as a challenge; I see it as a huge opportunity to grow our economy. The dry port, rail network, and the Circular Road are good opportunities to kick start the real estate sector.
“Yes, it will present a few challenges, but there is an assurance it won’t turn to another Lagos. We will recreate infrastructure similar to Ikoyi but with value for money.
While assuring a caller who complained about the state of Okeho/Itesiwaju road that no part of Oyo State will be cut off from other parts, Makinde said governance would cover all parts of Oyo State.
Responding to a question on the level of progress noticed in some roads in the state, he promised that, for example, a road from Lagos to Apata (Akala way), which has 3km left to finish would be completed.
Traffic will be reduced considerably once this is completed. Some of thee project that the immediate past administration awarded have not been stopped, especially the contractors doing the right thing, even if we didn’t agree with the costing.
Speaking on health, especially Primary Healthcare centers (PHC), the governor admitted that there is stress on the General Hospitals because of a lack of facilities in the PHCs.
“Oranyan PHC is the standard we will use for all PHCs in Oyo State. We have about 600 of them, but most are not fit for purpose.
“I spoke to the people running it, instead of having 600, let’s rationalise them. We will start by ensuring 1 per ward is fully functional. We are working making healthcare insurance more effective; once this is completed, we will have more resources to deploy to address this.
“The plan is to have fewer but fully functional primary healthcare centers in Oyo State.”
