When the history of Oyo State is written, it will be recalled that a so-called political neophyte upstaged the ruling party, winning against the incumbent party’s candidate by 157,639 votes to emerge as the 8th Civilian Governor of Oyo State. It was tagged a victory for the people, as it is generally agreed that the people voted with their feet. One year after, Oyo Affairs looks back at Governor Seyi Makinde’s first year in office and gives its verdict.
On the campaign trail, Governor Makinde spoke about the four pillars on which his Roadmap to Accelerated Development in Oyo State 2019-2023 will stand. These are: The Economy driven by Agriculture, Education, Healthcare and Security. A deep dive into his achievements in these four pillars created the scorecard by which his administration’s one year in office was judged.
Economy
Is the average Oyo State citizen more economically comfortable than he was a year ago?
In the absence of official data, we have to fall back to informal research and anecdotes. Certainly, Oyo State does not exist in a vacuum and so what is happening in Nigeria, in general, will affect the state. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the Consumer Price Index, (CPI) which measures inflation, increased by 12.34 percent (year-on-year) in April 2020. Inflation has affected the purchasing power of the average person.
This is perhaps the biggest reason why the consistent payment of salaries by the Oyo State government, and the subsequent payment of the new minimum wage from January 2020, earned him high praise from the people of Oyo State. It means money is continuously injected into the economy at the rate of at least N11 Billion/month from the public sector.
Also, recruitment exercises were conducted in the Health and Education Sectors, creating a total of over 11,000 jobs. Construction projects and Public-Private and Development Partnerships (PPDPs) also mean that informal/temporary jobs are created. For example, the rehabilitation of the Awotan dumpsite, Apete led to the creation of 12,000 jobs.
In the area of Internally Generated Revenue, the state revenue board reports increment from November 2019, when reforms were applied. According to the Governor’s One Year in Office Broadcast, there was an increase of 3.3% in December and 7.6% in January leading to an IGR of N2.7 Billion in February 2020.
However, there was little done in the area of agriculture which was supposed to drive the economy. The upgrading of the Akufo and Eruwa farm settlements into farm estates for which a N7.6 Billion loan by former governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration was repurposed has still not taken off. Also, the promise of funding for farmers through MSME schemes has not been actualized. Another important area that was largely untouched is mechanization.
On the plus side, the government had the collaboration with Farmcrowdy earlier in the administration to eventually reach 20,000 farmers; the signing of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency Bill in March 2020; and the payment of the N350 Million counterpart funding for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
We have to acknowledge also, that at the twilight of his one year in office, the Governor did provide some palliatives for farmers in form of seedlings and other inputs and motor bikes for extension officers. But all these will only count towards his second year in office as that is when the fruits of these labours will be clearly seen.
Therefore, because the sector that was supposed to be used to drive the economy is still at the preparatory stage, our verdict for the first pillar, Economy, is 60% score.
Education
Arguably one of the most touched sectors by the Governor Seyi Makinde led administration. Education got a 22% allocation, the second largest in the Oyo State 2020 budget. The state paid counterpart funding for 2018 and 2019 UBEC grants and for the 2015 Conditional Grants Scheme.
As a result, the Oyo State Government completed three hundred and seven projects, two hundred and thirty-nine of these projects awarded by the previous administration. According to Governor Makinde’s One Year in Office broadcast, these projects include “construction of schools and classrooms, construction of Early Child Development centres, renovation of schools, installation of boreholes, supply of furniture and sports equipment and other procurements.”
At the beginning of his administration, Governor Makinde had cancelled the N3,000/year PTA fees and all other charges to parents. This was replaced with the provision of termly running costs to schools: N1,000 for each child in secondary school and N500 per child in primary schools. However, there were some rumours that some schools were not getting the subvention and that for some, it was not adequate.
Also, text books and exercise books were provided for secondary school students and the students in SS3 got extra-mural classes in preparation for Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Exams and the West African School Certificate Exams.
The School to Air programme running on TV, Radio and the Internet for students in Oyo State as part of measures to mitigate the closure of schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which is supported by one of the telecommunications giants in Nigeria, is also another win for education.
However, as much as facilities are important, education is much more about teachers and teaching. A major complaint throughout the school year was the shortage of teachers. Eventually, a directive was given to recruit 7,500 teachers but this was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We would expect that following the teacher’s recruitment, a comprehensive training of all staff will take place.
The proof of the pudding lies in the eating. In this case, the proof of success in the education sector lies in the results. The first result will come after the SSS3 students sit their WAEC exams. Any movement from the current 26th position will be a welcome development.
Even though there have been strides in terms of infrastructure development in Oyo State, the rot in the sector was overwhelming. We do not believe a quarter of the work expected has been done. We also are of the opinion that more could have been done earlier in the administration in terms of teacher recruitment and training. Add to this the fact that the governor had to effect a minor cabinet reshuffle which affected the Commissioner for Education.
Our verdict for education is 55%.
Healthcare
The healthcare system in Oyo State has suffered a lot of neglect over the years. Even in places where the health centers were functional, they were simply consulting clinics. The focus on Healthcare as one of the four pillars to receive attention was therefore a step in the right direction.
