BAYO AGBOOLA from Ibadan writes that all eyes are now on Engineer Seyi Makinde’s second term, having completed his first term in office on Monday, May 29 and subsequently inaugurated for another four years in office at the Obafemi Awolowo stadium, (Liberty stadium) where he was sworn in by the Chief Justice of Oyo state, Justice Iyabo Yerima.
Makinde 2nd two-term governor
With his re-election, the Governor Makinde will go down in history as the second person to serve for two terms in Oyo state. Late Senator Abiola Ajimobi was the first to ahieve that feat.
Going by his words at the thanksgiving service to mark the end of his first term and part of activities for the inauguration of his second term, Makinde said the knowledge, exposure, experience of his first term in office had prepared him enough for a smooth sail in the second term.
The well attended programme held at the Sword of The Spirit Ministries, Precious Cornerstone University Campus 1 (PCU), Garden of Victory, Olaogun, Old-Ife, Ibadan.
Expections and Makinde’s chronicles
With that open declaration by the governor, one can easily say much is being expected from him but experience with most second term governors under Nigeria’s fledgeling democracy has shown that there is nothing to write home about with most of the second term governors, some of who even turn
into emperors in their domain.
However, basking in the excitent of his own achievements, Makinde said, “In 2019, at the inauguration, I made a pronouncement that I will be paying salary on 25th of every month. I made the decision before reading the handover note. And we have paid for 49 consecutive months.
“When I read the handover notes, I wondered who will help me drive the vision to fulfil that mission. It took me time, say close to six months to figure out what is where and who is doing what, but I can bet, there are different kinds of person inside the secretariat. So, I would say the first six months was a period for me to learn what it looks like working in the public domain.
Limitations
“By the following months after the six months, Covid-19 came and it was an issue of if we will lock down or not and we were like that for 11 months. Towards the end of 2020, we started real work. We worked for the whole of 2021, majority of the 2022 and before this second term problem. The leaders of faith came to me and said why am I not making pronouncement and I told them I don’t think I needed any second term because it’s too much headache”, Makinde narrated
He continued, “They said even if I’m not doing it for myself, why don’t I do it for this state. So I listened to them and I declared for second term and the trouble started again. You have to organise congresses and all the rest and we were on that from September or October 2022 to March 28, 2023 when I was re-elected for second term, so I discounted that period of about six months again because I do not have undivided attention to serve the people of Oyo state within that period.
“So whatever we have been able to achieve, now you will agree with me that we have been able to achieve that within two years. But, this time around, it’s not going to be like that, you know why? Since March 18 that I have been declared re-elected, I did not and haven’t stopped working for the people of Oyo state. Between March 18 and now, what we have done that is close to where we are is the underpass at Onipepeye.
“It is open now to traffic. Between then and now, we have been able to open the bridge between Oyo and Iseyin, the one over Odo Ogun River is open to traffic. I have learnt the ropes; I am now a junior master and there will be indeed and in truth no network failure in the governance of Oyo state in this term. Four years ago, every time I went out to campaign, I always sing this song because we had a clear understanding of what we were going to be faced it. This time around, for the next four years the Almighty God will help us carry our burden”.
Pledges of better tenure
At his inauguration held at the Obafemi Awolowo stadium, in Ibadan on Monday where Makinde took his oath of office for a second term tenure, he said his second term Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023 – 2027 for Oyo state, code named Omituntun 2.0 would be better than Omituntun 1.0 and that his administration “will work even harder to ensure that the prosperity that our people have started enjoying under Omituntun 1.0 will continue for four more years”.
“Four years ago, I took an oath before God and you, the good people of Oyo state. I pledged to put aside my self-interest to serve you to the best of my ability. Today, I stand before you to renew that pledge and reaffirm these solemn words, I will always put your interests first. And as we usher in Omituntun 2.0 on this day, I see another opportunity to reflect on our first term in office, recall our promises made and promises kept, and renew those promises you have given us another opportunity to keep”.
“We have worked hard to stimulate and accelerate economic and social development in Oyo state. As promised, we have extracted value from once-moribund facilities and abandoned projects in Oyo state. In 2019, just a few months after we came into office, we set our sights on reviving the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt Plant, Ijaiye. We have since handed it over to private investors in keeping with our mantra that the only business government should have in business is to create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.
“We rehabilitated the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba. And what a proud moment it was when our state hosted an international match at that stadium for the first time in about thirty years. We also rehabilitated the once-moribund Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme Headquarters, Saki, the Rural Community Development Centre, Aawe, and we are on the verge of making history as we convert the Fasola Farm Settlement into a modern agribusiness industrial hub. We have built a solid foundation for sustainable development.”
On road construction, the governor stressed, “Under Omituntun 1.0, we prioritised infrastructural development. We completed over 137 km of road projects, taking a top-to-bottom approach to road rehabilitations and reconstructions. We focused on interconnecting all the zones because we knew that therein lies the key to kick-starting our no zones left behind policy.
“We built roads such as the 76.7 km Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin Road – a completely new road construction. No road had ever existed in that place before now. But we knew that this construction would open up the Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun Zones. Already, we have big businesses springing up on that road. We are also constructing the 110 km Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road. We plan to complete the construction of this road with all ancillary amenities that will give our people a first-world transport experience on that route within this tenure”.
