•Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
The Oyo State government has explained that the N30 billion intervention fund released by the federal government following the January 2024 explosion in Bodija, Ibadan, was not publicly announced because “special intervention funds are subject to the budgeting process and do not require public announcements upon receipt.”
This followed the backlash which trailed former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose’s disclosure that the federal government gave Governor Seyi Makinde intervention support for the explosion victims, reports Daily Trust.
Recall that a deadly blast rocked Ibadan on January 16, 2024, and left two people dead and 77 others injured.
Properties worth billions of naira were equally destroyed in the explosion.
Speaking during an interview recently, Fayose asked Makinde to give an account of how he spent N50bn released to him by the federal government.
Fayose also provided documentary evidence of the approval of a N50bn intervention fund by the federal government.
However, Makinde, in a statement issued by his media aide, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, disclosed that, contrary to the N50bn approved, only N30bn was released to the Oyo State Government.
In another statement issued yesterday, the government maintained that it only received N30bn from the federal government.
The government’s position was contained in a statement jointly signed by Professor Musibau Babatunde, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and his Information counterpart, Prince Dotun Oyelade.
According to the statement, the N30bn remained untouched and domiciled in the Oyo State Government Infrastructure Support Account (No. 2045199879) with First Bank of Nigeria since it was released in 2024.
“As of December 31, 2025, the N30 billion remains untouched in the Oyo State infrastructure account with First Bank. Interested members of the public may verify this information with the bank.
“The Oyo State Government has deliberately refrained from utilising the N30 billion already released in recognition of the fact that the remaining N20 billion has remained withheld by the relevant federal agencies for reasons that have not been communicated to the state.
“Given the disgraceful drama of the last couple of days from the Federal Government on the approval, the Government of Oyo State is convinced of the wisdom of its decision to ‘wait and see’ before deciding what to do with the money,” the statement said.
On the N20 billion balance, the government said that almost two years after the disaster, the Federal Government is yet to release the outstanding balance of N20 billion from the approved sum of N50 billion.
“The Oyo State Government remains committed to securing the balance of the approved funds to comprehensively address the damage caused by the explosion to both public and private properties. This is particularly important given the scale of the challenges faced by the state and the victims, many of whom have already been supported within the financial capacity of the state government,” the statement added.
The Makinde government said it had spent N24.6 billion from its own resources on Bodija and its environs in direct response to the explosion and its consequences.
“This includes N20.141 billion spent on the reconstruction of infrastructure in Bodija and surrounding areas, as well as N4.085 billion paid as support and compensation to victims of the explosion. These expenditures were fully borne by the Oyo State Government,” the statement hinted.
The government insisted that it “has nothing to hide and will continue to engage the public transparently on all issues, including this one.”
It added that “Governor Makinde remains committed to serving the people of Oyo State faithfully, truthfully, and with utmost respect for the social contract that binds government to the governed. He has never denied anyone what is legally due to them and will not do so.”
