The first four-year tenure of Governor Seyi Makinde is winding down. It was just like yesterday when he was, on May 29, 2019, sworn in as The Executive Governor of Oyo State at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan. Many will recall the many promises Makinde made at the jam-packed stadium about four years ago. Among others, he promised to focus on education, agriculture and food security, health care, infrastructure, youth empowerment, job creation, economy, security, social inclusion and protection.
His first pronouncements on day of inauguration were the immediate abolition of the N3,000 per session development levy that was paid by students of state secondary schools, the cancellation of N500 examination fee also in secondary schools. In the light of this, he announced free education in public primary and secondary schools in the state. Furthermore, he promised that the yearly budgetary allocation to the education sector would be a minimum of 10 percent. The focus on education was imperative as the huge deficit in school infrastructure was palpable while the state also wanted an improvement in the state’s ranking in external examinations.
Aside from his pronouncements on inauguration day, Makinde also made a lot of promises during electioneering campaign, a premise upon which the people voted “Omituntun” as he is fondly called. During the campaign, Makinde had, in addressing the challenges facing Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), said his administration will expedite actions geared towards ensuring that the institution is solely owned by Oyo state. He also said his administration will focus on filling the gaps in school teaching staff by recruiting teachers.
In agriculture, he promised to look into issues of multiple taxation facing farmers, the inability of farmers to access credit facilities, poor feeder roads, lack of storage facilities and farmers’ difficulty in processing their harvest. Furthermore, Makinde assured resuscitating the abandoned 10,000 metric tonnes silo project in Awe.
Also at his inauguration, he ruled out the building of new healthcare centres in areas with already existing facilities, noting that he would rather focus on upgrading and renovating existing health care facilities and making the state health insurance scheme more accessible. From Primary Health Centres, General Hospitals to Tertiary Hospitals, the need to fix facilities is palpable. Across the state are over a hundred government owned health facilities that need attention. Hence, Makinde’s decision to focus on upgrading and renovating existing health centres as against building new ones was the better and proactive option. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the state government to transform the former Maternal and Pediatric Centre into an Infectious Diseases Centre, Olodo, Ibadan.
In similar vein, days into his administration, Makinde also spoke about fixing one primary health centre in each of the 351 wards in the state. Today, this project is on the verge of completion.
Coming after a government that prides infrastructure as top achievement, Makinde also was expected to give attention to infrastructure. Notwithstanding the feats of the past government in infrastructure, there were a lot of roads across the state that needed attention.
Having a self-reliant and expanded economy is also one of the four main agenda of the Makinde Government. On several occasions, Makinde has said that the era of going cap in hand to beg for federal allocations will soon be over. As part of ways to end the reliance, Makinde has consistently spoken about tremendously improving Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through exploitation of the richness of the state’s informal sector and adoption of enhanced tax collection procedures. The state government set for itself a N4billion monthly IGR target.
Makinde had added that his administration was resolved to take tough decisions to include reducing government overheads, increasing efficiency in tax collection, simplifying the tax payment system, cutting on debt accumulation without concrete repayment plans. While keen on improving the IGR of the state, Makinde however said there will be no unnecessary strain on the populace adding that the welfare of the citizenry is his priority.
It’s about four years and the Governor is seeking a second term in office, the jury is out. The scrutiny on implementation of the manifesto of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Makinde is on. Suffice to say that in the course of about four years, Makinde has streamlined his focus to four main areas: health, education, security and the economy.
So far, so good.
In education, the government has ensured regular payment of salaries and allowances of teachers just like those of most civil and public servants. The Makinde government also prides in regular payment of pensions and gratuities. From the teachers, as contained in a letter by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), the Makinde government has done them so well like never before in recent times. With the state running free education, head teachers get running grants. Governor Makinde has shown desire to revamp the education sector by allocating over 20 percent to education in the past four budgets. Beyond having the sums of money on paper, more money will have to be released to fix the challenges in the state’s education sector. Meanwhile, a plus for the Makinde government is getting the sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso. Another plus is the recent upgrade of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education to University of Education.
In agriculture, farmers in rural areas will hope that dilapidated access feeder roads to and fro their farms are rehabilitated by the state government and that the World Bank-assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Mobility Project (RAAMP) is strictly implemented. Showing intention to fix rural roads, Makinde had recently said that his government had paid counterpart fund of N350million for RAAMP to fix roads that would open up rural areas for business. In the same vein, Makinde had secured N7.6bilion funding to transform Akufo and Eruwa farm settlements into farm estates. Such venture, if actualized, will enhance the internally generated revenue of the state from agriculture. Farmers and other agric enthusiasts will be keen on incentives by the state government to engender full exploration of the agriculture value chain.
