Oyo Lawmakers Appeal to State Governor On Security, Infrastructure

Members of the Oyo State House of Assembly have appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently give attention to security and infrastructure challenges facing various communities across the state.

While raising matters of public concern during Tuesday’s plenary, the lawmakers, in their separate remarks, said giving urgent attention to the separate issues would be in the best interest of the people of the state.

The lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Hon. Jacob Bamigboye, urged the governor, through the office of his Special Assistant on Security, to direct security agencies, including the Amotekun Corps, to beef up security at the Old Oyo National Park, as well as Yawota Village in the constituency, noting that the call became imperative following a strange occurrence in the village two weeks ago.

Bamigboye presented his Matter of Urgent Public Importance on the appearance of a man in Yawota Village who was said to have bought a pot of cooked beans and loaves of bread worth N30,000 and taken same to the Old Oyo National Park.

He noted that there was a need for security agencies to comb the forest to ensure some criminally-minded elements are not lurking or hiding in the park.

He expressed apprehension over the safety of the people of Ogbomosho land, Oriire Local Government Area and particularly the people of Yawota Village and its environs, adding that urgent action from security agencies is required to avoid having bandits, kidnappers and terrorists in the Old Oyo National Park, who may end up causing problems for the community.

The APC lawmaker representing Ogbomoso North State Constituency, Hon. Olawumi Oladeji, appealed to the governor to direct the state Ministry of Works and Transport and other relevant agencies to put machinery in place towards reconstructing the Aaduin Bridge in Ogbomoso, destroyed by flood.

According to Oladeji, the Aaduin Bridge, located in the Katangua Area of Ogbomoso, was destroyed by flood on Friday 14th October, 2022. This bridge served as the only link between Katangua and other parts of Ogbomoso, as well as Jabata and other villages, noting that the damaged bridge, which had been in use for the past 35 years, has practically paralysed socio-economic activities in Ogbomoso.

She noted: “Rainfall this year has been unusually heavy in line with earlier predictions by weather forecasts for the year 2022. This has resulted, expectedly, in the collapse of some infrastructure including roads and bridges. As a result of the destruction of this bridge, the people of Katangua have been isolated and their socioeconomic activities practically paralysed.”

The APC Lawmaker also urged the Oyo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to direct the Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, under whose jurisdiction the Aaduin River is situated, to provide palliative measures for the people to ameliorate the untold hardship they are currently experiencing.

While commending Governor Seyi Makinde for his approach to the development of infrastructure in the state, Oladeji enjoined the state government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and other relevant agencies, to urgently attend to other similar roads and bridges across the state damaged by the rainstorm.

Olusola Akintonde