The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday, condemned the alleged forceful take over of structures housing public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, the state capital and their conversion into lock up shops and shopping malls by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.
The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, described the development as not only shameful and ill-conceived but also grossly unacceptable.
It disclosed that not a few residents of the state capital were stunned when they observed sudden erection of massive structures believed to be private business complexes and shopping malls within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board in which the defunct Western Region government built public libraries and other facilities being put into premium use by students, researchers, tourists among others until now.
The party also raised the alarm over another alleged ridiculous sale of the entire modern motor park facility at Wema Bank Area, New Ife Road, Ibadan, built by the administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, noting that it gathered from reliable sources that the Park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church situated very close to it.
The statement read, “It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archive in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures and the implication of this is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by the same administration which has refused to address the issue of poor reading culture among young students.
“Without mincing words, the word ‘library’ is now strange to many students in public primary and secondary schools in Oyo state because a government does not care to build such facility or fix the existing ones which require good attention. How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock up shops in the name of making money and thereby subject the entire society into the danger of illiteracy and ignorance?
“It has also got to that stage when silence is no more golden as all well meaning individuals and stakeholders should begin to ask Gov. Makinde questions on why he keeps selling off public heritage and properties which his government inherited from previous administrations. In the same vein, we have had cases of fraudulent lease or concession of public facilities to proxies as it happened to OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for the surge in the cases of land grabbing in most parts of the state capital. Even there are many cases of land grabbing involving some appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, serving local government officials and chieftains of the ruling party. Meanwhile, this trend has to stop now.”