Health is another priority of the Makinde government. In marking three years, the current administration declared that it has lived up to its promise to fix one PHC per ward in the state by revamping over 250 PHCs. The state has also said it is also fixing the huge infrastructural deficit that has rocked the state’s secondary health care facilities. Over 250 primary health care centres have been fixed thus far. They have been equipped with requisite hospital infrastructure alongside generating sets to guarantee regular power supply. Secondary health care centres have also received attention with the General Hospital, Tede, recently renovated and equipped. With involvement of private individuals, nongovernmental agencies, Governor Seyi Makinde has had to inaugurate some health facilities in the state’s public hospitals, health centres. There are also assurances of much more to be done in the health sector.
The state has shown commitment to infrastructure and economy. This focus seems evident as infrastructure has got the highest chunk of the state’s budget in the past four budget presentations. There are several ongoing and completed road and other infrastructure projects across the state. Among roads that have been commissioned include the Moniya-Iseyin road, Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Ashipa road, Saki township road while roads in Akobo, Igbeti, Saki, Igboho, Ajia, Amuloko, Wofun, Iresaadu, Awotan, Akufo, Ibadan airport, Iwo Road interchange to the state border with Osun State, Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin are ongoing. Other infrastructural projects include the construction of 11MW Independent power project, while the state continues to install diesel-powered solar lights across the state. Under Omituntun 2.0, the governor has said attention will be shifted to the several inner and outer roads yawning for attention of the local and state government. The local government authorities have attributed lack of funds from the state government as reason for their incapacity in fixing roads in their domains. Addressing allegations of starving local government areas of funds, Makinde said the funds were being set aside as stabilization fund solely for the local governments areas. Makinde further argued that local government areas are usually left with meagre sums after drawing first line charges like salaries of primary school teachers and local government workers and expenses on PHCs, hence the state government continues to provide funding support for Local government areas.
In boosting the state’s economy, the state Bureau on Investment Promotion and Public-Private partnership has continued to say it is looking for corporate bodies and private investors to partner with the state to revamp moribund industries. Some facilities seeking revival include Agbowo Shopping Complex, Ibadan; Pacesetter Asphalt and Quarry Plant, Ijaye, Ibadan; Nigeria Marble Mining Company, Igbeti; Eruwa Cashew Farm Plantation, Eruwa; Conpole Nigeria Limited, Ibadan; Trans Wonderland, formerly Trans Amusement Park; Oyo State Paper Mill Warehouse, Oluyole, Ibadan; and some manor houses in Ibadan, the state capital. However, the state has been able to revive the Pacesetter Asphalt and Quarry Plant, Ijaye, Ibadan while government is working to revive its desire to fix the Agbowo Shopping Complex, Ibadan.
The state has a monthly IGR target of N4billion and governor has said that that it has hit monthly targets of between N3.3billion and N3.8billion in recent months. It also lays claim to statistics by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as evidences that the state presently boasts of a robust economy.
The state hitherto is notorious for various forms of thuggery, criminality and security challenges. Security was a high point of the immediate past administration that the Makinde administration has continued to thrive to match and outdo. In dealing with that perennial crisis associated with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Makinde announced a ban on all NURTW activities and subsequently set up a park management system headed by a former member of the NURTW. Showing his commitment to security, Makinde, within his first year in office, donated 100 patrol vehicles to security operatives. This was just as he was party to the setting up of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed “Amotekun”. At the state level, the Makinde government recruited over a thousand Amotekun personnel and another 500 personnel are set to be added. The efforts of the various strides of government are yielding results going by the drop in incidences of crimes and criminalities. This is strengthened by the police maintaining that it is getting support from the state government to stem acts of crime and criminality.
To address the perennial challenge in waste management, the state has engaged an effective waste management infrastructure with its recently signed contract with a new waste contractor (Mottainai Recycling and Waste Management Company) who has created a formidable waste evacuation architecture in our streets and is ensuring prompt evacuation of road median waste. During campaigns, the governor has declared that his administration has fulfilled its promise to ensure service delivery and fulfill his electoral promises.
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- Makinde’s campaign for second term has taken the form of, “we promised this, we have fulfilled it, though we’re open to being told what more we need to do.” The governor does not shy away from making promises because he is sure of fulfilling them. Only a performing governor says ‘take me for my words’. Only a performing governor makes references to past fulfilled promises because he is sure he would fulfill present and future promises. The assurances of the electorate in and out of campaign grounds, the mammoth crowds at every campaign stopover, whether in Ibadan or Ogbomoso, Oyo, Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa points to Makinde really being the people’s Governor. That he’s the people’s governor is evident from the fact that Oyo people themselves are quick to rubbish anyone casting aspersions on the performance of Makinde. Moreover, the Governor has constantly said the welfare of the people is at centre of his policies. Here’s a Governor that is trustworthy, tested and trusted. No doubt, the people of Oyo State love the current trajectory of development and want it to continue.
Hon Kazeem Bolarinwa is the Special Assistant to the governor on Youth and Sports.