Findings by Oyo Affairs indicate that the Governor Seyi Makinde led administration allocated just above 5% of the budget to the Health sector. This did not sit well with a majority of people who believed a lot more should have been allocated. But, a number of extra budgetary expenses were identified. For example, a N54 Million Medical Mission to provide healthcare services, treatments and surgeries in all Local Government Areas of the State. Also, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a blank cheque was opened for the sector.
In the area of health infrastructure development, the Seyi Makinde led administration started well with the work they did in the Adeoyo State Hospital, Ring Road, Ibadan. The upgrading of the Ajimobi Maternal and Paediatric Centre to the Infectious Disease Research and Treatment Centre, and rehabilitation of three Primary Health Care centres, namely Primary Health Care, Oranyan, Primary Health Care, Afin Oyo, Alaafin’s palace and the ALGON Comprehensive Health Centre, Eyin Grammar, Molete are also highly commendable.
The push to accelerate enrollment for the Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme through community mobilization ensures that healthcare is affordable to all. With just N500/month for a single person and just above N2,000/month for a family of six, the people of Oyo State can enjoy healthcare without paying out-of-pocket.
But, for every PHC the current administration has rehabilitated, there are about 20 more that need work. In fact, going by the governor’s projections, the plan is to renovate/rehabilitate 351 Primary Healthcare Centers using the Oranyan PHC as a standard. Now if it took, one year to rehabilitate three PHCs, would it not take a miracle to rehabilitate at least 100/year? We do not want to be pessimistic but this promise is almost too good to be true.
Before we conclude this section, we will discuss Governor Makinde’s COVID-19 response. If you take the governor’s actions in isolation, you may feel that he gave confusing signals at different times regarding his response to the pandemic. However, a holistic view reveals that from the outset, he had just one strategy, “the solution cannot be worse than the problem.” He termed his approach to be one based on science, logic and data.
His solution was more like that of Sweden and Japan and the Czech Republic with tweaks to suit the local circumstance. For example, he never effected a total lockdown when most other states did, instead, he opted for curfew, closing of schools and churches, coupled with sensitization and mass testing. His approach seemed to work, until the iSON experience. Even with iSon Xperiences accounting for over 50% of cases in Oyo State, Governor Makinde’s approach seems to have been largely successful.
Our Verdict: Because there is still so much to do in the health sector and we are still undecided if Governor Makinde can fulfil his promises in this sector, we score him 45% in healthcare.
Security
We do not deceive ourselves into believing there will ever be an Oyo State, and indeed a world without crime. However, we believe that every state should have an architecture to prevent, control and punish crime. In the area of prevention, we expect laws and public sensitization campaigns, while under control, we expect a protocol for reporting crime when it does happen and to be assured that the agencies in charge will prosecute criminal acts. Finally, we expect that when the judiciary passes judgement on criminals, the law will be enforced.
The issue of security all over Nigeria is a dicey one. Although governors are called the Chief Security Officers of their states, they really do not have authority over the Commissioners of Police (CP) in their states. The CPs instead report to the Inspector General of Police and the President. This has led to the clamour for state police which is still a pipe dream.
In South Western Nigeria, Governor Seyi Makinde has led the charge for regional policing to complement the efforts of a state police. This is how the Amotekun Corps was born. So far, the Oyo State Security Network Agency (‘AMOTEKUN’) Bill 2019 which was signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde on March 10, 2020 and the key officials have been appointed but the Corps is yet to kick off full operations.
Additionally, the current administration deserves kudos in the area of collaborating with the Federal Police Force and other security agencies. Within his first six months in office, the government strengthened the security architecture by procuring and distributing100 Rio Kia cars fully equipped with modern security communication gadgets. The government has also purchased 49 JAC pickup trucks and refurbished 8 Toyota Hilux Pickup Vans and 1 Utility Lorry for the security outfits.
They also operationalised the Citizens’ Emergency toll-free line (615) acquired by Senator Ajimobi’s administration. The ‘Light up Oyo’ project which saw the rehabilitation of streets lights that have not been in use for over two decades also deserves mention as it will enhance security operations.
Also, in the area of legislative policy, the Oyo State Financial Crimes Commission Bill 2019 and Open Rearing and Grazing Regulation Bill, 2019 were signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde. Investigations by Oyo Affairs shows that the Police in Oyo State are more responsive to calls from the Emergency Call Center number, although more still needs to be done in the area of reforming the police to prevent extortion, but this is not in the State Government’s purview.
Based on all he has done in the Security sector, we score Governor Makinde 60% in security.
Final Verdict
After all is considered, we are of the opinion that the 515,621 persons who voted Seyi Makinde in on March 10, 2019 are not disappointed after his first year in office. Of course, there is a lot more that still needs to be done, but all indicators show that he is proceeding steadily leading Oyo State on the right path.
Even his staunchest opposers have scored him at least 30% after his first year. Here at Oyo Affairs, our final verdict is that Governor Seyi Makinde scored 55% in his first year. He is off to a good start. And we hope he will do even better in his subsequent years. We wish the People’s Governor a Happy One Year in Office!
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