Dr Omololu Olunloyo, the former governor of old Oyo State, has described achievements of the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration in the state as first class.
The elder statesman made this affirmation while featuring on a radio programme on Splash 105.5 FM, Ibadan few days to the last Saturday's governorship election in the state.
Olunloyo not only praised Makinde for his remarkable success as governor but also called on the people of Oyo State to vote en masse for him in the March 18 guber election, irrespective of their religion or tribe.
According to the renowned mathematician, Makinde's governance and administrative skills could be likened to that of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
While appealing to the electorate to re-elect Makinde as their governor, Dr Olunloyo said: "I have seen a lot of innovations during Omituntun 1.0 and I am very impressed by his administration.
There are one or two points in which I will advise him in transforming Omituntun 1.0 to 2.0. I think his administration is excellent. His politics is not as strong as his administration, his administration is first class and I pray that it should be continued.
There are a few aspects of his politics that have to be polished. He came in through an alliance and he has not been extremely careful about holding that alliance together. His quality of his results in administration is the same thing with Awolowo who was an administrator par excellence."
"So, in Oyo State, we have a number of people who are competing for the seat but I think they are not quite up to the task and they are not quite up to the level of administration that Seyi Makinde has attained. Not because of personal recognition and so on that he has been giving me, I am the most experienced politician in this western part of Nigeria. I was made a commissioner in 1962 at the age of 27, I had got a PhD before that, a BSc at 22 and a commissioner for economic planning and community development in charge of census, commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs and commissioner for education and so on and so forth, WNDC, parastatals, housing corporation and I have been on 55 boards and corporations, perhaps the most officed person in the whole of South Western Nigeria.
"People of Oyo State should honestly vote for Seyi Makinde, some of the candidates who are vying against him, I would advise them to exercise patience. I am more or less the repository of information about Adegoke Adelabu, on the 25th of March, we are going to do what we usually do every year and I am going to give a talk. I have given two lectures under the Ibadan Foundation, the first and the last. I know Adelabu more than anybody, more than his son or grandson.
In fact, the Adelabu man or I should call him my boy; he should be nearer to me than he is. His father never operated with money, he operated with psychology.
Adelabu should join (hands) with Seyi Makinde and he should await his time. I am convinced that when we polish him up the heritage he has in Adegoke Adelabu will be brought out, he will come out as a bold politician, who has a bold past and I think he will at one stage become what he ought to become."
The former governor, therefore, enjoined all religious leaders irrespective of religious lineage to do away with sentiment and remember the good old days by voting the incumbent governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde for a second term.
“Other contestants too are my people, Teslim Folarin is my person, I once saved him from being killed after everybody conspired against him after the murder of one time NURTW Chairman in Oyo State, Lateef Eleweomo, therefore, he also has to be patient.
Olunloyo said, contrary to the bogus allegation that has been consistently used against the three-term senator, he didn’t have a hand in the death.
“It was me, Okwesilieze Nwodo, then chairman of the PDP; British High Commission and American Embassy that saved Folarin when they were planning to kill him.
”They accused Folarin of killing Eleweomo. Eleweomo was killed in Olunloyo. I can swear with anything that it wasn’t Folarin who killed him. Teslim Folarin was coming to that place when he heard and turned back. Eleweomo was shot, he didn’t die. He was matcheted, he didn’t die. They used plank on him. That was how he died."
"But what Seyi Makinde has done as a governor of Oyo State is more significant than what politicians are accusing him of. I, therefore, want to appeal to the aggrieved to be calmed and support him,” Dr. Olunloyo submitted.
When his opinion was sampled, Olunloyo described the aftermath of Naira redesign and cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as national disgrace.
"I have never seen Nigeria in such a mess before, where people are buying naira with naira," he said.
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