Oyo State Celebrates At Nigeria’s 60TH INDEPENDENCE DAY | Olubunmi Sodipo

Independence days should always be occasions for celebrations. October 1st, 2020 is NIGERIA’S 60th Independence day, but is this really worth celebrating? What with the fuel price hikes and electricity bills hikes leading to food and commodities price hikes! Sliding exchange rates! Rising insecurity! Pervasive corruption! Progressively repressive regime as seen by the attempts to shove such policies as RUGA, CAMA, the Water Resources Bill, not to mention the Hate Speech laws, down the throat of the people! Severely lopsided federal appointments to favour the Hausa/ Fulani ethnic group! Rising agitations of other ethnic nationalities for self-determination! Betrayal of the masses by the labour leaders. . . All these troubles can be attributed to the failure of leadership!

On the other hand, in this respect, the indigenes, citizens and residents of Oyo State had been fortunate. Governor Seyi Makinde had provided exactly the kind of leadership that is lacking at the center.

As he stood on the podium on May 29, 2019, he declared to the world that he should be held responsible for anything that happens under his administration, unlike the leadership at the center, who had severally admitted that it is not aware of some momentous happenings in the nation.

Governor Seyi Makinde promised probity, equity and accountability. He declared that all the leakages will be blocked to maximize the resources of the state for the benefit of the people. He declared his assets, something the leadership at the center had not been able to do! This singular act was celebrated even beyond the boundaries of Oyo State! And he went ahead establish the Oyo State EFCC, promising to waive his immunity if found culpable! Almost two years in office, this has not changed. Gov Seyi Makinde continues to give the good people of Oyo State reasons to celebrate. So much so that the jealous opposition accused him of running a populist goverment!

Gov Seyi Makinde rested his promise of service to the people on four pillars: education, health, security and the economy. And he is evoking celebrations in them all.

Health
The COVID-19 pandemic is the singular most significant health factor since the inception of the Seyi Makinde administration. And it is in his handling of this global challenge that he shone most brightly. Oyo State regained her Pacesetter status amongst the states of the federation. Gov Seyi Makinde became the compass of the nation! Oyo State leads and others follow! In policy after policy, decision after decision, we pointed the way for the others. While other governors panicked and went for total lockdown, Gov Seyi Makinde considered the untold hardship this will bring on the people and chose partial lockdown. Other governors soon came around to that! Furthermore, rather than waste millions of naira of the state’s resources on building temporary isolation centres that will eventually be discarded, in stadiums like other states, he chose to integrate the spending on COVID-19 into a sustainable health infrastructural development plan. The Oyo State isolation centres can be refitted to serve other health purposes once the pandemic is fully over. Seyi Makinde leads, others follow.

Education
Oyo State pacesetted the return of students to schools by insisting that exit students go ahead and take their external examinations. Other students has since joined them. And so has other states, even though Gov Seyi Makinde was initially criticized and vilified by the opposition for this policy! He showed courage and followed up on his impressive educational scorecard which include:

1. The abolishment of N3,000 levy/ fee and the declaration of free education in the primary and secondary school levels in the state.
2. Within 100 days in office, Gov Seyi Makinde commissioned six model schools projects executed under the Universal Basic Education Commission – FG/ Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board Intervention Projects across the three senatorial districts of Oyo State.
3. Distribution of free exercise books to students in public and private schools.
4. Regular payment of teachers salary
5. Completion of school building projects carried over from the previous administration and others initiated by the present administration.
6. 100,000 copies of examination compedium distributed to students.
7. The organization of extra mural classes for students in public secondary schools in addition to the huge investments in the education sector.
8. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH crises resolved.
9. The Polytechnic Ibadan and The Ibarapa Polytechnic with persistent accreditation problems sorted out.
10. Colleges of Education and Agriculture in Oyo, Lanlate and Igbo Ora set on an uninterrupted academic session until the Covid-19 pandemic distruptions.
11. The organization of the school on air programme of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, BCOS where classes were taken on various subjects.

The above and other footprints of this administration in the education sector illustrates the priority placed on education by Gov Seyi Makinde. And this is being celebrated by all the Oyo State education stakeholders. Gov Seyi Makinde has since added the ongoing 30,000 TESCOM teaching and non-teaching staff recruitments his scorecard.

Security
The celebrations and the wave of pride at being a Yoruba that came with the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network,. codenamed Amotekun was a thing of beauty. Gov Seyi Makinde and Oyo State hosted the talks that birthed this security initiative and he has since inaugurated the Oyo State operations of the Amotekun corps.

Brand new vehicles with state-of-the-art communication gadgets were provided for the police; special emergency number, 615 was launched to be called by anybody in distress. Operation Light Up was launched for Ibadan and other cities to discourage street crimes. New Mobile Police Force squadron Mopol 72 was established at Ago-Are in Oke Ogun zone. Feedback mechanisms were provided on social media platforms to allow citizens participate in governance.

Economy
Agriculture has always been the mainstay of the economy of our people in Western Nigeria. It is an area in which Oyo State has comparative advantage, with vast tracts of arable land and a predominantly youthful populace employable in agriculture.

Gov Seyi Makinde innovated the paradigm shift from agriculture to agribusiness. The Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA bill was signed into law in April, 2020. This is to enhance optimization of agro-food value chain business. Input Intervention Support, IIS were provided for farmers through biometric registration to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic effect on food security. Youths in Agribusiness programme: Tomato production training has since been conducted.

Prompt payment of the salaries of civil servants every month ensures that the state economy gets regular influx of capital. Indigenous contractors are prioritized to discourage capital flight. The Park Management System, PMS was established to boost the generation of revenue into the coffers of the state from the state’s transport system. Zero potholes policy was formulated to make the state roads more motorable while several key road contracts had been earmarked to give access to key economic hotspots in the state. These include the Iseyin-Ogbomosho Road, the Ibadan Circular Road and the roads that lead to the Ibadan Airport which has itself been earmarked for an upgrade. Also four ultra modern motor parks are under development. Not to mention the N5.508B remodeling of the Lekan Salami Stadium which will attract international sports tourists and huge revenue.

Able bodied, hard working Oyo State indigenes who had been deceived into slavery in Lebanon are being assisted to come back home and contribute their quota to the development of the state.

There might not be much to celebrate about Nigeria at 60, but Gov Seyi Makinde is giving the people of Oyo State a lot to celebrate.

Happy Independence Day.