Oluseyi Abiodun MAKINDE emerged on the Oyo State political space in 2002 when he joined forces with a group of young politicians to form the Fortunes Group within Oyo State PDP to work for the victory of the party’s governorship candidate in the 2003 gubernatorial elections. Between 2002 and 2019 when he eventually won the governorship election and was sworn in as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde had spent seventeen years criss crossing the Oyo State political space.
At his emergence as Oyo State Governor, a number of his opponents did not know he had spent close to two decades preparing for the job, they wrote him off. Some of them claimed there was no way he could achieve anything because he had never held a political office prior to his assuming office as the Governor. It is true that the previous Executive
Governors since 1979 had held one office or the other before becoming governor.
So, it is a historical fact that Governor
Seyi Makinde is the first and only Governor in Oyo State that never held any public office before becoming the Governor. Seyi Makinde’s opponents did not give him any chance of making a success of his tenure as the Governor of Oyo State. There were many names given to him to support the claim that he was not going to record any achievement against his name.He was described as inarobo and audio Governor. However, unknown to many of his traducers, Makinde was well prepared for the job. His seventeen years on the political
field was not a waste. He had used the opportunity to understand the geography, economy, politics and the
sociology of the state . He had met so many people especially those at the grassroots particularly farmers, traders, artisans, teachers at all levels, university lecturers and administrators, civil and public servants as well as students.This exposure has armed him with a first hand knowledge of the yearning and aspirations of the people he was going to govern.
The practical preparation of Governor Seyi Makinde is reflected in his performance in the past 4 years when he
instituted what he described as a programme of ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT OF OYO STATE under his
political mantra, the OMITUNTUN 1.0. I intend to interrogate the Accelerated Development Programme of the Makinde
administration in this brief write up.
The accelerated development programme is an attempt at
engineering Oyo State towards a path of holistic development that will arrest the spread of poverty by putting
in place projects and programmes that will promote prosperity among the good people of Oyo State. One of the core pillars of the Makinde’s administration is the emphasis on human capital development. For a continuous period of
48 months, Makinde kept faith with the civil and public servants and the pensioners. Salaries and pensions were paid not later than the 25th of each month. Through this, the government paid about 7.6 billion naira wage bill on a monthly basis. In addition, 13th month salaries as yearly bonus have been paid for 4 years. Furthermore, the government has paid about 7 billion naira as gratuities in the past 4 years. With the huge sums of money being injected into the state economy on a monthly basis, an accelerated economic development was initiated with financial institutions increasing their presence in Oyo State offering facilities to small and medium scale enterprises as well as to public and civil servants .This had a multiplier effect on the state economy. It has also ensured the commitment of the workers to the success of the government that has ensured the welfare of workers and pensioners with prompt payment of salaries and pensions and also ensuring that promotion exercises are carried out in line with service rules. Also, training and re-training programmes were mounted for civil servants to sharpen their skills with a view to enhancing their efficiency.
Education is an important social industry in Oyo State. The Makinde administration engineered some reforms in the
sector to enhance its efficiency and utmost contribution to the accelerated development of the state. The abolition of payment of school fees at the secondary school level has led to a phenomenal increase in school enrollment with over 60,000 children joining public schools. This required an
expansion in the facilities in the schools with government constructing new classrooms and rehabilitating dilapidated
ones. Learning materials were provided for the students and over 5000 new teachers were recruited into the secondary school system. These combined efforts have led to an
improved performance of secondary school students in external exams.
Makinde’s greatest achievement in education is in tertiary education. He succeeded in securing the sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology LAUTECH for
Oyo State. That singular act has stabilized the institution which has become one of the best universities in Nigeria. The Governor went further to establish a campus of the University in Iseyin which is in line with the aspirations of theOke-Ogun people. In addition to the LAUTECH, the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education was upgraded to University of Education. More importantly, the government increased the subvention being paid to the tertiary institutions up to 100% from the paltry sum they were being paid by the previous
administration. This situation has stabilized the operations of the higher institutions in Oyo State.
The Makinde administration has also engineered massive infrastructure development in the state in the past four
years. The construction and reconstruction of several road
networks across the seven geo-political zones is very important for the economic development of the State.
Makinde’s Road Revolution has touched every zone if not every Local Government Area. This has enhanced economic
activities especially the movement of goods which promotes commerce. In addition, the various road projects provide employment opportunities for tradesmen and artisans.
In furtherance of the infrastructure development, Governor Seyi Makinde has initiated the modernization of road transportation system in Oyo State. The construction of Bus Terminals and the Junction Improvement Programme has led to a drastic reduction in vehicular traffic jams and the usual rough driving common among commercial transport operators and it has also reduced the time commuters spend traveling within the state.
Within OMITUNTUN 1.0, Governor Makinde made giant strides in the health sector. He recognized the fact that the
foundation of proper health care delivery is at the grassroots. He established a functional and modern primary healthcare centre in each of the 351 wards in the state to deliver basic
health care to the people. In addition, several health missions were conducted in different locations all over the state to
ensure that basic health care services were brought to the doorsteps of the masses of the people. Makinde’s response to Covid19 pandemic was so good that it became the standard for the federal government and some other states to follow.
