Members of Ibadan Traditional Council in Oyo State have berated Governor Seyi Makinde for the way he is handling of security in Ibadan.

In a statement on Sunday at the end of their meeting, the traditional rulers accused Makinde of “distancing himself from the traditional institution and running a one-man show.”

Speaking one after another, the traditional rulers, who are heads of various communities, family heads and Olubadan-in-Council, expressed  dissatisfaction with the style of the governor and the growing insecurity in the state capital.

The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba  Lekan Balogun, when contacted on the telephone conformed the authenticity of the statement to our correspondent.

The traditional rulers said they had made many attempts to interact with the governor on the situation in the land, adding that it had not been possible.

They asked Oba Nureni Yusuf, the Alajia of Ajia in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state, the local community where Makinde hails from,  to advise the governor to change his way.

They asked leaders in various communities to raise vigilante groups to stem the tide of insecurity in their domains.

Oba Balogun said the council had nothing against Makinde but they were passionate about putting an end to insecurity in Ibadan and its environs. They said the governor should include traditional institution in putting a lasting solution to insecurity.

He said, “The issue of security needs multi-dimensional approach and there is no way the government alone can solve it. As the closest institution to the people, we have crucial roles to play to ensure that the menace of insecurity is tackled and that is the reason why there must be collaboration between us and the government to avoid working at cross-purposes.”

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However, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, Sunday Odukoya, said the governor did not distance himself from the traditional institution contrary to what the council claimed.

He said, “ The governor has held meetings with them on many occasions and at the last security meeting, Oloye Lekan Alabi represented the Olubadan. So, it is not correct to say the governor doesn’t interact with the traditional institution.

“No governor in the state did what Governor Seyi Makinde has done. He has provided an enabling environment for security agencies to discharge their duties and nobody should expect him to go and wear uniform and be doing security work on the road.”