Governor Seyi Makinde’s Remarks at the Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road Commissioning

Being the remarks by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State at the commissioning of the Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa-Road, Oyo State, on Thursday, March 17, 2022

Let me once again, thank His Excellency, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State, for being here with us today. We appreciate your honouring us with your presence as we return to Oyo Town again, this time, to commission the Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road.

Just about three months ago, we were here to officially flag off the 34.85km Oyo-Iseyin Road.

I am sure everyone can see the work is going on well.

When people hear that this road is five point two kilometres, they might say, oh, it’s a small road. But when you look at the people who came out today to celebrate this small road, you will realise how important it is to them. This Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road links Oyo West and Atiba Local Government Areas in the Oyo-Ile area of our state. It also links the North-South Federal A1 road route 2, connecting Oyo-Iseyin and Ogbomoso–Iseyin Roads.

So, it might be small to some, but to our people here in Oyo Ile, is it small?

Yes, we will continue to fulfil our mandate to our people, in small ways and big ways. Part of that mandate is to stem rural-urban migration by ensuring good road network and interconnectivity outside Ibadan Zone.

Very soon, in fact, in the next two months, we will be counting three years in office. And we will be presenting our scorecard. The good thing is that our scorecard is not hidden. In road construction alone, we have over 550 kilometres of roads, both completed and ongoing.

We have successfully laid the proper foundation for engineering a modern Oyo State.

As we have said repeatedly, we believe that anywhere that roads go, development follows. And so, when we promised that we would move the good people of Oyo State from poverty to prosperity, we knew that a lot of our plans would be hinged on creating a viable road network through rehabilitations, reconstructions and constructions.

So far, we have done a lot of work around the Oke-Ogun-Oyo-Ibadan axis. And we are seeing how much development this has brought in less than three years. Development means that more businesses are seeing Oyo State open up, and they are coming to site their companies here.

When these companies come here, they pay taxes. And so, we have been able to raise our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by a record N15 billion in 2 years.

And when these monies come into our purse, we plough it back into development. So when they ask, “Nibo ni Seyi n’rowo?” You can tell them: “owo development ni o”. Because we are reinvesting these monies into the economy.

More recently, we are expanding the road network and linking Oke-Ogun to Ogbomoso through the Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Road. This seventy-six point seven-kilometre road will serve the same purpose as the Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin Road – providing a vital link between two zones.

Now that we have successfully linked these four zones, people will ask: what about the fifth zone? What about the people of Ibarapaland?

We have a message for our people in Ibarapa Zone. We are coming for you!

Yes, we did not forget you.

The Englishman says the patient dog eats the fattest bone, but our people say it is the person who gets the bottom of the pot that eats the sweetest part of the food.

In our bid to engineer a modern Oyo State, the people of Ibarapa will not be left out. We have re-awarded the reconstruction of the 58km Omi Adio-Ido-Eruwa Road. Also, we have approved the limited rehabilitation of the Igboora-Igangan-Iganna Road while the reconstruction of the Isaba-Ogundoyin Road, Eruwa is currently ongoing.

We did not come into government without a plan. We knew what we wanted to accomplish, and I am happy that you are all seeing a modern Oyo State develop before your very eyes.

An Oyo State where no zone is left behind in our development plan.

An Oyo State we can all be proud of.

So today, we are here to rejoice with the people of Oyo Zone as we commission this 5.2km Gedu-Oroki-Sabo-Asipa Road.

And on that note, I invite my brother, His Excellency, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, to perform the commissioning to the glory of God and for the benefit of the good people of Oyo State.

Thank you, and God bless you.

~ Seyi Makinde, March 17, 2022