Agriculture and mining are two critical areas for economic development. Governor Makinde established an AgriBusiness to take agriculture from the peasant level to thebusiness/commercial level where farmers are empowered
with exposure to modern farming techniques and assisted with modern farm implements. The Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency is currently turning the Fashola farms
to a Modern Farm Estate that will greatly contribute to self sufficiency in food production
In Oyo State, real estate is the equivalent of oil and gas. Within OMITUNTUN 1.0, many new GRAs were created and
named after prominent citizens of Oyo State. Apart from promoting real estate business, the efforts have also
contributed to the provision of affordable housing for majority of the people. In addition employment opportunities have emerged for the citizens in this respect.
The government has also handled the issue of the environment with all seriousness. The efforts of the Ibadan
Urban Flood Prevention Project especially in dredging many of our rivers and streams have helped in saving the capital city of Ibadan from being flooded since 2011 when the city was almost submerged as a result of flooding. A new waste management infrastructure has been put in place with the involvement of the private sector and a task force that
reports directly to the Governor.
Oyo State has witnessed giant strides under OMITUNTUN 1.0 in other areas such as youth and sports development . The total and complete rehabilitation of the Lekan Salami Stadium at Adamasingba is a legacy project that Governor Makinde will be remembered for in the years to come. The
promotion of the Shooting Stars Sports Club to the elite league and the enviable performance of the Oyo State
contingent to the National Sports Festival have shown that sports is a veritable tool for accelerated economic development
Governor Makinde’s achievement in the area of security is legendary. The establishment of Amotekun is a monumental achievement that has been greatly helpful to the maintenance of security in the State. In addition, there is harmonious relationship with the law enforcement agencies in the state through which the government has provided assistance in various forms to these Agencies.
OMITUNTUN 1.0 has actually started several programs and projects to ensure accelerated economic development in the state. As we move into OMITUNTUN 2.0 in the second term of the administration, the Governor has promised that the State will witness sustainable development. We have no
cause to doubt him because he has delivered on his target for OMITUNTUN 1.0. It is expected that the people Governor will continue with his human capital development agenda with
the regular payment of salaries and pensions. In addition, I expect more top level training programs to be mounted for
civil servants and teachers for the state civil service to fully regain its previous status of being the best in Nigeria. It is
also expected that an e-governance project that ensures the deployment of IT in civil service processes including filling,
accounting and project management is initiated
Under OMITUNTUN 2.0, the government will further advance educational development at all levels including the primary school level where the recruitment of additional teachers is
most likely going to attract the attention of Governor Seyi Makinde. It is envisaged that enrollment in public schools will
go further up as the conditions in our schools continue to improve. The ongoing construction of the Iseyin Campus of LAUTECH will be completed and become functional. The new
campus will help in expanding the economy of Iseyin and its environs. It is expected that the newly approved University of Education will stabilize and run degree courses for serving teachers. The seeds of development planted in our secondary school system will start germinating and many of the secondary schools will produce students that will come out in flying colours.
The Road Revolution that started under OMITUNTUN 1.0 will assume a highly successful level with many of the road
projects being completed. The most important and highly innovative road being constructed presently is the Ibadan
Circular Road which is arguably the only circular road in the entire Western Region of Nigeria. Under OMITUNTUN 2.0 ,
Governor Seyi Makinde will by the grace of God deliver the circular road. This road when completed will redefine road transportation in Oyo State and it will be one of the legacy projects of our highly focused Governor. It is also expected
that the Local Governments will continue with the rehabilitation of the inner city roads. The completion of the various road projects will not only beautify the state but also expand its economy.
The key economic sectors of agribusiness, solid minerals mining and tourism will receive more attention. Already, an investment summit is being planned to market Oyo State to
foreign investors who will take advantage of the unprecedented infrastructure development in the state to invest in the critical economic sectors. Under OMITUNTUN 2.0, the Fashola Farm Estate will be delivered to make solid
contribution to the development of the agricultural sector. Other farm settlements will be attended to while technical assistance will continue to be offered to the farmers to enhance food security.
Environmental management is very crucial in the promotion of socio-economic development. Improvement in waste management must be pursued more aggressively. There is need for behavioral changes on the part of the people if optimum result will be recorded in this sector. Environmental education must be incorporated into the waste management program. In addressing street trading as an environmental
health challenge, it will be necessary to look at the provision of alternative places for the traders so that they are not
thrown into unemployment unnecessarily.
Security of lives and property is very crucial in the government’s efforts to initiate socio-economic development. Amotekun will continue to receive attention.However, its operations will be strengthened if trainings,technology such IT and drones are introduced into to the crime fighting system. Collaboration among all the security agencies will further enhance their performance.
The humane nature with which the Governor has been running the state has received national acceptance as this
has brought peace and development to the state. It is expected that in his second tenure, Governor Seyi Makinde
will be called upon to play critical roles in some important national assignments. This will further bring the state to the
limelight which in turn will attract domestic and foreign investors leading to increased prosperity.
This brief analysis has shown that OMITUNTUN 1.0 with its policy thrust has set the state on the path of accelerated
economic development which has taken a number of the people out of poverty . OMITUNTUN 2.0 as a political mantra
is predicated on the attractive policy of sustainable economic development.
There’s no doubt that with what has been
achieved under OMITUNTUN 1, OMITUNTUN 2.0 will expand the prosperity net as more people will be moved out of the poverty zone to the community of prosperous people. Oyo
State people need to play their role in paying their taxes and supporting the government they gave the mandate to govern the state for another four years.
Morohunkola Thomas is an Ibadan based legal practitioner and a three- time Commissioner in the Oyo State
Government
