Governor Seyi Makinde’s New Year Message 2022

Being the text of the New Year Message by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State on Saturday, January 1, 2022.

My Dear Good People of Oyo State,

It has been 30 months since we took on the task of engineering a modern Oyo State. And for over two years, we have been building across sectors. In some instances, we even had to lay the foundation first. For example, before we came into office, there was nothing like the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA). There was also no Oyo State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.  

We created those two agencies, among others, as part of our plan to move Oyo State from poverty to prosperity. And I am happy to report that we are beginning to see accelerated development in all sectors because we stuck to our plan. For example, we have increased our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by over N15 billion in the last two years.

2021 was indeed a year of continued consolidation.

We consolidated on security.

Although 2021 started with security challenges, we quickly built on the architecture we introduced in 2020 to bring the situation under control. Before 2020, there was nothing like Amotekun. But now, it is hard to talk about Oyo State security without mentioning the work of these operatives who, along with the federal security apparatus, are securing our state.

In the first quarter of 2021, we set up Oyo State Security Task Force, incorporated non-state actors into our security architecture and further expanded the reach of the upgraded Security Control Room and City Watch Facilities. From the headquarters at Onireke, Jericho, we can view our connected CCTV cameras in strategic locations, including vulnerable schools as far as Ogbomoso. We also established the Joint Security Force Base at Mamu Village, thus securing one of the entry and exit points into Oyo State.

We believe our strategies are working because we see the rise of investor confidence in our state. We are also getting fewer reports of criminal activities in the rural communities, especially in the hot spots of Ibarapa.

Let me assure you that we are not resting on our oars. In 2022, we look forward to getting a third Police Mobile Force Squadron in Oyo State. At the same time, we will continue to equip and support the operations of all our security agencies to the benefit of the good people of our dear state.

We reaped from investing in our economy.

For over six months, the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt Plant, Ijaiye, has been supplying some of the asphalt that we use for road constructions in Oyo State. Before we came into office, this was a moribund facility that offered zero benefits to the Oyo State economy.

Another moribund facility that we have rehabilitated and put into good use is the former Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) headquarters, now the OYSADA Headquarters and Chalets. It was a pleasure for me to be hosted in one of the chalets during the celebration of my birthday last year.

Likewise, the former Rural Community Development Centre (RCDC) facility in Awe has been turned around. It is now the Oyo State-IITA Youth Agribusiness Incubation Park Centre where young people in Oyo State get practical training in agribusiness. In addition, we have started training 10,000 youths on agribusiness under the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP).

The 65km Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin Road, now completed, is providing a vital link between our breadbasket, Oke-Ogun, and our capital, Ibadan and then further links with other parts of the state and the country. Work is ongoing on the reconstruction of the 34.85km Oyo-Iseyin Road, the rehabilitation of the 45.3km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road, and just last month, we awarded the construction of the 76.7km Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso Road. We plan to provide the vital inter-connectivity needed to bolster development in Oyo State.  

Still on infrastructure, we are looking forward to the opportunities that will emerge in the transport sector in Oyo State after we complete and commission the bus terminals at Iwo Road, New Ife Road, Challenge and Ojoo. We had hoped that these would be completed in 2021, but we experienced some delays.

We grew in education.

After achieving sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), we took a multi-campus approach to expand the university and have already opened the Iseyin campus, where we are housing the College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Sciences. We look forward to making LAUTECH a full-fledged university and then laying the foundation to ensure it becomes number one in Nigeria.

We are also continuing our upgrades of the basic education sector by paying our Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) matching grants. In the past year, we have completed 26 model schools, among other projects. Of course, education is still free in primary and secondary schools in Oyo State. We are continually working to enhance both the quality of education our children receive and the environment they receive it.

We expanded our health infrastructure.

As of the last count, we had completed the upgrade of about 50 Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in our bid to ensure at least one standard PHC per ward in Oyo State.

Additionally, we have continued upgrading our secondary healthcare facilities with the Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, Yemetu; General Hospital, Aremo, Ibadan; General Hospital, Tede; laboratory of the General Hospital, Eruwa; and the LAUTECH High Dependency Units, Ogbomoso benefitting from the upgrades. We also renovated, upgraded and renamed Jericho Nursing Home as the Oyo State Geriatric Centre, Jericho.

But, to ensure that even the indigent among us have access to healthcare, we had the second Omititun Free Health Mission that catered to over 300,000 people across the state.

We look forward to an exciting year ahead, and thank you, the good people of Oyo State, for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

Even though the world is still battling COVID-19, we have always taken the stand that we will have to learn to live with this disease for a long time. This is why in Oyo State, we have always depended on science, logic and data to guide our responses. Please, wash your hands, wear a face mask and go and get vaccinated.

I pray that 2022 is a year of growth and opportunities for us all.

Long live Oyo State.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

~ Governor Seyi Makinde, January 1, 2022