AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has challenged Governor Seyi Makinde and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, to address concerns over local government administration, healthcare and education in Oyo State rather than accuse Senator Sharafadeen Alli of copying government policies in his Oyo AHEAD manifesto.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, the organisation described the allegation as misleading, insisting that Alli’s experience as a former council chairman, Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff and serving senator informed his policy proposals.
SSACO said the manifesto’s proposed local government autonomy was aimed at addressing what it described as poor grassroots administration.
It claimed that the state’s 33 local governments had received about 873 billion naira in Federation Account allocations since 2019, but their budgets were not publicly accessible online.
On healthcare, the organisation alleged that six local government areas had no general hospitals, while several existing facilities lacked adequate medical personnel.
It said Alli’s proposed Oyo Care initiative would provide free healthcare for infants, pregnant women and residents aged 70 and above, alongside recruitment of health workers and improved hospital facilities.
The campaign organisation also cited education challenges, claiming that about 674,000 children aged between three and 17 were out of school in the state, while public primary school classrooms accommodated an average of 100 pupils.
It said Oyo AHEAD proposed reducing class sizes to 30 pupils, rehabilitating schools across the 33 local governments, introducing scholarships for gifted children from poor backgrounds and establishing an apprenticeship programme.
Other proposals in the manifesto include a 10-billion-naira youth fund, improved agricultural development, affordable housing and a 20-year warranty on newly constructed roads.
SSACO maintained that the debate should focus on the implementation of policies and their impact on residents rather than allegations of political plagiarism. It also accused the Makinde administration of excessive centralisation, insisting that Alli’s manifesto offered alternative approaches to governance in the state.
