Governor Seyi Makinde has always been compared with President Emmanuel Macron of France. Perhaps it is the shared compassion for their people or the devotion to duty and the rule of law. In any case, Makinde is not anyway inferior to the Frenchman, particularly concerning satisfying the people’s demands and yet keeping the big picture in view.
Governor Makinde has explained to the public that his government has no intention of disregarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue of dissolved local government administration. This he said against the growing rumour that this is Makinde’s plan—to delay for as long as possible. For those outside Oyo, the court case is the prelude to many things, including how the other governors, who use Makinde as a template, would respond to a similar directive. Fortunately, Makinde has insisted time and again that the welfare of the people is the responsibility of the government, and his administration will follow the rules to the letter.
The case itself is interesting. It emerged from Governor Makinde’s decision and order to remove the chairmen and councillors. The directive was released on May 29, 2019, rousing the fury of the sacked officials. Knowing better than to make noise on social media, the officials approached the Supreme Court and presented their case (after losing to the Appeal Court’s judgment). The Supreme Court rebuked Makinde’s government for persisting in the termination of duty even though the case was still in court. It charged Makinde to pay the accrued salaries and allowances of the sacked officials, including 20 million as compensation. This directive, Makinde has notified the public that he will obey. After all, the original decision was taken on behalf of the state, not because he wants to see the LGAs and LCDAs stagnated. That is a law-abiding governor for sure, one that sees beyond his nose.
