Of Folarin, Makinde and the Other “Takute”

By Sola Abegunde

The 2023 gubernatorial election in Oyo state was a fierce and straight battle between Governor Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and former Senate Leader, Teslim Kolawole Folarin of the All Progressives Congress, ( APC).

The build up to that election was filled with intrigues, twists and turns.

I remember a particular statement made by Folarin during the electioneering which Governor Makinde’s corner made a lot of jests about after the election was called in favour of the Governor.

It was Folarin’s reference to ” Takute”, (trap) and how he had set two Takute for Makinde confident of having the then PDP candidate in either or both of the Takutes.

Folarin’s reference to Takute was an euphemism.

I do not clearly recollect the particular circumstance the former Senate Leader referenced as the first Takute but I remember him saying if that particular Takute did not catch Makinde, he had a sure bet on the second Takute to get the job done.

Folarin is a master strategist, like him or hate him.

As a three time Senator, a former Senate Leader and a first class graduate of the Adedibu school of politics, you can underrate him to your own peril.

The facts that his Takutes did not catch Makinde is not as a result of the latter’s superior strategies or tacts.

I think 2023 was just not for him.

I do not wish to discuss the circumstances that occassioned the loss of the APC in the 2023 gubernatorial election to Makinde here but obviously, both of Folarin’s Takute failed to catch Makinde or perhaps, they caught him but nature freed him.

Interestingly however, Governor Seyi Makinde has been caught in a bigger Takute which both Folarin, himself and ofcourse, no one saw coming.

It is what I will call the ” Takute Eledumare”. The trap of God.

Perhaps, God did not want Folarin to get caught in this Takute of His, reason why He allowed those who did what they did to him to succeed.

Folarin was allowed to fall into the Takute of powerful human forces so he could escape the Takute Eledumare which no one can be freed from.

The debts profile of Oyo state towards the 2023 general election was alarming.

There were reports, though unconfirmed, that Governor Makinde was doing whatever he had to do, including dipping his hands in funds he had no authority to touch to keep his Government running.

In clear terms, he was alleged to have mortgaged the monthly Allocations for the 33 Local Government Councils in a Loan contract which afforded him the opportunity to keep doing ambitious projects and also paying the salaries of civil servants.

For the Governor to have resorted to such a dangerous strategy, the monthly Allocations for the state must have been ineffective to run the humongous Loan amounts he collected all over the places.

Governor Makinde pretended and boasted that he has kept the Government going through ingenious means and no one cared to dig into his claims.

Things were looking good on the surface but the 33 Local Governments in Oyo became comatose because of the lack of resources.

Yet, no one cared. Governor Makinde also, allegedly spent so much money belonging to the Local Governments on LAUTECH and other tertiary Institutions.

The Governor never stopped borrowing and no one bothered to look at the dangers of these borrowings.

Garages were built at very curious and outrageous amounts of money and Loans for that matter.

A Light Up Oyo state project gulped over N28B of Local Government resources.

All balls were to the Governor and the Governor alone.

Many of us who had the opportunities to have served at both the Local and state governments felt something was fundamentally wrong but who will listen.

After all, the Governor was paying salaries and pensions of civil servants, so, who cares where the money was coming from?

I have no problems with a Governor ensuring that workers and pensioners get payed promptly. In fact, I will frown seriously and condemn a Governor who could not.

However, payment of salaries and pensions of civil servants should not be an excuse to kill both the Local Governments and the state with debts which will eventually lead to the inability to fulfill this responsibilities in the future.

It is a question of priority. Pay salaries and pensions of civil servants and concentrate the remaining resources on projects of serious priorities.

Imagine if the N28B wasted on the Light Up Oyo state project were invested in the Education sector and consider its impact on the sector.

The N7.5B wasted on Agri-business plus the N15B wasted on the construction of Parks would have solved the problems of food insufficiency in the state had it been invested in Agriculture.

Sadly and unfortunately for Governor Makinde, the Financial Autonomy granted the Local Governments by the Supreme Court has exposed all that is hidden about the Governor’s acclaimed ” ingenuity”.

The judgment of the Supreme Court in this regard is one big Takute Eledumare which has caught Governor Makinde and no one saw it coming.

Not Teslim. Not Makinde or anyone for that matter.

In the coming days, so much would be revealed to those who did not know about how Governor Makinde has been pillaging the Local Governments to maintain his burrowing culture and the dangers such portend for the future of Oyo state.

The finances of the state is in a terrible mess due to the Governor’s obsession with burrowing.

How could Teslim have handled such a reckless and helpless situation?

By now, as Governor, the former Senate Leader would have been sweating on how to handle the pure bone, ” kikida egungun” which the current situation represents.

Does he or anyone for that matter deserve to be in such shoes? Definitely not.

Thank God, it is the one who created the mess who must find a way to clear it. God works in miraculous ways.

Governor Makinde is in a Takute he helped set for himself.

There is a particular manner we used to found games caught on the Takute in those days.

It was pitiable but we used to be amused and excited, finding games in such predicaments.

It was a situation where you saw the game, with its two hind limbs caught in the Takute.

Any time you saw that, it was game over for the hapless animal caught in such manner.

This unforseen Takute has caught the Governor on his two feet.

If I were Teslim Folarin, I will just grab my popcorn and watch the show.

Takute Eledumare!!!

Sola Abegunde writes from Eruwa