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In this report, MOSES ALAO, writes on the flag-off of the re-election campaign of the Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde and the governor’s stewardship in the last 43 months.
March 11, 2022 will mark the end of an important circle and the beginning of a new one for the teeming people of Oyo State. On that auspicious day, it will be four years and two days since the people of the state took the daunting decision to trust the Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, whom major political leaders in the state, back in 2019, with the onerous task of leading the state as governor.
He, in 2019, had been dismissed with a wave of the hand by most political players based on the insinuation that he had no political experience, having not held any political office prior to seeking the governorship position. But the people of the state had chosen March 9, 2019 to put paid to that dismissal, entrusting him and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the responsibility of governing the state after eight unbroken years of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)/All Progressives Congress (APC). Many people, especially those of the APC extraction had derisively said that decision would bring nothing but regrets to the Oyo State electorate.
Two months and a few days to the fourth anniversary since that decision was taken, however, it has been all joy for the people of the state, as their governor, the man who has admirably become their trusted friend and dependable leader, Governor Makinde, has spared nothing to ensure that they do not regret the decision to repose their confidence in him.
Indeed, the governor had so much to say to prove how well he had justified the people’s confidence in him, when he, on Thursday, 5 January, 2022, flagged off the campaign for his re-election. From the elegantly decorated stages of the re-election flag-off event held at the historic Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the words of the governor, hit the right chords with the people of the state, as they are all living witnesses to how the Makinde administration has changed the game for good with regards to Oyo State’s development, the wellbeing and security of its people.
Among his people, he has come to be adored as GSM, the Engineer of Modern Oyo State and friend of the masses, based on the unprecedented strides he has recorded in fixing the infrastructure deficit of the state and putting smiles on the faces of workers, pensioners and residents of the state. The joy on the faces of thousands, who attended the Mapo Hall event bears witness to that adoration. Little wonder the governor could declare boldly; “we have put first in all of our decisions.”
In a country, where campaign flag-offs come with different ideas and experiences, with some office holders seeking re-election relishing it as a glorious moment to shine, while others are served their judgment for all lies and deceits perpetuated in office, Makinde shone bright and stood tall and got the deserved accolades for his masterful delivery of good governance in the last 43 months. Every word said could be matched with the results on the ground across the five zones of Oyo State, as the governor informed the thousands of jubilant crowd and, indeed, those in faraway locations to the Ibadan venue of the event, as the event was televised live on three national stations, about his exploits in office.
Promises made and kept
While giving his stewardship account for the last 43 months, the governor said: “Under Omituntun 1.0, I promised you that, in the education sector, we would achieve the sole ownership of LAUTECH by Oyo State, and we have achieved that. Today, we have also achieved the upgrade of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo to a University of Education.
“I promised economic prosperity to the people of Oyo State under Omituntun 1.0. I said I would take them from poverty to prosperity. We have grown the Internally Generated Revenue from N1.4bn every month in 2019 when we took over the reins of government to N3.8bn as of November 2022.
“Under Omituntun 1.0, I promised that our infrastructure would integrate all the zones of our state and target our economy. We have done the 65km Moniya-Ijaye-Iseyin Road. There is Oyo-Iseyin Road; Ogbomoso-Iseyin Road; Apete-Awotan-Akufo Road; Airport Road; Akobo flyover and others.
“We scrapped the N3,000 education levy. I promised that workers and retirees would get their full salaries and pensions on/or before the 25th of every month; that date is now known as the GSM date and since 2019, workers and pensioners get paid.
“I promised the people a safe and secure environment, and we brought in Amotekun.”
When the facts speak for themselves
The Makinde, perhaps in choosing the option of a brief speech, had stopped at the mention of a few achievements recorded by the administration, but the admiration and applause from the crowd showed that there are more achievements, which cannot be left unsaid. From the payment of close to N12 billion in salaries and pensions to state and local government workers on or before the 25th of every month, christened GSM Date, to the payment of close to N15 billion in gratuity arrears from 2011 to 2014, Governor Makinde has exceeded expectations as the Engineer of Happiness and Laughter. His renown among workers and pensioners, who had once been derided and insulted by Makinde’s predecessor in office and the level of understanding and cooperation shown to his administration are facts that speak for themselves, despite attempt by one of his opponents, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord Party, to sell falsehood about the payment of salaries in the state.
