OYSADA, The Cabal And The Wasted Billions: The Need For Gov. Makinde To Investigate, Recover Stolen Funds
It is important to start by saying congratulations to His Excellency the Executive Governor of Oyo State Engr. Seyi Makinde on his re-election. Gov. Seyi Makinde deserves a second term as he showed in his first term that he is a man who has the best interest of the people at heart. Most of his policies are people-centered, which was designed to help improve the lives of the citizens of Oyo State and this has given the governor goodwill with the people. The goodwill was cashed in on the 18th of March 2023, which resulted in a landslide victory.
However, it is important to bring to the attention of the Governor that a large percentage of voters voted for him because of his personality and the genuine care he has shown over the years, particularly in the last 4 years. It must be noted that the farming community in Oyo State is far from happy with the way the agricultural sector in the State was run in the last 4 years. Their unhappiness is not for lack of policy or provision on part of the Governor, but their unhappiness is due to the failure of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) under the leadership of Dr. Debo Akande to deliver on the Governor’s promises. Sadly, an agency that was viewed as a game changer in the Oyo State Agricultural space has ended up becoming an agency controlled by a Cabal littered with wastage, financial mismanagement, and corruption estimated to be in the billions of Naira.
YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AGRIBUSINESS PROJECT (YEAP)
This is a project with a cost of up to One Billion Naira. This project is listed as one of the key achievements of the first term of the Governor. On paper, this is a great project that was designed to train and create employment for 3,300 youths that will run sustainable agricultural businesses. However, this project was a complete failure, with 90% of the participants still waiting for the advertised support more than a year after training. The few that were engaged were given land in Fashola Agricultural Hub to plant Cassava and some planted Tomatoes in Awe (At the Oyo State – IITA Youth Agribusiness Incubation Park Centre) with very little success it can be confirmed that the facility in Awe has become an abandoned site.
The management team in OYSADA is out of their depth regarding the YEAP project. As there was no proper plan in place to ensure that the project had a successful outcome that will justify the time and money spent. There was and there is still no plan to allow the alleged 3,300 participants put the skills learned to productive use.
Instead, OYSADA is planning to train more youths, that is spend more taxpayer’s money on a project that has no impact on the agricultural sector in Oyo State. It is important that the Governor set up an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the YEAP project, particularly the funds expended, and also to determine the exact number of participants that went to Nasarawa. Gov. Seyi Makinde must not allow people with zero political relevance to destroy his legacy. Sources in OYSADA and the Ministry of Agriculture claim that the whole process was planned and executed and controlled by Dr. Debo Akande and his Cabal. Another issue raised was that the key people (a certain Mr. Peter and Miss Gift) who influence decisions in OYSADA were nonindigenous of Oyo State and that they welded their power with arrogance and total disregard for due process. It is also alleged that all high-ranking officers in the ministry of Agriculture and OYSADA had no say in the decision making process.
It is of extreme importance that the Governor take decisive action in this regard so that YEAP can achieve its goal for the youths of the State.
THE OYO STATE – IITA YOUTH AGRIBUSINESS INCUBATION PARK CENTRE AWE
This is another project that was named as an achievement of the Oyo State Government which remains in a poor state, with several uncompleted buildings with damaged roofs (which points to poor quality work). This
is recorded as a revived moribund agricultural facility; this is far from what obtains on the ground.
Warehouse with roofing sheets gathered from other buildings affected by the storm
The site appeared abandoned when our correspondent visited on two occasions, there was no activity going on. Some roofing sheets have been blown off by the rain, the site appeared on keeping. This does not look like a renovated site, but it looks very much like an abandoned project. Unconfirmed sources claim the contract for the alleged renovation work which ran into Hundreds of Millions was given out through OYSADA to Dr. Debo Akande’s cabal. Sadly, a project that Gov. Seyi Makinde put in place to improve agriculture in Oyo State has been hijacked and turned into a money-making racket for a very small group of people who are mostly nonindigenous of Oyo State but are only taking advantage of the good nature of the governor.
The wall by the gate
One will wonder why a reputable organization like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) will allow its name to be dragged into a project that is so disorganized and littered with allegations of corruption.
It is also surprising that Dr. Akande as the head of Agribusiness and Mechanisation in IITA has yet to push the mechanization drive in Oyo State. He appears to be more interested in building Golf courses and luxury apartments, or how can he explain the idea of building a modern 21st-century Agricultural Hub with no irrigation? Our correspondents have found no evidence of agricultural machinery purchased by OYSADA, but
there are a lot of estate management activities such as land and buildings for sale. It appears Dr. Akande is more into business than agriculture.
A Warehouse with the roof blown off by the recent storm
The concerned citizens of Oyo State have visited the project site in Awe, and it is clear from the pictures above that very little was done here. Some even claim that the center in Awe is in a worse state now than it was in 2019. Your Excellency Gov Seyi Makinde, the citizens are aware that you have provided the funds, however, the pictures above show that the job was either not done or done to a very low standard. The concerned citizens demand an independent and transparent investigation regarding YEAP and the AWE Centre. The
concerned citizens are currently investigating the Fashola Agribusiness Hub debacle, this will be discussed in detail with pictorial evidence in the next write-up.
The Concerned Citizens of Oyo State are calling on his Excellency Gov. Seyi Makinde to personally take charge of the investigation into the activities of OYSADA since its inception to ensure that all mismanaged and misappropriated funds are returned to the coffers of the Oyo State government, and all parties found culpable are prosecuted. It is no use having white Europeans visiting the governor’s office for photo opportunities and giving Oyo State promissory cheques if the available funds are being misappropriated..
A decisive action today will set the tone for the next 4 years and ensure that all appointees and elected officers in Oyo State do not engage in corrupt practices.
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