The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Oyo State Governor, Taiwo Adisa has rubbished the report that his principal, Governor Seyi Makinde unduly influenced the World Bank backed project as false and mischievous.
Adisa stated this on Thursday while featuring on FRESH FM programme anchored by Mayor Isaac Brown and monitored by GOALPOACHER NEWS quoted him as saying that citizens and residents of Oyo State shouldn’t have the impression that the state is throwing away whatever sum of money coming from the World Bank.
Adisa noted thatt the essence of the initiative that was put in place by the governor was to ensure that Oyo State gets value for the money from this project.
His words:”People should not have the impression that Oyo State is throwing away whatever sum of money from the World Bank. The first underlying fact we should understand is, it is a loan.
“This is a loan but not a gift from the World Bank like some people want us to believe. But then, the essence of the initiative that was put in place by the governor was to ensure that we have value for money from this project.
“Whatever that has been spent before, we want to get better results so that the loan that we are going to be paying and probably transmit to other governments would have served its purpose and flooding issue in Ibadan will have been tackled to the barest minimum.
“So, that is the essence of the conversation right now between the government of Oyo State and the World Bank. The communication came from the World Bank and another response went from the state government.
“Even the World Bank that was quoted by Sahara Reporters was not definitive to the fact.
“Some Reporters got some certain aspect of this report wrong to say that Oyo State government is begging them not to go. No, we are putting certain structures in place. We are making sure that this project is key to our heart. Flooding is a problem that nobody can estimate the extent it will go.
“So, we are taking every step to make sure that this project continues. That is what the state government has affirmed. An undertaken was taken in May that we will see this project through and the issue of flooding will be taken to its barest low in Oyo State. This distraction coming out will be sorted out and the people have nothing to fear.”