Being the Remarks by His Excellency, Seyi Makinde, FNSE, the Executive Governor of Oyo State at the Oyo State at 50 Dinner and Awards Night on 03 February 2026
As we draw the curtain on this 10-day celebration of Oyo State at 50, I am reminded of a simple but enduring truth – governments will come and go, administrations will begin and end, but Oyo State remains.
What we celebrate tonight is not the achievement of one government, one political party or one moment in time.
We are celebrating a living State, shaped by many teams, strengthened by many sacrifices, and carried forward by generations of people who believed that Oyo State could always be better than it was yesterday.
From the foundational years after Oyo State was created in 1976, when early administrations beginning with the military government of then Colonel David Jemibewon focused on establishing the structures of governance, to the Second Republic when Chief Bola Ige’s administration placed strong emphasis on public service, education, and social development, our State has continued to evolve through different national seasons.
Subsequent military administrations carried on with the task of developing Oyo State.
With the return to democracy in 1999, attention shifted toward rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening urban governance, and responding more directly to the expectations of our people.
In the years that followed, infrastructure renewal, security reforms, and urban modernisation became defining priorities, reshaping how our cities function and how communities experience governance.
Let us not forget, Oyo State has passed through moments of tension, transition, and institutional testing and each time, emerged stronger, wiser, and more committed to stability and progress.
Today, we are building on all that has come before: delivering long-term, systems-driven infrastructure, transport reforms, and economic projects that will be commissioned throughout this anniversary year, not as isolated achievements, but as part of a continuing promise to future generations.
That is why Oyo State at 50 is not a single event, and it is not ending tonight.
This celebration will continue throughout the year, with the steady commissioning of projects that reflect both continuity and progress.
In the coming months, we will formally commission the completed Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport upgrade to an international airport providing an important gateway to the world.
We will also continue work on, and commission key sections of, the Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road project, a transformational infrastructure that reimagines mobility, logistics, and urban growth across Ibadan and beyond.
Beyond roads, the future we are building is already arriving.
The new surveillance aircrafts we ordered will be delivered within this first quarter. This will strengthen our security capacity once they are deployed.
Modern electric buses will be delivered later in the year, expanding affordable and efficient public transportation for our people.
We are in the process of acquiring more ambulances and fire trucks and completing several other projects, across health, education, security, agribusiness, and urban renewal. These will be unveiled throughout this year.
Because development is not a spectacle.
It is a system.
And systems endure when they are designed for people, not optics, not politics.
As we honour award recipients tonight, let us remember that the true recognition belongs to every citizen who believes in this State, pays their dues, and refuses to give up on Oyo State, even in challenging times.
Our responsibility is clear.
To ensure that when future generations gather to mark Oyo State at 75 or 100, they will say that this generation did not break the chain, rather, we strengthened it.
That we governed with humility.
That we built with foresight.
And that we handed over a State that was more stable, more productive, and more united than we met it.
Tonight, I say thank you to all who have led before us.
Thank you to all who serve today.
And thank you to the people of Oyo State, who remain the constant in our shared journey.
May Oyo State continue to rise.
May our unity remain our strength.
And may the next fifty years be even greater than the first.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Seyi Makinde
03 February 2026