Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has taken a swipe at Southwest governors for what he described as shameless waste of public funds, with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, topping the list for allocating a staggering N63 billion to renovate the Government House he does not even live in.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 2025 National Conference of Egbe Amofin O’dua in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Falana condemned the decision as a glaring case of misplaced priorities, warning that such reckless governance is plunging the region deeper into poverty and infrastructural decay.
“The governor of Oyo State, who comes to work from his private residence, now wants to rehabilitate the Government House with N63bn, an amount that can provide good roads and electricity across the state,” he said.
Falana also singled out the Lagos State government, accusing its House of Assembly of squandering N45 billion on SUVs within four years, and planning another N20 billion on utility vehicles despite widespread infrastructural neglect and poverty in the state.
He lamented that while citizens battle poor roads, crumbling schools, and inadequate electricity, political leaders across the region continue to prioritise self-serving projects over the people’s welfare.
“Education is in bad shape; no Southwest state is up-to-date in accessing the Universal Basic Education Commission fund, yet out-of-school children are on the rise. Instead of fixing these problems, governors are busy with wasteful projects,” he said.
The legal luminary urged citizens to hold their leaders accountable, warning that without an urgent change in governance priorities, the Southwest will continue to regress despite its vast human and material resources.