Aware that the economy of the state needed a boost and that such boost would only come when there is the right infrastructure, the governor hit the ground running in fixing the huge infrastructure deficit in the state. He was reputed for always saying that wherever roads go, development follows and this position has been justified with the huge investments already attracted to the state through agribusiness. Only recently, a N300 billion investment in sugar plantation and factory was flagged off in guess where, Iseyin! Prior to the flag-off of Brent Sugar Plantation and Factory, the governor had gone to Ado Awaye, also in Iseyin Local Government, to launch the Psaltery International Limited’s Sorbitol Factory, reputed to be the second largest in the whole world.
For anyone who has followed Makinde’s administration closely, the governor has always ceased every occasion to explain his vision of linking every zone of the state to the other. The government had designated OkeOgun as the bastion of agriculture and agribusiness, hence the resuscitation and redesignation of the Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) as the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) and the rebuilding of its headquarters in Saki. It was, therefore, a confirmation of Makinde’s vision when the same Iseyin and OkeOgun, which Governor Makinde administration has or is still connecting to other zones through the completed 65 kilometres Ibadan-Iseyin Road, the ongoing 76 kilometres Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road and the close to 40 kilometres Oyo-Iseyin Road under construction, has attracted hundred of billions in agribusiness investments.
From Eruwa-Lanlate-Maya Road, to Ajia-Airport Road with spur to Amuloko, to the Apata-Benbo-Jankata Road, the Akanran-Dagbolu Road, the Challenge Junction Improvement, the Iwo Road Interchange-Lalupon-Iwo-Osogbo Road, which the Makinde administration is collaborating with the Osun State governor to fix, the governor has gone about solving agelong infrastructure challenges. The government had equally yielded to the yearnings of the people to address challenges on internal roads, with the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSTROMA) upping the ante in delivering the administration’s operation zero pothole vision.
The time, on Thursday, also did not allow the governor to dwell on his administration has changed the narrative in the health sector and especially the Primary Health Care sector, where the administration is running with a vision to build at least one Primary Health Care Centre in each of the 351 Wards of Oyo State. To date, the administration has completed the renovation and equipment of close to 250 of such facilities, with the PHC Board recently distributing 8KVA Generating Sets to 217 PHCs across the state.
The remodeled Adamasingba Sport Complex, where the world-standard mainbowl has already begun to host international matches and the new structures for different sports, including the tennis, gymnasium, basketball and others, is also another fact the governor didn’t need to mention at Mapo. Ditto the exploits of the state’s football team, Shooting Stars Sports Club, who recently won the FA Cup and the state’s contingent to the recently concluded National Sports Festival in Delta State, who ranked fourth on the list of states with the highest medals.
From Omituntun 1.0 to Omituntun 2.0
Various landmark achievements too numerous for the governor to mention on Thursday, premised on the people-centric templates of development, which were designed by Engr. Makinde and his team, and tagged Oyo State Roadmap for Accelerated Development, 2019-2023, exist across critical areas including education, health, security, economic expansion through agribusiness, infrastructure development, housing and many others.
But for the governor, it was time to stop looking at past records and exploits. It was time to drive forward, and as it is said that one can’t drive forward looking in the rear-view mirror, Governor Makinde rallied Oyo State people to rise and move the state forward with him by upgrading to Omituntun 2.0, which according to him, will centre on sustainable development and consolidating on the achievements already recorded.
The governor had said in a recent interview that upon his re-election as governor of the Pacesetter State, he would concentrate on education, health, security, infrastructure building and economic expansion, but that the latter component will not only focus on agribusiness but also on tourism and mineral development.
