A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State who is also the Saraki of Kishi land, Alh. Suleimana Abdulateef Adediran Santana, has congratulated the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Sir. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde for winning the 2023 Leadership’s Governor of the Year Awards.
He said, in a statement made available to this medium on Monday morning at his Kishi country home, that the selection of Oyo State Governor by the distinguished newspaper is an affirmation of his tremendous efforts towards rebuilding and reviving the state through his well articulated agenda of Omititun 1.0 and Omititun 2.0.
Santana said that Governor Seyi Makinde inherited an Oyo State shackled by gross unproductivity and leadership shenaniganism, a twin-challenge he attributed to age long visionless and misgovernance offered by the past administration.
According to Santana, Governor Makinde upon emergence carefully dismantled the unsatisfactory status quo and pursued hard reforms that restructured government spending to prioritize investments focused on growing the state and empowering the people, not spoon feeding a tiny group of cabals who had for long “held back the state from living up to its potential by draining resources through the back door.”
Adediran said: “Governor Seyi displayed the sort of courage that marked him out as an uncommon leader, especially in this clime. His insistence on not keeping power for the mere sake of it but to use public office in initiating meaningful changes and visionary developments, helped him stare down the retrogressive actors who believed that Oyo State existed to service their selfish needs and desires.”
“Because of his courage and vision, Oyo State has made the transition from its previous position of big-for-nothing to being a notable player in the country’s national economy. Hitherto underutilized, its strategic advantages, including geographical location, have all been expertly leveraged to create jobs, attract investments, and negotiate smart deals that spell good fortune for the state in the last 5 years and for many years to come.”
“Its unarguably that Oyo State of today has won the confidence of economic experts and investors because its being led by a God’s sent Messiah (GSM) who understands the role of government in creating the right conditions for businesses to thrive and unlock private capital”.
“Nothing accentuates this fact better than the commendable feat recorded in Omititun 1.0 by Mr Governor who, despite humongous constraints, was able to reduce the state’s burden without failing in any of its mandatory government obligation. No state, not even the usual headliners, could quite match the achievements of our leader.”
“It is on this note that our leader’s Governor of the year award from the Leadership Newspaper is considered a well-deserved honor, and I wholeheartedly congratulate my mentor,” Santana concluded.
The award, organized by the widely read Leadership Newspaper, is in line with the newspaper’s vision of recognizing men and women who have distinguished themselves in their respective endeavors and contributed immensely to the development of the country.