“Our top-to-bottom approach also means that under Omituntun 2.0, we will ensure that we complete all ongoing road projects and give priority attention to internal roads in urban areas. We laid the groundwork for ensuring that we have a modern transportation system. We completed two bus terminals and have another two in view. We set up infrastructure that made it possible for our airport to fuel aeroplanes for the first time since the Ibadan Airport was constructed.
“We are upgrading this airport into an international airport that will serve as a viable alternative to the airport in Lagos. We celebrated new milestones, such as when we got sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). We restored lost glories in sports. We all rejoiced when our darling Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) were reinstated into the elite division of the Nigerian football league.
More achievements
“We plan to go a step further to see our 3SC win the league, and once again, compete at the regional and continental levels for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League. We conquered at national and international sports festivals. We set a new record for Oyo state at the 21st National Sports Festival when for the first time in Oyo state’s history, we won 43 gold medals and placed fourth on the medals table.
“We turned the trend of government owing workers salaries, pensions and gratuities. We paid all Oyo State workers regularly and consistently on the 25th of every month – the ‘GSM Day’ and even went a step further to pay the 13th month salary four years in a row for the first time in the history of Oyo state. We reduced the gratuities deficit of past administrations by over N16 billion and once again, put a smile on the faces of our fathers and mothers who served Oyo state in their youth.
“We promise to do even more under Omituntun 2.0. We will work towards ensuring that the backlog of gratuity payments is cleared within this next four years. Of course, we will continue with the consistent payment of workers’ salaries and pensions monthly. We mourned the tragic losses of our loved ones personally, sub-nationally and nationally. But even in those trying circumstances, we saw opportunities to bond, learn from our mistakes and forge a better tomorrow as a people.
“We defied all odds, including a global pandemic and came out stronger, better. We accomplished all of these because you, the good people of Oyo State, supported us. We felt your support when we said, “Use your PVC, not violence”. You spoke in one voice and showed that it is possible to conduct elections in Oyo State without any bloodshed. We felt your support when despite the actions of a few, you refused to be divided by religion, ethnicity, language or gender. We felt your support when you spoke with one voice at the polls, and we won with a margin never before seen in the Oyo state history of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
Yes, everything we accomplished in the last four years was because you, the good people of Oyo State, stood by us.And so, as we face another four years with this mandate that you have given us, we again, in all humility, ask for your support. With your backing, we know our vision for Omituntun 2.0 will become a reality” .
Gov Makinde maintained further, “we have shared our plans with you in our Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023 – 2027. And we look forward to four years of sustainable development refocused on four pillars: the Economy, Education, Healthcare and Security. These were the same four pillars we focused on in the last four years. This is why we say Omituntun 2.0 is an upgrade. We are upgrading to Education 2.0.
“Under Omituntun 1.0, we returned over 50,000 children to the classrooms. Through targeted interventions, such as maintaining the no-fees in public schools’ policy, we plan to return another 50,000 to the classroom in the next four years. Another policy that will remain in place is the 15-20% budgetary allocation to education. We must urgently continue to reduce the infrastructure deficit in our public primary and secondary schools. So, we shall focus on building classrooms and other needed facilities in underserved areas in the State.
In the health sector, the governor said, “We are upgrading to Healthcare 2.0. Having upgraded over 200 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) as promised under Omituntun 1.0, we will now equip these PHCs and upgrade more PHCs and other selected secondary healthcare facilities to ensure our people have even better access to quality healthcare.We will ensure that communities without upgraded PHCs are prioritised in our quest to ensure that all 351 wards in Oyo State have an operational Tier 4 Primary Healthcare Centre.
“We are upgrading to Security 2.0.Under Omituntun 1. 0, we enjoyed a 25% drop in crime rate, making Oyo State one of the safest States to do business in the southwest zone. This was because we gave all the security agencies in Oyo state enormous support and created a 2,000-member Amotekun corps – the most incentivised corps in the zone. We used continuous communication to smoothen out relationships among all the agencies so that they all work harmoniously.
In the next four years, we shall not rest on our oars. We will continue to give the security agencies in the state the support they need to more effectively and efficiently carry out their duties and responsibilities. We will further strengthen the State security architecture by training and retraining Oyo Amotekun corps members to be involved in intelligence gathering at the local level. At the Federal level, we will continue to push for reforms that will strengthen local policing and ensure that our people continue to sleep with their eyes closed.
He also listed others as upgrading to Economy 2.0.stressing , “under Omituntun 1.0, we focused on stimulating economic growth through Agribusiness and Infrastructure development. With the accelerated investments in these sectors, we moved our economy from N2.75 trillion in 2019 to N4.05 trillion as of Q3 2022 without increasing taxes. We also increased our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by over 90% in the same period. We attracted $65 million in Foreign Direct Investments and $126 million in agribusiness from development partners’ blended finance”, saying, “our vision is to further grow our economy by building on the gains in agribusiness. Additionally, we plan to bring in investments in Solid Minerals, Sustainable Energy and Tourism.
With the laid down plans and policies of Governor Makinde amidst the no network failure promise, all things being equal, more better days are ahead for the people of Oyo state .
