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Before he became Oyo State governor in 2019, little was known about Seyi Makinde. With no experience in politics or in governance, and no godfather, he was a total stranger in politics.
Even though he excelled in business, he failed twice when he aspired to go to the Senate. Makinde told journalists on tour of projects executed by his government that “Oyo people took a decision in 2019. We did not have godfather. Nobody sponsored me. Nobody gave a dime for us to get in there.
“Before that time, people say Seyi, what has he done before? Has he been a counselor? No. Has he been to the state House of Assembly? No. Has he been to House of Reps? No. How about Senate? I tried twice. I was rejected.
Good omen
“No experience in politics, no experience in governance, but I have done well for myself in business. But the people of Oyo State decided that they want to give this opportunity to an outsider.
The governor did not even help matters, when on May 31, 2019, just two days after he was sworn into office, he had a running battle with members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) when he announced the proscription of the activities in Oyo State.
His chief of staff Bisi Ilaka who announced the proscription said the move was aimed at maintaining peace and order within the state. This was a big mistake; nobody who wagged war with members of the union succeeded. But Makinde proved to be different.
Today, motor garages in Oyo State are being managed by Park Management System, a public-private partnership established by the state government. And in place of the often filthy and chaotic operating environment, transporters and motoring public in Oyo State now ply their trade in a decent and conducive atmosphere.
Bus terminals built by the state government for that purpose, are fitted with expansive functional waiting halls, ticketing areas, banking facilities, food courts, eateries, public convenience, lift facilities and a well-landscaped environment for regular parking spaces.
Other ancillary facilities in the terminals include standby electric power, water reservoir, water treatment plants, waste dump, sewage system, gate posts and gate houses, security perimeter fence for security, flooding lights and perimeter electrification, for the comfort of the passengers.
Four of these bus terminals located at four strategic transit exchanges of Ibadan, exist in the state, and they were constructed to serve passengers traveling to different geopolitical zones of the country.
For travelers going to the North, Ojoo terminal will service their need, while Challenge is for passengers going to the South-West, New Garage terminal serves travelers to the the South East, while Iwo is for the North East.
Makinde, at the inauguration of two of these bus terminals in April 2022, said his administration was building an enduring legacy, because these terminals were not just for boarding buses, but about building “a standard bus terminal that can be obtained anywhere in the world.”
The governor has shown that sanity and order could reign in Nigeria’s transport system, the first kind in Nigeria. Makinde who said governance is not a sprint but a marathon, said he had a vision for Oyo State before he was elected governor in 2019.
This was encapsulated in a policy document, “Roadmap to Accelerate Development of Oyo State 2019 to 2023.” This was categorised into infrastructure, education, health, security, agribusiness and housing.
According to him, he has reduced the infrastructure deficit of Oyo State, with the completion of over 137 kilometers road projects.
Among them are the newly constructed 76.7km Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin Road, named after former governor of the state, Alao-Akala; the 12.5km Theophilus Akinyele Road, which connects AlaoAkala Expressway, terminating and at Jankata-Apata Road; the 38.48km feeder roads in Ibadan, including Challenge-Ring Road, as well as the 7.8km Old Ife-Alakia-Airport Road-Onipepeye underpass with spur to Adegbayi Junction, as well as many other ongoing road projects.
More projects
The ongoing 110 km Ibadan Circular Road named after Senator Rashidi Ladoja, is aimed at easing traffic on Ibadan city centre.
The first phase of the four-lane, dual carriage way, which is about 32.2 km, awarded under a public-private partnership of build, operate and transfer (BOT) model, has a completion period of 18 months.
In addition to the road projects, is the construction of 500,000 Litres Aviation Fuel Storage and Dispensing Facility at Ibadan Airport, which is part of the facilities to upgrade the airport to international standard.
At the moment, Oyo State government is expanding the airport runway even though it is a federal airport. In the area of education, the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education is being upgrading to a University of Education, while a Faculty of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin.
The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, which Oyo State has taken sole ownership is given facelift. The abandoned Fasola Farm is now an industrial hub, and is attracting international agribusiness companies.
Last week, the governor boosted peace and security in Oyo State with the inauguration of 480 Amotekun Corps Forest Rangers, for the security of lives and property in the state.
The rangers are arm of Western Nigeria Security Network WNSN) codenamed Amotekun, established by governors of the South-West states in 2020. The operational activities of the rangers are the security of Oyo forests.
Makinde stated at the inauguration of the corps on October 21, that his government “recognised that there was more to be done to address kidnapping, banditry and other illegal activities in our forests, and this is what led to the initiative to establish forest rangers as a sub-unit of Amotekun in 25 local government areas….
Scope of work
“These rangers are to work within the forests in their local government areas alongside other stakeholders and other community groups. Their task is to secure our farmers and other people engaged in commercial activities. They are also to preserve our natural resources in our forests to prevent illegal activities.”
He had earlier provided 500 vehicles, which are regularly fueled, to security agencies in Oyo State. Makinde however said he does not want to be remembered only for the infrastructure he executed but rather for building strong institutions that will guarantee good governance.
“This is one promise I have given to my people; that we will continue to build strong institutions in our dear state,” he said, adding, “I have said it time and again that we do not need strong governors, what we need are strong institutions.”
French diplomat Jean Monnet, explained further when he declared, that “the life of institutions is longer than that of men, and thus institutions may, if they are set up in the right manner, accumulate and transmit the wisdom of succeeding generations.”
A number of these institutions have been created since May 29, 2019. This include Oyo State Mobilisation Agency for Socio-Economic Development (OYMAS – ED), which he said, is established to mobilise the people of the state to achieve the economic, political and social change.
Accolades
Others are Oyo State Project Monitoring Agency; Oyo State Rule of Law Authority; Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSEADA), Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The governor described the institutions as “institutions of the future,” adding that “they will play pivotal roles in the engineering of a modern Oyo State, working with existing ministries, departments and agencies.”
Leadership is defined as “is a set of mindsets and behaviours that aligns people in a collective direction, enables them to work together and accomplish shared goals, and helps them adjust to changing environments.”
The qualities of leadership include vision, influence, motivation and competence. These are why Seyi Makinde is giving people of Oyo State.
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