Democracy dividends have taken a new turn in Oyo state as KEHINDE OSASONA, in this piece, takes a look at Governor Seyi Makinde’s giant strides, particularly his unquenchable appetite to bridge infrastructural gaps in the Pace Setter State.
…Bridging the gaps
It is one thing to be called a Pace Setter State and another thing to have a pace-setting personality at the helm of affairs.
The assertions above simply personify Governor Seyi Makinde, the dutiful and energetic executive governor of Oyo state.
Described as the new poster boy by party faithful, the party echelon, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-west region and Nigeria at large, the workaholic governor, who hits the ground running since assuming office in 2019, has continued to endear himself to the hearts of the good people of the state.
Not many doubted his ability to deliver when he promised the people at his inauguration that with him as governor, a new dawn had come.
True to his promise, five years later, Ibadan, the state capital and major cities like Oyo, Ogbomosho, Saki and Iseyin, both in Oke-Ogun have had a dose of what the governor had to offer.
The enigma not only silenced the oppositions, but also disappointed his traducers by delivering the elusive dividends of democracy in all the nooks and cranny of the state.
He was quoted as telling journalists during a recent visist by the media that, “We want to be remembered for the institutions that we’re trying to build such that good governance would be guaranteed in Oyo state, irrespective of who is coming in and we are succeeding.”
As at today, some of his legacy projects include the Moniya/Iseyin 65 km road, Oyo-Iseyin road, which lead directly to the Fasola Farm previously inaugurated by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Aside that, there is the 76.67km Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road named Adebayo Alao-Akala Memorial Highway in honour of the former governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Others are the highway connecting Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso, 65km Moniya-Ijaiye-Ibadan road, ongoing construction of 110km Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road, 34.8km Oyo-Iseyin Road, 12.5km Theophilus Akinyele Road connecting Alao-Akala Express, Benbo-Jankata-Apata Road, 7.8km Old Ife-Alakia-Airport Road, Onipepeye Underpass with spur to Adegbayi Junction, 38.48km feeder roads in Ibadan including Challenge-Ring Road, 110 Roundabout, Beere-Molete Road, Tribune-Ososami Road, Iyaganku-NUJ Press Centre-Ring Road, Oke Adu-Aremo-Orita Aperin, Idi Arere-Popoyemoja-Oke Ado Road, Agodi Gate-Civic Centre-Basorun-Iwo Road Junction Improvements, among others.
Governor Makinde also revealed how it took his administration two years to get approval from the federal government to construct a federal road to better the life of his people.
He explained further that, “This road you passed to this place is a federal road built by the state government. It took us two years to get the federal government’s approval and the road is 34 kilometres.
It’s a major link between one zone of the state, Oyo Zone, linking Oke Ogun Zone. We have five geopolitical zones in Oyo state. We have Ibadan Zone, Oyo Zone, Oke Ogun Zone, Ibarapa Zone and Ogbomoso Zone.
The good news about the whole thing is that the road projects spread across the state have helped in opening up the state to major towns in adjoining states.
…Reviving the Awolowo legacy
Like every other project executed by the governor, he has continued to receive accolades for reviving the Fasola Agribusiness Hub located along the Oyo/Iseyin road covering over 1,000 hectares of land and with agri-investor companies buying into the vision. An agriculturist, Adebambo Folarin, who spoke exclusively to this medium, described the move as daring and timely.
He said, “The good thing about this whole thing is that unlike what we used to have in the past where successive administrations would promise and fail, the Fasola agric hub has come to stay forever.
“Not only that investors are now buying into the vision, just as it has conferred another comparative advantage on the state with more agricultural businesses and developments in the offing, value chain players operating in the system would begin to shift their focus to the Oke Ogun axis. They have craved this for a very long time and now it has come.”
But while explaining what prompted the Fasola Farm Settlement Initiative established by the late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo back in the 50s, Makinde went back memory lane, lauding the late sage vision as he said, “It’s just an opportunity to show you that a long time ago, thinkers passed through this place; they did certain things and for us, we want to bring some of those things back and see how we can utilise them to make life a little better for our people.”
…Other infrastructures
From fortifying the security architecture in the state, to gradual upgrading of the Ibadan Airport now Ladoke Akintola Airport, to the construction of 500,000 Litres Aviation Fuel Storage and Dispensing Facility which is part of the facilities to upgrade the airport to international standard and expansion of its runway even though it is a federal airport, one cannot but hail the governor for a yeoman job.
In the area of education, the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education is being upgraded to a University of Education with a Faculty of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin.
The Oyo state government has also announced that it has taken ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, gave it a facelift, renovated 264 primary health centres across the state, equipped and renovated general hospitals across the state too.
...Makinde on people’s perception on leadership
Makinde, who defied all odds by proffering a permanent solution to the ever-busy Gate Road that has constituted a menace to government, motorists and passers-by added, “Oyo people took a decision in 2019. We did not have a godfather. Nobody sponsored me. Nobody gave a dime for us to get in there.
“Before that time, people said Seyi, what has he done before? Has he been a counsellor? No. Has he been to the state House of Assembly? No. Has he been to the House of Reps? No. How about the Senate? I tried twice but was rejected.
“No experience in politics, no experience in governance, but I have done well for myself in business and the people of Oyo state decided that they wanted to give this opportunity to an outsider. And before that time, the entire South-west was APC.
“I mean the entire South-west, all the six states, but Oyo state said, ‘No, we dare to be different’. And because I didn’t have experience, I wanted to convince the people.
“So we produced a document, ‘Roadmap to Accelerate Development of Oyo State 2019 to 2023’ and told the people, “Look, this is the black and white, hold me accountable to this.
“They gave us the opportunity and just like my sister said, we saw it as a lifetime opportunity to change the narratives.”
…A word of appreciation
An Ibadan resident, Olasunkanmi Adeagbo, who spoke to Blueprint puts it mildly, “Our governor promised and kept it. Like Oliver Twist, we can only ask for more and thereafter wish him well in his future political endeavours. Don’t forget that he is a politician, young and bubbling with zeal to deliver.”
Whether he will keep the momentum as his tenure winds down has been the question on the lips of close watchers of political events in the state.
Obviously, time will tell just as Oyo people, who are the real stakeholders, now relish what democracy has to offer through their hard-working governor and an engineer with accurate precision.