What the govs said
Makinde’s colleague-governors and brothers, who make up the G-5 Integrity Governors, did not also mince words when they applauded the governor for doing so much within a short time and also called on the people of the state to move forward with him unto Omituntun 2.0 by re-electing him for another four years so as to consolidate on what he has achieved for the state.
Rivers State governor, Barr. NyesomWike, said: “Let me thank you for making your son available. He is a young man you can trust. A young man whose yes is yes and no is no. You all know that Makinde has done well since you gave him the mandate in 2019 and the only way we can appreciate him more is for him to go back and complete the good work he has started.
“The people of Oyo State have spoken that it is PDP. Vote for Makinde. tote for the senatorial candidates, House of Representatives and House of Assemblies candidates.”
Similarly, Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, said: “We are here today to join our friend, brother and a very committed PDP member to thank Oyo people on the 2019 mandate you gave to him.
“Today, as we seek your commitment and assurance, we believe that in 2023, Oyo will deliver Seyi Makinde back to Government House. He has not disappointed. He has done well. He is a truthful person who believes in fairness, equity and justice.”
Abia State governor, OkezieIkpeazu, in his short speech, hailed Governor Makinde as the youth leader of G5 governors, stating that he represents the group’s vision for a better Nigeria, while also rallying residents of the state to re-elect him for another term.
Interestingly, apart from Wike, Ortom, Abia State and Enugu states governors, OkezieIkpeazu and IfeanyiUgwuanyi, who attended the Mapo event and paid glowing tributes to Makinde, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, Ondo State governor, ArakunrinRotimiAkeredolu, SAN, Kwara State governor, AbdulrasaqAdulrahman, Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, former Ekiti State governor, Dr. KayodeFayemi and many others, who had been in the state at one point or the other to inspect and/or commission projects undertaken by the Makinde administration, have severally hailed him as a good leader, who cares about his people. In fact, in what would appear as a prophetic declaration, Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, had recently said at an event at the IITA, Ibadan, that going by the good works done by Governor Makinde, it would be difficult for the APC to defeat him.
As Babaloja, Iyaloja, ethnic communities in Ibadan endorse gov
The festival of endorsements for Governor Makinde had also continued with the Babaloja-General of Oyo State, Alhaji Y.K Abass; Iyaloja of Oyo State; heads of the Arewa and the Igbo communities all gave the governor’s administration a pass mark, pledging the support of their followers for him in the March 11 governorship election.
While the representative of the Arewa Community chanted “Seyinamukeso,” meaning it is Seyi we want, the representative of the Igala community hailed the governor for good performance and many achievements that have made life meaningful for the people, the EzeNdigbo of Oyo State, Chief Oramadike, expressed gratitude to the governor for appointing two Igbo men as aides.
Sights and sounds at ‘a festival of good governance’
The event did not take much time to metamorphose into a jamboree to celebrate GSM’s giant strides and the immense strength of the ruling PDP, whose members and leaders donned ankara uniforms, while Makinde and his colleagues wore the tradition asookeagbada renowned with Oyo State. Different sights and sounds combined to make the event thick, with Fuji icons, SaheedOsupa and Taye Currency on hand to add life to the event.
While the former waxed lyrical with an anthem that itemised the achievements of the governor and called on residents of the state to re-elect Makinde for the continued progress of the state, Currency electrified the environment with his home-boy charisma as he sang his the popular: One-Seyi, Two-Seyi, Three-Seyi, Four-Seyi, Five-Seyi, Six-Seyi, Seven-Seyi, Eight-Seyi, signalling the number of years the people would have the governor spend in office.
As lyrics were plentiful, so were dance steps, with the governor and his colleagues in the G-5 as well as the wife of the Oyo State governor, Engr. Tamunominini Makinde and the teeming crowd thrilling with dance steps that communicated their inner joy.
Makinde, others get PDP flags
As the final icing on the cake of the landmark event, the national leadership of the PDP embodied by its Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador TaofeekArapaja, delivered the symbolic flags to the governor and the National Assembly standard-bearers in all the three senatorial districts and 14 federal constituencies, urging residents of the state to elect them all for a better and greater Oyo State and Nigeria.
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