POLITICS
Oyo Voters Won’t Fall for your Cheap Lies, Makinde’s Aide Tells Folarin
By Idris Umar, Abuja
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, on Tuesday, flayed Senator Teslim Folarin, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, for claiming that none of the opposition party’s gubernatorial aspirants is as bad as Makinde.
Adisa, in a statement in response to Folarin’s attack on Governor Makinde, said that the Senator “dished out lies about Makinde” while declaring his governorship ambition at the APC Secretariat in Ibadan.
The governor’s aide, who wondered why Folarin turned an event designed for him to declare his 2023 governorship ambition into a fiesta of lies, said the Oyo State electorate would not fall for the lies of APC chieftains, including Folarin, against Governor Makinde.
The governor’s aide declared that it was laughable that despite the massive infrastructure development, improvement in the education and health sectors and other efforts of the Makinde government in the last three years, Folarin could still say he was coming to rescue Oyo State “because every tangible project in the state was done by the previous government.”
According to Adisa, rather than Folarin articulating details of his agenda in comparison to Makinde’s globally acclaimed Roadmap to Accelerated Development of Oyo State, 2019-2023, he only marshaled a couple of lies, which insulted the sensibilities of Oyo State residents across the five zones of the state, who have continued to laud Governor Makinde for good governance in the state.
Adisa, however, commended Folarin for telling residents of Oyo State what they already suspect; that governorship aspirants in APC were bad products, as according to him [Adisa], there is no basis to compare Makinde with any of them.
Adisa said: “We have read with amusement words credited to an Oyo APC governorship aspirant, Senator Teslim Folarin, that he is coming to rescue Oyo State and that none of the aspirants in the ill-fated APC, Oyo State chapter is as bad as Governor Makinde.
“Indeed, we must commend Folarin for letting the Oyo State public know that governorship aspirants in APC are bad products. However, there is no basis to compare any of the APC governorship aspirants with Governor Makinde.
“Nobody can compare light with darkness. In three years, Makinde has done what the APC government failed to do in eight years; building over 500 kilometres of road, putting in place a free and qualitative education system, improving the health and security sector and all that.
“Senator Folarin was also credited to have said that all tangible projects in the state were done by the previous government. This is an outright lie and we are sure that the people of Oyo State do not need such a lie. The people will not fall for cheap lies and deceit.
“It is easy to ask whether it was the previous APC government that built the 65 km Moniya-Iseyin road, the 45km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road, the 12km Awotan- Akufo concrete road, the 38km Oyo-Iseyin road and the 76 km Ogbomoso-Iseyin road, which are at various stages of completion as we speak.
“The people will also ask whether it was the failed APC administration of 2011 to 2019 that built the magnificent Bus Terminals at Ojoo and Challenge as well the Terminals at Iwo Road and Old Ife Road, which are nearing completion.
“It can be seen that Folarin has not been in touch with the reality in Oyo State, he thus needs to connect with Oyo State people and his followers, who could tell him the state of things regarding infrastructure development under the Makinde government.
“He needs to at least be conversant with his local government, Ona-Ara, where massive developments are ongoing. He needs to be told that in his Ona-Ara Local Govt of origin, the Makinde government is building the 37-kilometre Akanran-Olorunsogo-Dagbolu and 21 Ajia-Airport Road with spur to Amuloko and the two will be commissioned shortly.
“In order to end his apparent lack of information or is it denial of reality, we will volunteer to take the senator on a tour of tangible projects across the state, from Moniya-Iseyin Road, to Asipa-Sabo-Gedu-Oroki Road to the Saki Township Road, and also visit ongoing road projects in Oyo-Iseyin and the 76-kilometre Iseyin-Ogbomoso roads and end the trip in Ona-Ara.”
Adisa warned Folarin to stop his unnecessary obsession with attacking Makinde, urging him to focus on how to convince his partymen in the APC to accept him as candidate despite his undemocratic credentials.
“We urge Folarin to focus his energy on convincing those he met in APC, when he defected from PDP which he ruined with his undemocratic tendencies, rather than inciting the people and engaging in baseless conspiracies against a government that is delivering good governance,” the statement added.
Education
Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity
By David Torough, Abuja
A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia, has called on the Federal Government to establish a National Bureau for Ethnic Relations to strengthen inter-group unity and address the deep-seated ethnic tensions in Nigeria, particularly in the North Central region.
Prof.
Wilfred, in a paper drawing from years of research, argued that the six states of the North Central—Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa share long-standing historical, cultural, and economic ties that have been eroded by arbitrary state boundaries and ethnic politics.According to him, pre-colonial North Central Nigeria was home to a rich mix of ethnic groups—including Nupe, Gwari, Gbagi, Eggon, Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Alago, Tiv, Birom, Tarok, Angas, among others, who coexisted through indigenous peace mechanisms.
These communities, he noted, were amalgamated by British colonial authorities under the Northern Region, first headquartered in Lokoja before being moved to Kaduna.
He stressed that state creation, which was intended to promote minority inclusion, has in some cases fueled exclusionary politics and ethnic tensions. “It is historically misleading,” Wilfred stated, “to regard certain ethnic nationalities as mere tenant settlers in states where they have deep indigenous roots.”
The don warned that such narratives have been exploited by political elites for land grabbing, ethnic cleansing, and violent conflicts, undermining security in the sub-region.
He likened Nigeria’s ethnic question to America’s historic “race question” and urged the adoption of structures similar to the Freedmen’s Bureau, which addressed racial inequality in post-emancipation America through affirmative action and equitable representation.
