The media team of the Executive Chairman of Iwajowa Local Government, Hon. Oyewumi Muritala Abiodun, has defended the administration’s performance, citing projects in healthcare, security, education and infrastructure in response to criticisms directed at the council boss and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
The team, in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Natural Media Team, described the criticism as a sponsored campaign of calumny, alleging that opposition elements were behind the attacks on the governor and the council chairman.
It maintained that the administration had recorded achievements in several sectors within 29 months, adding that the projects were aimed at translating Makinde’s Omituntun 2.0 sustainable development agenda into tangible benefits for residents.
The media team urged residents of Iwajowa to assess the administration based on its record of projects and interventions rather than what it described as politically motivated allegations.
According to the statement, the council had undertaken the renovation of primary healthcare centres and construction of staff quarters in Itasa and Iwere-Ile, the local government headquarters, to strengthen healthcare delivery at the grassroots.
It also listed primary healthcare projects facilitated under the IMPACT programme in Okeafin, Ayede, Ajase, Elekokan and Ayegun-Wasimi, as well as the construction of an ultra-modern abattoir at Oke-Adura, Iganna.
On security, the media team said the administration had constructed a police station at Ilaji-Ile, describing the facility as the first police station in the community’s history.
It added that an Amotekun Corps office had been constructed at Iwere-Ile, with two motorcycles provided to enhance rapid response to security threats.
The statement further disclosed that solar-powered streetlights had been installed at three divisional police stations in Iganna, Iwere-Ile and Ijio, as well as the newly constructed police station at Ilaji-Ile.
It said the council had also sustained monthly security council meetings to strengthen coordination among stakeholders and promote peace across the local government area.
On infrastructure, the media team listed the renovation of the council chairman’s office, construction of a Traditional Council of Obas and Chiefs building at the secretariat in Iwere-Ile, and the acquisition of 27.38 hectares of land for the Governor Seyi Makinde Restoration Estate in Iganna.
Other projects cited included the construction of a three-classroom block with an office at Community Grammar School, Iganna; reconstruction of a box culvert along Ofeegun-Elekokan and Balogun Village; dredging of Agbua River; and grading of rural roads linking farming settlements.
The council also reportedly provided motorised boreholes at Olorunda Market in Elekokan, Olopele Village in Idiko-Ago, and communities in Samo, Ijio and Ayede.
In the education sector, the statement said the administration had awarded scholarships to 11 indigenes to study at Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, Ibadan, and 14 others at the Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ibadan.
It added that two indigenes had received full sponsorship for three-year diploma programmes in Environmental Health Technology and Community Health Extension Work (CHEW).
The media team also listed the donation of science laboratory equipment to eight selected secondary schools, alongside the distribution of agricultural inputs, seedlings and chemicals to farmers.
Other interventions, according to the statement, included the acquisition of farmland for the local government’s agricultural activities, distribution of modern bricklaying tools to artisans, and procurement of laptops and a printer to facilitate the digitisation of council operations.
On international cooperation, the team recalled the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Iwajowa Local Government and 11 communes of the Republic of Benin on August 18, 2025, in Cotonou.
It said the agreement covered economic cooperation, security and cultural exchange.
The statement also highlighted the 30th anniversary of Iwajowa Local Government’s creation, organised by the council chairman on October 5, 2026, describing the celebration as unprecedented in the history of local government administration in Oyo State.
Challenging former chairmen of the council to present comparable records of achievement, the media team maintained that the current administration had demonstrated commitment to grassroots development through its projects and welfare interventions.
It urged traditional rulers, community leaders, market women, youths, farmers and other stakeholders to disregard what it described as unfounded allegations against the governor and the council chairman.
The team, however, did not identify the specific publications or individuals responsible for the alleged campaign of calumny in the statement.
It reaffirmed the chairman’s commitment to continuing the administration’s development programmes in collaboration with the Makinde-led state government.