Abeokuta/Ilaro Road Rehabilitation, A FG Project, Not Yayi’s Constituency Project – ACDC Kicks Against Viral Video

ABEOKUTA – The Oke-Ata Area Community Development Committee, ACDC, has clarified that the ongoing rehabilitation of Abeokuta/Ilaro road currently ongoing in Oke-Area of Abeokuta is a federal government project and not a constituency project of Senator Olamilekan Adeola, Yayi.

The ACDC, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Hon Kareem Ademuyiwa, said this while reacting to a video clip of some community members thanking the Senator representing Ogun West for the rehabilitation of the project.

The ACDC said that the persons in the video has no blessings of the 52 CDAs in Oke-Ata Area CDC, adding that they neither represent the interest of the people of Oke-Ota but their personal gains.

The statement further clarified that the project is a N57b project awarded by the Ministry after the approval of the Federal Executive Council meeting of Monday, 29th July, 2024.

It wonders why supposedly educated persons would attribute a N57b project spanning different federal constituencies to a constituency project of a Senator if not to manipulate the people.

“The Oke-Ata Area Community Development Committee, ACDC, has expressed a rude shock and disbelief over a video clip going viral with a caption ‘Joint Meeting of CDAs at Ita-Oshi-Oke Ata Mango Area’ purportedly showing an appreciation to Senator Solomon Olamilekan, popularly known as Yayi on the rehabilitation of Abeokuta-Iboro-Ilaro road.

“In the purported clip of less than five minutes, Senator Olamilekan was commended for the construction of a N57 billion road, with some individuals unknown to the leadership of the ACDC, taking turns to speak, while claiming to represent six Communities in Oke-Ata.

“The general public is advised to take the claims of linking the project to the Senator representing Ogun West at the National Assembly with a pinch of salt, as the said project is a direct Federal Government’s Project by the Federal Ministry of Works and not a Constituency Project of Senator Yayi as was deliberately manipulated in the clip.

“The project worth N57 billion was among the N1.455 trillion road projects approved for implementation by the Federal Executive Council of Monday, 29th July, 2024. The Road, according to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, was awarded to Strabic Constructions.

“For the avoidance of the doubt and as a result of disinformation the purported clip has generated, the leadership of Oke-Ata Community Development Committee consisting 52 Community Development Association, (CDA) dissociates itself from the shenanigans as its leadership was neither carried along nor was part of the show which appears like a shame.

“It should also be noted that no single leadership of the CDAs in Oke-Ata CDC was involved in the clip, neither was any member or the leadership of Abeokuta North Zonal Community Development Committee within the Oke-Ata ACDC was involved.”

The ACDC further highlighted that all the characters in the said video are not known to the leadership of the CDC, but manipulated the ignorance of their followers for their selfish reasons.

“The general public is also, by this release, informed that all the characters in the said video clip are not known to the Oke-Ata Area CDC, neither do they represent the interest of the 52-member CDA in the Oke-Ata Area CDC.

“They represent their selfish interest while manipulation the ignorance of some unsuspecting members of the Community who were hurriedly drafted for the protest.

“These characters were never involved in the struggles on the ongoing project either at the Ogun State Assembly meeting with the contractors, appearances at radio station, or the stakeholders meeting with the Ogun State Controller of Works at the Federal Ministry of Works.”

They were however advised to take their politics of deceit elsewhere, saying the ACDC would not allow anyone take advantage of the collective interest of the people for their selfish gain.

The ACDC also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Works and the Ogun State Controller of Works in the Ministry for the ongoing project.

In a swift r action, the media Adviser to Senator Adeola Olamilekan Yayi, Chief Kayode Odunaro insisted that the project was facilitated by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan Yayi.

Odunaro explained that it was the national Assembly that appropriate money for projects to be executed by Executive.

He urged the ACDC chairman to stop playing petty politics and allow the ongoing projects to be a success.

“The federal government is doing a lot of works, but all of us knows that there are so many bad road infrastructure deficits in the country, even in Abeokuta, in Ogun state, there are so many federal government roads that are very deplorable. And it is the National Assembly, the parliament, that appropriate money for any project to be done.

“The executive is just to execute whatever project that has been put in the budget. Now you ask yourself, Who put the project in the budget? When you say federal government project, who facilitated it into the federal government budget? People should be educated about governance. We are in a democracy. People should know that the executive is just to execute. But in terms of who appropriates money for such project that is ongoing, that they are seeing, it is the National Assembly. It is the Senate committee, House committee on appropriation, that does that work. This project is important. It is the Senate Committee on Appropriation that is the facilitator, not the minister, whose job is to execute. As we speak, the road is ongoing. Money has been budgeted. I’m very, very sure all the money will not be enough, but somebody will have to lobby to ensure there’s more funds for the project to be completed. And that is appropriation, it’s not executive function to appropriate money. So our people should be educated about governance process.

“If they have any politics, we are not after any political undertone or whatever on the project. What we are after is that our people are suffering across Ogun state, just as they are suffering across Nigeria based on bad infrastructure. So what we are saying now is that credit should be given to whoever facilitated the project and federal government. But for anybody to deny the fact the project just dropped there without anyone facilitating it, it is just being ingrate.

“This time, they should stop playing petty politics on the project that is already ongoing”.