The campaign team of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 election, has raised concerns over the planned utilisation of a €55 million French Government concessional loan secured by the Oyo State Government, warning Governor Seyi Makinde against diverting the facility to projects it described as politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the organisation said the loan, valued at approximately N85 billion, should be used strictly to rehabilitate and equip the state’s deteriorating healthcare facilities rather than fund hurried projects as the Makinde administration approaches the end of its tenure.
According to the campaign organisation, the loan repayment is expected to begin under the next administration, making the facility a significant financial obligation for the people of Oyo State beyond Makinde’s tenure.
“It has come to our notice that Governor Makinde has constituted a committee to design how the money will be swiftly spent under the guise of executing some projects four months to the general election and eight months to the end of his government,” the organisation said.
It alleged that the timing of the proposed expenditure had raised questions about the government’s intentions, particularly amid preparations for the 2027 general elections and what it described as Makinde’s presidential ambition.
The group also linked the loan to wider concerns over the state’s borrowing profile, recalling that the Oyo State House of Assembly approved the governor’s request in June for a N200 billion bond to refinance existing debts.
“Coming at an election season, a cloud of doubt hangs over the sincerity of the Makinde-led government on these hurriedly conceived and ill-thought-out financial decisions that will further increase the already heavy burden imposed on the state since he assumed office in 2019,” it said.
The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation further argued that increased allocations to the state and its 33 local government councils following the removal of the petrol subsidy should provide greater fiscal room for government to address pressing needs without resorting to questionable borrowing or hurried expenditure.
It said monthly allocations had quadrupled over the past three and a half years, describing the increased revenue as an opportunity for state and local governments to cushion the effects of subsidy removal.
While stating that it would support any genuine effort to improve healthcare delivery in Oyo, the organisation demanded full disclosure of the French loan arrangements.
It specifically called for the publication of the loan’s terms, disbursement schedule, contractors, procurement processes, implementation timelines and the hospitals that would benefit from the facility.
“Oyo State citizens and residents deserve to know how every euro will be spent,” the statement said, warning against inflated contracts, rushed procurement processes, questionable consultancy fees or projects that could be used primarily to support political activities.
The campaign organisation also urged the Makinde administration not to enter into opaque contracts or commence projects that could not be completed and independently verified before the government leaves office.
It called on the Oyo State House of Assembly, civil society organisations, professional healthcare bodies and the media to scrutinise the utilisation of the loan.
According to the group, healthcare investments should produce tangible improvements for residents, including functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines and modern medical equipment.
“The people of Oyo State need functional hospitals, trained medical personnel, essential medicines, modern equipment and accessible healthcare—not cosmetic renovations, abandoned structures or projects existing only in government publicity materials,” it said.
The campaign organisation maintained that transparency and measurable public value should guide borrowing by government, arguing that loans contracted in the name of Oyo residents must translate into sustainable benefits.
It added that it would continue to scrutinise the deployment of state resources and hold the Makinde administration accountable for what it described as “curious expenditure”.
