Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Saturday declared that he met the sum of one hundred and fifty billion naira (N150b) debt when he took over from his predecessor, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi on May 29 this year.
Makinde, who made this declaration while featuring at a media chat to mark thirty (30) days of his government in Ibadan, the state capital, however, insisted to probe Ajimobi if he continues to disturb his government.
The Governor, while answering questions from the panelists at the media chat held at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), said though his government was still collating the debt profile of the last administration, the sum of one hundred and fifty billion naira had been uncovered in the last thirty days.
Makinde while speaking further, threatened to expose Ajimobi, if he (Ajimobi) continues to disturb his administration.
He said a sum of N1.3 billion seized from past government official and confiscated to the Federal Government was being pursued to tackle the problems of the education sector in the state.
He said the debt, which he summed up to be around $500 million, would not stop his lofty programmes and electioneering promises to the people.
Makinde also alleged that the last government spent about N2 billion on a kilometre of road, when the topography of the state wasn’t like that of Rivers state, saying that he was still checking files on the activities of the immediate last administration in the state, but so far, he has discovered N150 billion debt left behind.
“I did not meet Oyo State treasury the way it is supposed to be. But, I urge Oyo state people not to panic. In February, you bought a car for Head of Service and in May, she took it away. The sum of two billion naira was used to construct a kilometer road. Even in Niger Delta, they don’t spend that kind of money.
“If they don’t desist, I will expose them. The debt we have discovered is about one hundred and fifty billion naira. If we convert it to dollar, it will be 500 million dollars. I will expose them because some of these debts are questionable. What we are doing is not witch-hunting.
“We have confirmed N150b debt so far. We are still working to discover more. Some of them may be questionable. If you take bond, it is always tied to a particular project.
“If we want, we can do value-for-money audit. Our focal point is how to strengthen the economy of the state so that all and sundry will prosper. But I will expose them if they don’t want to stop disturbing us. When we do, they won’t be able to move on the streets.”
Makinde while speaking on the monthly federal allocation and wages of workers in the state pointed out that the state receives N4.5b federal allocation, while salaries and pensions stand at N5.4 billion, leaving the state with a shortage of about N1b monthly.
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