JUST IN: Makinde inaugurates road, denies taking over LGs functions

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said his administration did not hijack functions of local government contrary to the notion in some quarters.

Rather, he said his administration was collaborating with the councils to serve the people of the state better.

Makinde said this while inaugurating the 7.25Km Idi Ape-Basorun-Akobo-Odogbo Barracks Junction road project and flyover at General Gas, Ibadan, on Thursday.
Makinde said, “There is an issue that keeps coming up in conversations, that the state government has hijacked local government functions. We have not in any way, hijacked the funds of local government. We are only putting in the work needed to assist them in their functions.

“Sometimes we ask ourselves, should we use the money to pay salaries or build roads because the money is not just enough to do both.

“Here we decided to make that decision easier for our local government areas, we tell them to pay salaries because when those workers take the salaries to the market to pay artisans, you have a multiplier effect on the economy of the state.

“They are paying salaries but at the state level, we are helping them to do other things like waste management which should be a local government issue.”
Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, lauded Makinde for not abandoning the road project which his predecessor started, saying the road had brought great relief to motorists and commuters living in the axis.