The 33 excavators bought by Ajimobi administration for Oyo LGs are nowhere to be found

By Maroof Asudemade

When the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi procured 33 Caterpillar excavators for the 33 local government areas of Oyo State, the intention was clear: equip the councils to grade roads, maintain rural routes and ease the burden of communities whose roads are often forgotten by successive governments. It was a public investment designed to bring governance closer to the people.

Seven years into Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, however, an uncomfortable question demands a succinct answer: where are those 33 excavators?

Across Oyo State, the condition of many inner roads remains deplorable. In rural communities and urban neighbourhoods alike, residents contend with potholes, erosion, muddy stretches and roads that become nearly impassable during the rainy season. Farmers struggle to move produce, motorists spend more on repairs, and ordinary residents bear the cost of infrastructure neglect. Yet equipment procured specifically to strengthen grassroots road maintenance appears to have vanished from public conversation.

Has the Makinde administration accounted for these machines? How many are functional? How many have broken down? Where are those that were allocated to the local governments? If they have become unusable, what happened to the maintenance budgets? And if they are still available, why are communities still battling such appalling road conditions?

These are not trivial questions. They concern public assets purchased to serve the people. A change of government does not confer the right to neglect inherited infrastructure, nor does it absolve a successor administration of the responsibility to protect public investments.

The Oyo State House of Assembly reportedly raised concerns in February 2024 about broken earth-moving equipment belonging to local governments and called for action to repair serviceable machines. That makes a transparent account of the excavators even more necessary. The government should publish an inventory showing the location, condition and operational status of every machine.

Makinde’s administration cannot continually point to major projects while the everyday infrastructure needs of ordinary citizens remain a source of frustration. Governance is not measured only by impressive announcements or the construction of prominent roads; it is also measured by whether residents can reach their farms, schools, markets and homes without enduring avoidable hardship.

If Ajimobi’s excavators are still in government custody, let the administration show the people where they are. If they are broken down, let it explain why they were not maintained. If they have been transferred or disposed of, let the records speak. Silence can only deepen public suspicion.

Governor Makinde, the people of Oyo State deserve answers, not excuses. Where are our 33 excavators?