Makinde Warns Contractors Against Kickbacks: ‘Offer Me 50% and Face the Consequences’

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has warned contractors and public officials against offering him kickbacks, saying anyone who attempts to return 50 per cent of project funds to him could face prosecution.

Makinde made the remarks while reviewing the first 100 days of his administration during an interactive programme on the state-owned broadcasting corporation, where he answered questions from journalists and residents on education, employment, infrastructure, security, healthcare and other government programmes.

Speaking on corruption and the execution of public projects, the governor said his administration inherited a system in which, according to information presented to him, large percentages of money allocated for projects were allegedly diverted before the actual work began.

Makinde claimed he was told that under such arrangements, as much as 50 per cent of the value of a contract could be returned to the governor, while other officials also allegedly demanded percentages from the same project.

He argued that such practices left only a small portion of public funds available for the actual execution of projects and consequently deprived residents of value for money.

Makinde said his administration would not tolerate such a system.

“When money is voted, please don’t bring 50 per cent back to me because if you do, I will probably put you in jail,” he said.

The governor explained that accepting such money would make him an accomplice in the diversion of public resources.

He said his decision to publicly declare his assets was intended to strengthen accountability and demonstrate that government officials should be held responsible for their conduct.

Makinde also disclosed that his administration had sent an Oyo State Financial Crimes Commission Bill to the State House of Assembly.

He said once the bill was passed, he would sign it into law and ensure that government officials were subject to the same accountability standards.

On youth unemployment, Makinde said young people remained central to his administration’s development plans.

He identified agriculture and its value chain as one of the major areas through which the government intended to create jobs.

The governor said his administration had launched a farming initiative expected to benefit about 50,000 farmers and planned to transform existing farm settlements into modern farm estates.

According to him, the proposed estates would include processing facilities, schools and other infrastructure needed to encourage people to live and work in agricultural communities.

Makinde acknowledged that his government could not resolve all unemployment problems within its first three months but said it was laying the foundation for sustainable job creation.

He maintained that failure to create meaningful opportunities for young people would amount to a major failure of his administration.

On education, the governor expressed concern over Oyo State’s performance in national examinations and said his government was introducing measures to improve student outcomes.

He announced the production of a compilation of past WAEC and NECO questions and answers covering several years, which would be distributed free to students preparing for examinations.

Makinde said free tutorials would also be organised, with particular attention to Mathematics and English.

He added that teachers would be recruited and deployed to schools where they were needed.

The governor appealed to parents to cooperate with the government in efforts to improve educational standards.

Makinde also addressed abandoned and incomplete projects inherited from previous administrations.

He said contractors who had already received government funds would be encouraged to return to site and complete their projects rather than having the contracts automatically abandoned because they were awarded by previous governments.

According to him, the most important consideration was whether a project would add value to the people of Oyo State.

He cited the silo project in Awe, where he said the state had already spent more than N1 billion with little value visible on the ground.

Makinde said the contractor informed the government that an additional N350 million would be required to complete the project, after which he approved the funds and gave the contractor a four-month deadline.

The governor also disclosed that the Moniya-Iseyin road contract had been revoked and was being prepared for re-award to what he described as a more competent contractor.

Makinde said his administration’s development programme was built around four major areas: education, healthcare, agriculture and security.

He argued that improvements in education and health would increase productivity, while expansion of the economy would strengthen the state’s internally generated revenue and reduce dependence on federal allocations.

On security, Makinde said the government was preparing to deploy 100 patrol vehicles to improve security operations across the state.

He stressed that investors would be reluctant to bring capital into an environment where they did not feel safe.

The governor also reversed his earlier campaign position that the state’s CCTV project should be scrapped.

Makinde said after assuming office and reviewing the money already invested in the system, his administration decided it would be better to improve the existing infrastructure rather than discard it completely.

He said the government hoped to upgrade the cameras over time so they could be more effective in identifying and tracking offenders.

On local government administration, Makinde said his administration was preparing for elections into constitutionally recognised local government areas.

He explained that while elections could not be conducted into Local Council Development Areas under the existing constitutional arrangement, caretakers could be appointed to manage them.

The governor said his administration intended to work with the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct local government elections within the first quarter of 2020.

Makinde also addressed problems in the health sector, saying the government had discovered weaknesses in record keeping, drug procurement, equipment and staffing.

He said his administration was reviewing primary healthcare centres and state-owned hospitals to determine their actual needs and improve data collection.

The governor cited medical equipment at Adeoyo Hospital which, according to him, had remained unused despite significant government expenditure.

He said the state had also paid an outstanding amount to General Electric to enable radiographic equipment at the hospital to be installed and made functional.

Makinde warned contractors and companies handling government projects that the administration would insist on obtaining full value for every naira spent.

He said projects would not be accepted merely because they appeared functional during commissioning, only to stop working shortly afterward.

The governor also spoke about bursary payments to Oyo State students at the Nigerian Law School.

He explained that the initial N500,000 support approved for some students was based on requests received from a particular batch and acknowledged complaints from those who were excluded.

Makinde apologised to affected students and promised that future bursary arrangements would be properly budgeted to cover both main and supplementary batches.

He said the broader objective of his administration was to introduce better planning, accountability and continuity so that Oyo State could avoid abandoned projects and obtain greater value from public spending.