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Omititun 1.0 and Omititun 2.0 are not mere political gimmicks. They are daring and glaring glimpses into the pacesetting mode of Oyo State, says Governor Seyi Makinde as he leads the Nigerian Guild of Editors on inspection of aviation fuel facility, road, health, and education projects in the state. Bayo Akinloye reports
Like a calm, steady-flowing body of water, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde is a brook coursing through the length and breadth of Oyo State. His eyes, Makinde admits, are on the accelerated and sustainable development of the state. The moniker of his administration is Omituntun (roughly translated to English means new water.) Makinde is new with ideas and in the manner of their execution. He is deliberate in decision-making and decisive in actions.
His first term, which ends on May 29, 2023, the Oyo governor emphasises, has been largely characterised by Omituntun 1.0 (accelerated development). Ahead of his reelection bid, Makinde reveals he has changed gears to Omituntun 2.0, which is about sustainable development. Last Saturday, the Nigerian Guild Of Editors followed the footprints of the Oyo governor’s projects. Makinde did not hesitate to declare that his focus is to move the state from accelerated development to sustainable growth if reelected in 2023. Makinde stated that this vision lies in the Omituntun 2.0, as his administration has in the last three years focused on putting policies and projects that have not only helped in repositioning Oyo State but also lifted the people from poverty to prosperity.
According to him, a few projects illustrate his unwavering passion for transforming the state: the Methodist Model School, Bodija, Ibadan, the headquarters of the Oyo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun, the 65-kilometre Moniya-Iseyin Road, 78-kilometre Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road, and the 12-kilometre ongoing Apata-Bembo-Jankata Road, Ibadan road. Others are the ongoing dualisation of the Airport Road in Ibadan and the 500,000-capacity aviation fuel storage facility undertaken by the state at the Ibadan Airport.
“Let me formally welcome you to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and the seat of government. As we go out, we will all be on the same bus and take a tour through the projects we have done and those ongoing,” with a hearty smile and a warm handshake, the Oyo governor welcomed the NGE, led by its president, Mustapha Isa, at the Governor’s Office. “I will tell you the vision behind some of the things that you would see. But feel free to challenge us with any of the ideas we are putting forward.”
Makinde’s eyes beamed as he took the guild around the facilities and projects on a tour of inspection. While addressing members of the NGE, when he hosted them at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, the Oyo governor said he would leave the state in a better shape if reelected.
Considered much younger and more vibrant than previous governors, Makinde understands the need to transform a so-called ancient state, without upsetting the applecart, into a society that accommodates tradition and modernity. He feels determined to move on to sustain the developments already implemented.
The Oyo governor illustrated his efforts at redefining the state with the Lere Adigun Housing Estate, Basorun, Ibadan, and the Ode Oba Primary Healthcare Centre in Iseyin, one of the 299, completed primary healthcare centres in the state.
As a successful businessman, Makinde demonstrates an understanding of the intricacy of success and the path to lifelong development and purposefulness of a state. He believes he brings all that to bear in Oyo State. The Oyo governor explained how his administration achieved “massive” success in reducing the infrastructure deficit in the state.
That is not farfetched, he revealed.
“Some of the projects you will be seeing have been carried out through (the) Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA), which has been able to sanitise the mode of delivery in the state. We all know what the country is facing in terms of resources, but we still have to carry on,” stated the governor.
There is more.
“When we leave here,” he told the NGE. “We will have a stopover at a model primary school at Bodija. From there, we will go to the Amotekun Headquarters because security is one of the major pillars of our accelerated development (Omituntun 1.0). The Omituntun 2.0 is about sustainable development.”
He has reasons for Omituntun 2.0 as he eyes reelection in 2023. One of them is continuity. Another is consolidation. His main focus is close. “We have been able to put things in place, and we feel that once we take on the issue of sustainability when I finish my work here, others can take over,” he stated.
The 65-km Moniya-Iseyin road signposts Makinde’s dreams and realities. As he guaranteed, the road was without a single pothole.
“I can guarantee that you will not see a single pothole on that road as it is a standard for our state roads. We will also go to the Iseyin-Ogbomoso road, which is a brand new one,” Makinde said matter-of-factly. “It didn’t exist before we came in. It is a 78-km stretch of road linking Iseyin to the Ogbomoso axis of the state.”
All the bridges stand sturdy, and the road itself is almost completed. “We still hope to commission the project in January,” added the governor.
