Being the Remarks by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Inauguration of the Oyo Amotekun Board on Monday August 15, 2023
Having fulfilled the requirements of section 7 subsection 4 of the Oyo State Security Network Agency Law, 2020 which states, “The Chairman and members of the Board shall be appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Attorney-General subject to the confirmation of at least two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly.” We are here today for the inauguration the Oyo Amotekun Board.
The board is made up of 12 members led by the Chairman, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police Sikiru Kayode Akande, and their primary responsibility is to make policy and administrative guidelines for the agency and ensure that the agency is functioning optimally and bringing about the desired development in the state.
We know that security is strongly linked to development of any community. In fact, one of the core reasons why we witnessed accelerated development under Omituntun 1.0 is that the Oyo Amotekun worked along with other security agencies to keep our state secure. The Amotekun community policing meant that they were often the first line of defense for our rural communities.
If you go through Amotekun’s accomplishments under Omituntun 1.0, you will see that they are a strong reason why our farmers in the rural communities are able to return to their farms without fear of attacks. They recorded wins in cases involving killings, kidnappings, motorbike snatchings, burglaries, illegal mining and even drug peddling and fraud.
We have a record of 10 kidnapping rescues that was carried out by the Oyo Amotekun Corps between June 2021 and May 2023.
So, we are confident that this board we are inaugurating today have the right set of people that will continue to lead Oyo Amotekun on the path of sustainable development.
You will recall that just at the twilight of Omituntun 1.0, we increased the number of corps members by 500, so we now have about 2,000 Amotekun corps members. They are also now involved in community intelligence gathering.
Still, under Omituntun 1.0, we supported the Amotekun corps with a fleet of over 140 vehicles and 400 motorbikes. We continued to provide the corps with support in the form of training, and also procured health and group life insurance for members of the corps in addition to providing specialist medical support. This is because we are aware of the sacrifices members of the corps continue to make for us.
Our promise is to further equip you and support Oyo Amotekun under Omituntun 2.0.
We know that the more support we provide the corps, the greater their ability to perform. And with the board firmly in place, they can serve as the link between government and the Oyo Amotekun Corps.
As you already know, we have expanded the sectors that we will use to grow our economy and we have included tourism and solid minerals development. So, we need you to work even more so that our economy continues to grow even faster than it did under Omituntun 1.0.
On this note, we pronounce the Oyo Amotekun Board inaugurated to the glory of God and the for benefit of the good people of Oyo State.
Seyi Makinde
August 14, 2023