By Hon Dare Adeleke
It was the great Dwight D. Eisenhower that said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity.”
Integrity may be a simple word but it what is most lacking in leadership across board, in Nigeria today but we are blessed as a people that God has bestowed on us a leader with the quality listed above integrity.
Seyi Makinde, our governor has shown that when vision exists and integrity dwells, rapid progress and development follows.
His Excellency’s promise to transform our capital city Ibadan, into a thriving metropolitan city was not a mere boast. We are proud today, barely two years into his second term, that Ibadan is a city able to stand tall amongst other great cities around the world.
Anyone who visited Ibadan last before Seyi Makinde will be amazed if he or she lands in our city now. The remarkable transformation is indeed outstanding.
Ibadan has undergone and is still undergoing a remarkable transformation, thanks to the visionary leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde whose matra has always been clarity, transparency and results.
Before Makinde, Ibadan, which was the capital of the old Western Region, had not quite moved into modern times going by developmental indices available in other capitals.
Makinde however, a thoroughly educated mind, an engineer by profession, made it his mandate to raise the standards and has he raised it so high by his rapid transformation of the state capital!
At the heart of this transformation is the state government’s emphasis on road infrastructure development, which has emerged as a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity.
Governor Makinde on assumption of office, prioritized the rehabilitation and construction of roads across the state, recognizing the critical role that good road networks play in facilitating economic activity. The results are already manifesting, with Ibadan experiencing a surge in economic activity, driven by improved access to markets, reduced transportation costs, and increased investor confidence.
A standout initiative of Makinde’s administration, was the reconstruction of the Airport road, has eased life for the people and visitors to Ibadan while improving the aesthetics of the city, which no doubt will appeal to tourists and bring in more revenue to our city. You will be correct if you say Makinde has made air travelling easy and attractive to the people because of the smooth road which has entirely eliminated traffic gridlocks.
According to statistics, 335.77 kilometers of roads have been constructed under His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde. This total surpasses road construction accomplished by all past governors of the state since the second Republic.
What a remarkable feat!
Makinde’s template for a comprehensive road rehabilitation project in Ibadan seemed quite ambitious with sceptics terming it unachievable but today, they are all in awe of that initiative progress so far.
Governor Makinde focussed without waving on road connectivity between the hinterland and the bustling towns, to stimulate growth both in the economy and social lives of the people. Knowing that roads form an integral part of development and human security, Makinde has not slowed down.
The Makinde road logic began by linking the state’s production zones to the state capital, Ibadan. The first project was the Moniya-Iseyin road, a federal road in poor condition. Despite the challenges, the road was delivered in less than two years.
Effectively eliminating traffic and seamlessly connecting Ibadan was the governor’s determination to rehabilitate intra – city roads and he did.
People may not understand why Makinde’s aides continue to commend him. Anyone who has worked with His Excellency but we watch him working nights and day, unrelenting, never tiring.
We must continue to remind the people of his great works, especially when there are detractors, enemies of progress who continually strive against good works and acts.
I have written a lot about development in Oyo under Makinde, especially on road construction. For posterity sakes I hereby re-list some of the roads that have been rehabilitated under His Excellency ‘s tenure:
These include the; Molete Under Bridge-Oke Ado-Oke Bola-Queen Cinema-Dugbe Road (9.3 km), Idi Arere-Popo Yemoja Road-Oke Ado-Molete Road (1.4 km), Idi Arere-Kudeti-Eleta-Idi Aro Labo Junction-Orita Aperin Road (2.8 km), Mile 110-Ring Road Mobil-Challenge Car Park Road (8.5 km), Queen Cinema-Dugbe-Mokola-Sango-Trans Amusement Park Junction (11.74 km), Oke Adu-Ode Aje-Aremo-Orita Aperin Road (3.5 km). Also, General Gas Junction-Kolapo Ishola GRA-Iyana Church with a spur to Dizengoff Junction Road (5.48 km), Oke Ado-Tribune-Imale Falafia-Ososami-Iyana Adeoyo Junction, Ring Road (2.15 km), Bus Stop Gate-Oje-Beere-Oja Oba-Molete Under Bridge Road (10.8 km) and Iyaganku-Seventh Day-Oke Bola Junction and Olubadan Stadium Junction-Vale College-NUJ Press Centre Junction with a spur to Total Filling Station-Radio Nigeria-Kobiowu Estate Akinyemi Junction, Ring Road (3.85 km).
With Makinde making road rehabilitation and construction top priority, economic vitality has returned to our state. Ibadan is no doubt witnessing a rise in economic activities due to better market access, lower transportation costs with more investors flocking in.
We cannot over hype Makinde, never! There are hundreds of tangible development everywhere for anyone to see, from education, to agriculture, to healthcare, to pensions, to salaries paid promptly and on time to bursaries for students, to welfare and security of land and property, we can all be on our feet, giving Governor Seyi Makinde a rousing ovation for the next hundred years. Archives don’t lie.
Hon Dare Adeleke is the Special Adviser on Federal Constituency Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde.