4 WHITE ELEPHANT PROJECTS OF GOV MAKINDE THAT HAVE NO VALUE TO THE CITIZENS OF OYO STATE: A REJOINDER

By Olubunmi Sodipo

To the writer of the above-titled piece, I say, it is obvious from the get-go that you have an uncomplimentary stance towards Gov Seyi Makinde which automatically translates into a jaundiced view of his developmental projects.

You can barely see well for your hatred to the point where you are atrributing the Mini Mapo Hall project, an initiative of the Ibadan South West Traditional Council to Gov Seyi Makinde, just because you want to criticize him about something.

This same inability to see well, showed in your use of the cliche: white elephant projects, to describe the Governor’s developmental projects

For starters, what’s a white elephant? A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly of maintenance, is out of proportion to it’s usefulness. Essentially, it is an object, building, project, scheme, business venture, facility, etc considered expensive but without use or value.

And you sited the N5.580B remodeling of Lekan Salami Stadium! Really? White elephant?

The remodeling is to be funded using Alternate Project Funding Approach, APFA. The contractor will use his own money to fund the project and Oyo State will repay over 29 months.

And you saw no value in the fact that a remodeled Adamasingba is necessary to reclaim the lost glory of sporting activities in the state? It doesn’t bother you that Oyo State born athletes are representing other states at the National Sports Festival because we lack the facilities for their development here? It also never occurred to you that when next Nigeria hosts the FIFA Women’s World Cup or the Under 23 World Cup, our state will be good to be named a venue for star matches, with a stadium remodeled to international standard? Do you have any idea how much revenue and investments host cities attract?

Hear this: at the flag-off of the stadium remodeling project, Gov Seyi Makinde explained: “Oyo State has had a rich sporting history. Back in 1963, the first World Boxing Title fight in Africa was held here in Oyo State. We were able to host that fight and benefit from all the tourism revenue because we had the facilities to do so” And you think you are smarter than he is?

You also sited the building of four ultra modern motor parks. Your main problems with the building of those new parks seems to be that those built by the last administration are being underutilized? How can they be fully utilized when proper feasibility studies were not done before they were constructed? When the location, capacity and layout of a garage is properly chosen to take into account a projected density of traffic and patronage, garages get fully utilized. Anyways, must we wait and not do something better simply because some people in the past did not do their job well?

It is also obvious that you do not know the first thing about tourism! You are criticizing the remodeling of a stadium that has been left untouched for 44 years and the building of ultramodern motor parks while supposedly claiming tourism ought to be looked into? Do you have any idea how many tourists visits any particular country that gets the privilege to host an international sporting event? And your visitors to Bower Tower? Are they going to drop in on a parachute? Will they not come via an international airport unto roads chaperoned by the ultramodern bus terminals?

You probably think smart LED street lighting is your usual stand-alone solar street light. Operation Light Up Ibadan deploys smart LED streetlighting technology. They are more bright and more powerful than your regular solar street lights. But it’s not just about the lighting, smart street lighting uses a management system which enables street light luminaries that are connected to be remotely controlled and monitored through a centralized online application. Scene management softwares can then be used to adapt light to levels of activity, increasing brightness where there’s more footfall, while dimming lights by 30% when sensors dectect there are fewer people or cars around, ensuring reduced energy consumption of up to 80%. So, rest assured that Oyo State will not be spending up to half of what you think on diesel! And please, what is the value of one Oyo State resident’s life saved because the streets are lighted up and crimes are discouraged compared to the price of diesel?

So, there’s no point wishing that Gov Seyi Makinde can look into more consequential projects for monumental development. He is already doing so! I would rather wish that you can look inside yourself and let the scales fall from your eyes. These very projects and others that your ilks are criticizing are already putting Oyo State on the path of monumental development.