SPN berates Makinde for joining June 12 protest

• Says action mischievous, diversionary
• Describes 25% LAUTECH fee reduction as cosmetic
• Gov urges residents to maintain a healthy environment

The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), yesterday, berated Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for joining the June 12 protest in Ibadan at the weekend.

Describing the action as mischievous and diversionary, SPN faulted the insinuation that the governor was genuinely part of the protest.

In a statement by its state’s Secretary, Adedeji Adigun, the party said: “It is our belief in SPN that the governor’s appearance at the protest was never genuine or conceived to identify with the protest and its demands as insinuated in some media reports. Rather, it was meant to create a false impression that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in the state is not a part of the failure over insecurity and economic crisis that were the basis of the protest.

“It was also a game-plan to detract attention from the objective of the protest by simply using money to toy with the beggarly economic condition of the protesting workers and youths.

“Unfortunately, the dubious game-plan was obviously affirmed by the open fight that broke out among some protesters while struggling to share the needless and unsolicited money allegedly given to them.

“No wonder the government has continued to remain indifferent to the plight of thousands of youths who are often used as casual workers under terribly precarious and slavery working conditions across some private companies in Oyo State.

“This is besides the cost of education, which continues to be unavoidable for many youths in the state despite the recently announced 25 per cent cosmetic reduction of the unstipulated amount of payable fees in certain institutions like Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH).

“Therefore, as far as we are concerned in SPN, such a government cannot be said to be pro-youths in any way.

“It is in the light of this we reject the wrong insinuations that the participation of the governor in the June 12 protest is with a good intention.

It also condemned in totality the statement credited to the Oyo State Acting Publicity Secretary of the APC, Dr. Azeez Olatunde, who wrongly described the June 12 protest in Ibadan as a secessionist agitation organised by hoodlums.
MEANWHILE, Makinde has urged the restoration of the environment.

The governor, who stated this during the World Environment Day and planting of trees at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, promised that all dump-sites would be turned into sanitary landfills.

He said indiscriminate dumping of wastes, deforestation, pollution of water bodies, toxic wastes and food sanitation would be controlled.