HE Seyi Makinde reflects on finding time for reading amid the demands of office, while reporting cabinet changes, Oyo State’s agribusiness engagement at the World Union of Wholesale Markets conference and approval of ₦4.5 billion in support for victims of the 2024 Bodija explosion.
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.
Beginning 2025, HE Seyi Makinde sets timelines for the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road and Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport upgrade, while shifting emphasis towards policies, human-capital development and civil-service reform, including the appointment of over 40 Permanent Secretaries.
Closing out 2024, HE Seyi Makinde reports a redesign of the Adegbayi Junction–Bus Terminal–Iwo Road Interchange to accommodate higher traffic volumes and approval of a free medical mission across all 33 LGAs, before reflecting on family, teamwork and public service.
Ahead of the Ondo governorship election, HE Seyi Makinde combines a political appeal for the PDP with Oyo governance updates, including recruitment of 14,500 teachers and about 3,300 health workers, while arguing that government’s larger employment role is creating conditions for private-sector job creation.
Returning from a four-week vacation, HE Seyi Makinde signals decisions in response to another fuel-price increase and previews new agribusiness and tourism projects, while beginning George Stephanopoulos’s The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis.
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.
Explaining why Oyo State is not relying primarily on cash transfers, HE Seyi Makinde argues that short-term relief should feed into sustainable, data-driven interventions, citing a 50% tractorisation subsidy and enterprise support for 1,500 agrifood entrepreneurs while encouraging investment during the economic downturn.
Responding to claims that states received an additional ₦30 billion from the Federal Government, HE Seyi Makinde says Oyo received no such payment and only ₦2 billion of an earlier ₦5 billion intervention, while calling for solutions rather than political blame and extending SAfER and wage support.
Ahead of the 2024 Budget for Economic Recovery, HE Seyi Makinde urges citizens to follow actual budget implementation rather than approved line items alone, while reflecting on industrialisation, poverty reduction and government’s role in creating an enabling environment for private investment.