Apart from road construction, Makinde also wants to leave a legacy in Oyo’s health sector. Health is wealth.
“We will see a model PHC at Iseyin because our target is to have one functional PHC in all the 351 wards in the state. The idea is for people not to go beyond a one-kilometre radius from wherever they are leaving to access primary health care facilities,” he further explained.
After a visit to Iseyin, with the guild left with an impression, the governor was itching to show them more.
“We will come back to Ibadan, and we will be able to show you a few of the infrastructure we have been able to put together. We will go towards the airport. The road is being dualised, and the airport itself is central to expanding our economy,” Makinde further explained to the guild. “I tell people that if you want to expand your economy and the airport only has one flight in a day, it does not tell a good story.”
Makinde highlighted his goal for the airport as being straightforward and forward-looking.
“As a matter of fact, we believe aircraft should be landing and taking off every 30 minutes in the airport if it must have an impact on the economy,” said the governor. But there is a snag.
“Once, I had the opportunity of talking to one of the top officials with Air Peace. They complained that they could not carry a full passenger load to Ibadan because they had to take enough fuel to bring passengers and take them back to Abuja,” the governor disclosed. He provides a solution.
“So, we have been able to put an aviation fuel storage and dispensing facility there. Once all of that is done, the only thing that will remain to make the airport fully competitive is the extension of the runway from 2.7km to 3.3km,” Makinde explained. “Once we are able to do that, then we can do other possible things around there. For this administration, the unique feature for us is that some of these projects were started by one of these individuals you are seeing up there (former governors).”
Shrewd and systematic, Makinde says he is in politics to reshape Oyo State’s past dour narratives and chart a new course with a merger of tradition and modernity going into the future. He stressed that every kobo and naira from the state’s coffer is invaluable. Makinde points out that he does not believe in abandoned projects and does not play the partisan card when it comes to spurring the development of the state. In thoughts, ideals and actions, Makinde expresses determination to set the pace.
“For us, if it’s Oyo State money, we will try to extract value from it. So, I will take you to projects that were started by Governor Akala between 2007 and 2011, a 12-kilometre stretch of road linking New Garage to around Apata. It was not touched for eight years when former Governor Abiola Ajimobi was governor,” explained the governor. For him, that was a challenge. Makinde stresses that he does not hesitate to rise to any challenge on behalf of the Oyo people.
“But we have taken it up. About 10 kilometres of that road have been completed right now, and the importance of the road is two. One is that it will be the first circular road because once you are coming from Lagos and going to NNPC, you go straight on that road, and if you leave the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road, you can make a right turn, you get to Ring Road junction, and at the right turn, you get to Challenge,” stated the Oyo governor.
As the bus ride continued, the governor wanted to show the guild more about what Oyo State had become and what he had achieved for the people in some four years. Right to shelter is a driving force of his governance philosophy, and he is convinced he could change the housing facility in Oyo for the better in the interest of their overall well-being.
“Some of my colleagues have said Gwarimpa Housing Estate in Abuja is a model Estate built by the Federal Government. But for me, I felt all the government housing estates, whether they were built during the time of Baba Awolowo or anyone else, most times ended up being a failure because they would start well; the government would maintain the roads and drainage,” Makinde noted. “But after some time, they would become conduits for civil servants and political officeholders to exert their influence.”
With his ingenuity and shrewdness, he thinks of a better way to make shelter an enjoyable haven and not a habitat to endure.
“But we felt government can provide a conducive environment. I can do the acquisition as a government, but the infrastructure and maintenance must be private-driven. Once you do that and the project is handed over to the private sector, and if the people living in the estate really know what is good for them, they will maintain it,” the Oyo governor reasoned.
The approach has been effective, Makinde affirmed.
“So, what we really did was put in place a land swap deal. When we gave it out to the partner, it was N15 million per plot about one year and two months ago, and now, it is about N50 million because Lagosians are putting pressure on us. It has been a successful model for us,” Makinde pointed out.
“Government is not spending any money to put in infrastructure or for maintenance,” the Oyo governor reassured. “With that model, we have been able to solve the problem of some people having 10 to 15 plots just because they are the ones allocating those plots. This is strictly a private sector-driven process.”
Makinde says he wants to do more with the eagerness to serve another four years in office as the governor of Oyo State. As the 2023 governorship election approaches, the governor of Oyo State is banking on his developmental and political capital to return to Agodi House come May 29, 2023.