Wilfred acknowledged the recent creation of the North Central Development Commission by President Bola Tinubu as a step in the right direction, but said its mandate may not be sufficient to address ethnic relations.
He urged the federal government to either expand the commission’s role or create a dedicated Bureau for Ethnic Relations in all six geo-political zones to foster reconciliation, equality, and sustainable development.
Quoting African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, Prof. Wilfred concluded that the challenge of Nigeria in the 21st century is fundamentally one of ethnic relations, which must be addressed with deliberate policies for unity and integration.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The leadership of the Labour Party has cautioned that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) goes ahead to conduct the August 16, 2025 bye-election without publishing the names of its candidates, and ensuring that its logo appears on the ballot, it will seek the nullification of the election in line with the provision of the law.
The party has also called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Prof Mahmood Yakubu led INEC to respect the Nigeria Constitution and the Electoral Law by discharging its duties as specified by the laws of the land and avoid wasting tax payers money. It accused INEC of working for interests that are anti democratic.In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Labour Party said that by the electoral Act 2022, any political party which is excluded from participating in any election is expected to approach the court for remedy.I”NEC is gambling with the huge resources of the country which are being expended in the conduct of the bye-election that is scheduled to hold on the 16 of August, 2025. “We are not going to be helpless as the law has provided adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that has shortchanged the political party or put its image in disrepute. “A political party is expected to guard its image and reputation jealously and Labour Party will not take any conduct by any agency or regulatory body intended to rubbish its reputation lightly. “One wonders what interest INEC is protecting that will make it throw the entire country into unnecessary crisis and incurring such a colossal financial waste. “By virtue of the Supreme Court decision delivered on the April 4, 2025, the court stated that the issues of leadership is an internal affairs of the party and going by the internal mechanism of the party, the party has held a convention on the 27th of March 2024 at Nnewi, which produced the current leadership as led by Barrister Julius Abure. One wonders what the problem is with INEC.”INEC under Prof. Yakubu must respect the decisions of both the Supreme Court and the leadership of the Labour Party.”
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
As the purported expenditure of over N54 billion by the administration of Governor Alex Otti on projects in schools in Abia State continues to generate controversy, a pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) group in the state has tasked the governor to give account of how the money was spent.
The group operating under the platform of the Abian’s Best Interest Association, also warned the governor not to contemplating joining the APC in the state. At a press conference Tuesday in Abuja titled “Where is Abia’s N54 billion?”, the Convener of the group, Hon. Barrister Eze Chikamnayo, said his group had visited several Local Government Areas in Abia state where they interacted with stakeholders on developmental issues before embarking on an on-the-spot inspection of public schools in particular.”In Ugwunagbo, LGA, schools visited included Ihie Community Primary School, Ihie Ukwu Primary School, Asa Umunka Primary School, and Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “In Isiala Ngwa South, the team inspected Nneise Primary School – Umuhu/Umuezu Nvosi, Umunkpeyi Primary School – Umunkpeyi Nvosi, and Obuba Primary School – Obuba Nvosi, Ikem Migrant Farmers School. “From our dispassionate observation, we wish to hereby unequivocally decry the deplorable state of infrastructure in these schools, amongst others, noting that the decay was even more alarming in Isiala Ngwa South – the acclaimed and very contentious Local Government of the sitting Governor, Mr Alex Otti “One wonders then, if charity no longer begins at home.”We went further to question the much-publicized ₦54 billion which appeared in the Abia State Budget Performance Report for the renovation and retrofitting of public schools for the year 2024 and stress that a Budget Performance Report, anywhere in the world, details accomplished projects and the actual amounts spent – not mere approved figures.”While accusing the Abia state Governor of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu but claimed to be his supporters, Barr. Chikamnayo recalled that Governor Alex Otti as opposition leader had earlier promised that ‘under my watch, not a Kobo of Abia resources will be stolen’. “We now question how such words can be trusted when his administration thrives on non-disclosure and only tries to explain itself when prompted. “We further wish to express shock that the state government included “recruitment of teachers, buying chalks our teaching aids” among the items for which the ₦54 billion was supposedly spent. “When did employing teachers and purchasing instructional materials become capital projects?”We call on Abians to be vigilant, ask questions, and demand full accountability and transparency from the Alex Otti-led administration. “The future of our children is at stake, and no government should be allowed to mortgage it under the guise of inflated or questionable expenditure.”When asked whether the group will receive Alex Otti into APC if he decides to join, the APC group said: “He wants people to believe that he supports the president but the same time we know that in Abia state he is undermining Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “As we speak, over N300 billion has come from President Tinubu reforms into Abia State government and all the local governments are grounded, castrated and completely insolvent.”We will not receive such a liability into APC. That is what we are saying. Nobody in APC Abia state wants anything called Alex Otti. He is a liability.”He said Abia state on Alex Otti has poorly funded public schools compared to its neighbours in the same south east states. “This lack of transparency and accountability we believe is a gross disservice to Abians.”The Abia Best Interest Association and indeed the APC Abia State, therefore, wishes to draw attention of the pubic to the fact that allocations and various intervention funds coming to Abia State from the Federal Government, have tripled since the inception of the President Tinubu’s Administration – wondering why there was still nothing tangible to show in the education sector in Abia State compared to the situation in Imo and Enugu States, where the government has rebuilt, modernized, and equipped public schools with visible results for all to see.”
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