IBADAN TRAGEDY: OPPOSITION, OYO GOVT THROW BRICKBATS

The opposition yesterday lashed out at the Oyo State government and Governor Abiola Ajimobi's continued absence five days after the tragic flooding of Ibadan, the state capital, which left scores of the city residents dead, hundreds homeless and property destroyed.

The governor is being expected to return from Mecca where he has been on Lesser Hajj. But to the opposition, his being outside the country five 'days after the most disastrous disaster that ever visited Oyo State', underscored the disdain and lack of care for the people of the state especially victims of the disaster. In a statement by the spokesman of the former governor of the state, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the opposition accused the governor of 'leaving his spinners to cook up flimsy excuses for his absence.'

He said: 'Never in the history of our State has there been such flagrant abdication of official duty, while the helpless victims of the disaster lick their wounds virtually alone, government officials are engaged in a grandiose cover-up on the where about of the Governor. Even if Governor Ajimobi finally showed up tonight, the signal has already been sent to the generality of our people that, at the end of the day, they are on their own. The statement advised the governor 'that he should live up to his responsibility as the custodian of hope and succor for our people. But, in a swift reaction, Ajimobi's media aide, Festus Adedayo, described the opposition's 'do good' intervention as mischievous and malicious.

Setting the records straight, the governor's spokesman reminded that Ajimobi, upon being informed of the calamity in faraway Saudi Arabia, had immediately ordered relief and rescue operations and immediately cut short his pilgrimage on Saturday.

'But as events were to indicate, there was no flight that he could get immediately to Nigeria, so he secured one leaving for Dubai. We expect him this evening or tomorrow morning. However, the governor is on a minute-by-minute discussion with his deputy, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) officials and local council chairmen on rescue of victims, provision of relief materials and immediate reconstruction of bridges on affected areas.

Indeed, on the instruction of the governor, some of the foremost construction companies in Nigeria have arrived Ibadan and today went round the affected areas, with a view to beginning the immediate reconstruction of the destroyed bridges.' Adedayo said further: 'This government actually does not want to join issues with the PDP. It is only idle, evil and mischievous persons who would want to politicise and capitalize on the issue of death of scores of our citizens for which the world has sympathised with us in the last couple of days.

It is unfortunate that the PDP is seeking to politicize this tragedy, which was caused greatly by years of criminal neglect and complicity of the ousted government.

This is mirrored by the fact that the Commissioner for Environment in the ousted government, who handled money meant for environmental and developmental projects in the state, has, for months now, being a tenant of the EFCC, on allegation of criminal theft of money meant for the rehabilitaion of our environment.?'It was actually the current government's projection of how to tackle this?accumulated rot that gave birth to its establishment.