|By Adejumo Adekunle
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has firmly rejected claims that he received ₦50 billion from President Bola Tinubu to manage the aftermath of the January 2024 Ibadan explosion, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
The governor challenged former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, to publicly present credible evidence to support the claim or immediately stop spreading what he called deliberate falsehoods.
The allegation resurfaced after Fayose, during a televised interview, alleged that the Presidency released ₦50 billion following the Ibadan explosion but that the funds were not paid into the official accounts of the Oyo State Government. Fayose further alleged that the process lacked transparency.
The January 2024 explosion in Ibadan claimed five lives, injured at least 77 people, and destroyed about 55 houses, triggering calls for urgent intervention and support for affected residents.
Following the incident, Makinde visited President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he submitted a detailed report on the explosion and sought federal assistance for relief, recovery, and reconstruction.
The controversy intensified after Fayose’s former aide, Lere Olayinka, echoed similar claims on social media, alleging that while ₦50 billion was reportedly received, only ₦4.5 billion was disbursed to victims.
Reacting to the allegations, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, dismissed the claims as baseless, reckless, and deliberately misleading. He stated that no such amount was ever received by the Oyo State Government from the Federal Government.
Olarenwaju challenged Fayose and others pushing the narrative to provide verifiable evidence, stressing that public allegations without proof amount to misinformation capable of misleading the public.
The Oyo State Government maintained that all funds and interventions linked to the Ibadan explosion were handled transparently, with proper documentation guiding the disbursement of relief materials, compensation, and reconstruction efforts.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to accountability and transparency, noting that the administration remains open to scrutiny by relevant authorities and the general public.
