Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said it has become increasingly difficult to speak truth to power under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Makinde made the remarks on Saturday while speaking at a public event in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He contrasted the current situation with what he described as a more consultative leadership approach during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including the immediate past Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, whose leadership style Makinde said he deeply missed.
“You cannot speak truth to power in this dispensation,” the governor said, as he criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of the tax reform bills.
According to Makinde, state governors had asked that the tax bill be withdrawn to allow for broader consultation, but their concerns were ignored.
“We said, ‘Bring the tax bill back; let us all have an opportunity to look at it dispassionately,’ but they insisted it must go ahead,” he said. “It is an affront that even governors are saying that what the presidency has done by sending the tax bill to the National Assembly is wrong. We don’t know what was passed, and we don’t know what was eventually signed.”
Addressing Osinbajo directly, Makinde said, “When I say I miss you, I miss you so much, sir.”
The governor also credited Osinbajo’s leadership as chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) for influencing his decision not to impose a total lockdown in Oyo State during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recalling events from early 2020, Makinde said he was barely seven months into office when the pandemic broke out.
“We came for a NEC meeting during COVID-19. It was a very heated meeting,” he said. “Some of my colleagues had decided that all states should be locked down. But the chairman of the council, Professor Osinbajo, allowed room for discussion.”
Makinde explained that Osinbajo’s approach gave him the confidence to adopt a different strategy for Oyo State.
“That is why Oyo State was not totally locked down during COVID,” he said. “Sir, I personally miss you in that position. A lot of people may not know why things are not the same today. This is not political talk; I am not speaking from a political podium.”
