Reflecting on six years in office, HE Seyi Makinde argues that leadership requires restraint as well as power, using his decision to expand Oyo State’s tax net rather than raise tax rates and Ibadan’s orderly traditional succession system to illustrate leadership grounded in empathy, institutional order and honoured commitments
Marking six years in office, HE Seyi Makinde frames legacy around measurable impact rather than intention, citing growth in internally generated revenue, infrastructure and social investment while asking residents where government should deepen its impact during the remainder of his tenure.
Two years into his second term, HE Seyi Makinde frames the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road and Ibadan airport upgrade as long-term economic infrastructure and argues that sustainable development requires systems and private-sector partnerships capable of surviving the administration that created them.
Against the backdrop of rising fuel and living costs, HE Seyi Makinde combines a message of resilience with Oyo State’s agricultural response, citing lower food inflation and plans for a Rungis-style wholesale farmers’ market and 3,000-ha Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone at Ijaiye.
As Fasola attracts international attention, HE Seyi Makinde openly assesses shortcomings in Oyo State’s agribusiness interventions — including a 5% success rate in one farmer-support programme and delays at Fasola — arguing that failed assumptions should be identified, learned from and corrected as the model expands.
Following the African Business Forum in Ethiopia, HE Seyi Makinde outlines plans for trade engagement with the Republic of Benin and a visit by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio to Fasola, presenting the agribusiness hub as a pilot whose lessons will be applied at Eruwa.
Following the flag-off of the 3,250-ha Eruwa Agribusiness Industrial Hub, HE Seyi Makinde applies lessons from the Fasola pilot while announcing completion of the first 5MW phase of Oyo State’s 11MW Independent Power Project, intended eventually to power public infrastructure and Light Up Oyo.
After 18 months of sensitisation, HE Seyi Makinde announces enforcement of existing traffic, waste-management and street-trading laws under the Rule of Law Authority, while updating readers on ₦1.5 billion in agribusiness enterprise support and talks with the Nigerian Railway Corporation on a proposed Ibadan intra-city rail service.
Responding to claims about a ₦570 billion Federal Government hardship fund, HE Seyi Makinde explains that NG-CARES payments are World Bank reimbursements for state expenditure rather than federal grants, disclosing Oyo State reimbursements of ₦5.98 billion and ₦822 million before beginning a four-week vacation.
Responding to questions about the Ibadan Airport upgrade, HE Seyi Makinde explains Oyo State’s private-sector-driven, public-sector-supported development model: government invests in enabling infrastructure while businesses drive growth, citing Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub and private tractor leasing as examples.
