Having previously written about Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi and the political developments surrounding his resignation as Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde, I find it necessary to revisit his place in the story of the Makinde administration. Beyond the political reactions, criticisms and expressions of solidarity that have followed his departure, there is a bigger question that deserves attention: what role did Ogunwuyi play in the governance achievements the administration has consistently presented to the people of Oyo State? For those who have been quick to dismiss his relevance, perhaps it is time to look beyond the resignation and examine the records, figures and responsibilities that defined his years in government.
There is also a recent example that makes this conversation even more relevant. During a media chat on Fresh FM in October 2026, Governor Seyi Makinde disclosed that he nominated former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance, Bimbo Adekanmbi, for a federal ministerial appointment because of his assessment of Adekanmbi’s contribution to stabilising the finances of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration. Makinde explained that he assessed Adekanmbi’s record in public service and considered his experience valuable enough to recommend him to President Bola Tinubu.
That disclosure reinforces an important principle: public service and professional contributions can be recognised beyond political affiliations. If Makinde could examine the record of a public official who served under a previous administration and consider him worthy of a ministerial nomination, then Ogunwuyi’s contribution to the administration he served should equally be examined through evidence rather than dismissed because of his resignation.
For those who have been quick to ridicule Ogunwuyi or minimise his relevance to the Makinde administration, perhaps it is time to examine the official records, economic indicators and responsibilities associated with his years in government. This is not an argument that Ogunwuyi single-handedly delivered Makinde’s achievements. Rather, it is a call for a more informed conversation about the role he played in an administration that has consistently presented investment promotion, infrastructure development and economic expansion as important pillars of its governance record.
Ogunwuyi’s role in the Makinde administration began before his appointment as Chief of Staff in July 2021. According to reports on his appointment and subsequent responsibilities, he served as Executive Assistant to the Governor on Investment in 2019 before becoming Director-General of the Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency, OYSIPPPA.
The Oyo State Government credited him with helping to develop investment initiatives, including the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA), designed to support infrastructure delivery through alternative financing arrangements. These were not merely ceremonial responsibilities. Investment promotion and public-private partnerships are strategic areas for any government seeking to attract capital, develop infrastructure and expand economic activity. Ogunwuyi’s involvement in these areas places him within the institutional history of Makinde’s economic programme.
The question, therefore, is not whether Ogunwuyi should receive credit for everything accomplished by the administration. It is whether his documented role should be ignored simply because he is no longer Chief of Staff.
In an interview published by THISDAY on March 8, 2023, Makinde said data from the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning showed that the state’s economy grew from ₦2.75 trillion in 2019 to ₦4.05 trillion in 2022. The governor also stated that Oyo State attracted more than ₦457.76 billion in net local investment between 2019 and 2022. He explained that this measure covered capital expenditure, business fixed investment, residential housing and changes in inventory.
These figures were presented by Makinde as evidence of economic expansion under his administration. They are statewide indicators, not an accounting of investments personally secured by Ogunwuyi. Nevertheless, they provide a useful context for examining the work of the investment institutions in which he held senior responsibilities.
If an administration reports hundreds of billions of naira in net local investment, should the public not also examine the people assigned to develop investment policies and facilitate private-sector participation?
Another indicator deserves attention. In July 2025, the Director-General of the Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency reported that monthly internally generated revenue had increased from approximately ₦1.7 billion in 2019 to ₦8.7 billion by June 2025.
This is a statewide revenue indicator, not proof that Ogunwuyi alone caused the increase. Revenue collection depends on several factors, including tax administration, economic activity, government policies and the work of multiple agencies. However, Ogunwuyi’s earlier position as investment agency director-general makes his contribution to the institutional development of the state’s investment framework a legitimate subject of public assessment.
If the administration’s investment and revenue policies are worthy of recognition, those who occupied strategic positions in developing and implementing them should also be assessed through the records of their work.
In July 2025, OYSIPA’s Director-General listed several infrastructure projects among the agency’s achievements. They included the 21-kilometre Ajia–Airport Road, with a spur to Amuloko; the 7.52-kilometre Idi Ape–Bashorun–Akobo–Ojurin–Odogbo Barracks Road; the 9.7-kilometre Saki Township Road; and the remodelling of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Adamasingba, Ibadan. The agency also identified the Ibadan Circular Road project and the upgrade of Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport among the state’s infrastructure initiatives.
These projects were reported as achievements of the agency and the state administration. Their inclusion does not establish that Ogunwuyi personally supervised or delivered each one. That distinction should remain clear.
Nevertheless, his tenure as the agency’s director-general and the government’s official description of his involvement in APFA provide a basis for examining his role in the investment framework through which the administration pursued infrastructure delivery.
In politics, it is easy to celebrate completed projects while overlooking the administrative processes, financial arrangements and institutional work that help make them possible. A balanced appraisal should examine both.
Perhaps the most direct evidence of Ogunwuyi’s standing within the administration came from Makinde himself. On January 26, 2024, while congratulating Ogunwuyi on his 50th birthday, the governor described him as one of the strong pillars behind his government’s successes since 2019. Makinde also praised his loyalty and dedication across his service as director-general of the investment agency and later as Chief of Staff.
This is a documented public statement from the governor who worked with Ogunwuyi throughout these assignments. It does not mean that every criticism of Ogunwuyi is invalid, nor does it exempt him from scrutiny. It does, however, make it difficult to present his years in the administration as though he held positions without any acknowledged contribution.
The governor’s statement should form part of any serious discussion of Ogunwuyi’s record, alongside the economic data, project records and evidence of his responsibilities.
This is where the question for Ogunwuyi’s critics becomes unavoidable. If he was merely a political ornament in the Makinde administration, why did the government appoint him Executive Assistant on Investment in 2019, subsequently make him director-general of the investment agency and later entrust him with the Chief of Staff position? What assessment of his performance informed those appointments? What role did he play in developing APFA and other investment initiatives during his tenure? And how should the governor’s public acknowledgment of his contribution be reconciled with claims that he was irrelevant to the administration’s progress?
These are fair questions. They are not proof that Ogunwuyi was responsible for every achievement, but they challenge the idea that his contribution can simply be dismissed without examining the available evidence.
A public official’s record should be assessed through responsibilities, decisions, deliverables and documented outcomes—not merely through whether the official remains politically aligned with those who appointed him.
Ogunwuyi’s critics are entitled to disagree with his decisions, question his political direction or demand evidence of his personal achievements. What should be avoided is replacing such scrutiny with insults that ignore his documented service.
Ogunwuyi’s resignation has also created an opportunity to review his years in public service. His political future is a separate matter from the historical question of what he contributed while in office.
The economic figures cited by the governor, the investment agency’s documented activities, the infrastructure projects reported by OYSIPA and Makinde’s own public recognition provide a starting point for that assessment. They do not establish that Ogunwuyi deserves sole credit, but they demonstrate why his contribution merits examination rather than casual dismissal.
Ultimately, political disagreements may shape how people interpret a resignation, but they should not determine how public service is recorded.
So, to those who have been quick to label Segun Ogunwuyi a “paperweight,” the question remains: can a man officially entrusted with investment promotion, involved in the development of alternative infrastructure financing initiatives and later appointed Chief of Staff be dismissed without a serious examination of his record?
The answer should be found in verifiable evidence, not political convenience.
Ogunwuyi’s resignation may have closed a chapter of his service under Makinde, but it has not closed the discussion about his place in the administration’s history.
Written by Femi Ajiboye,
Editor, RoundOyo.
