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Excerpts from Governor Seyi Makinde’s Independence Day Media Chat on October 1, 2020

As part of the activities put in place to mark Nigeria’s Independence Day and Diamond Jubilee, Governor Seyi Makinde held a media chat on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) TV. The programme tagged ‘October 1 with Governor Seyi Makinde’ was a special interactive session to give account of his stewardship and answer questions on governance issues.

Excerpts

⁃ On Nigeria at 60, Governor Makinde admitted that we have been through many challenges in our six decades of existence including the first military coup, the civil war, the oil boom, military rule and political instability. Nevertheless, he stated that it’s not all doom and gloom and that there are still reasons for optimism. Makinde lauded the electoral process as one of the gains of democracy as it gives the people an opportunity to elect their leaders through a free, fair, transparent and credible process, as witnessed in Oyo State in 2019. According to him, “the worst of democratic rule is better than the best dictatorship.”

⁃ On his efforts to curb insecurity, Governor Makinde enumerated some measures taken so far to combat crime such as: the purchase of more than 100 security patrol vehicles, expanding and refurbishing the state security control room, improving the communication network between security agencies and personnel across the state, and the establishment of Operation Amotekun (Western Nigeria Security Network).

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⁃ On infrastructural development, Governor Makinde listed various road projects including the ongoing reconstruction of the 65km Moniya-Iseyin road to link Ibadan with Oke-Ogun which is almost 60% complete. The governor also stated that the contract of Akobo-Ojurin road would be re-awarded in the next four to six weeks.

⁃ On revenue generation, Governor Makinde stated that his administration had increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State from an average of about N2 Billion monthly in 2019 to about N3 Billion monthly. This was achieved by blocking leakages and patronizing local investors within Oyo State. Furthermore, he said that the resuscitation of previously moribund companies such as the asphalt plant in Ijaye, the recent long lease concession of Agbowo shopping complex and the Pacesetter Fruit Processing Company would contribute to the expansion of the economy. Makinde also stated that companies were relocating to Oyo State and this also contributes to increased revenue for the government.

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⁃ On his efforts to effectively manage waste disposal to keep Oyo State clean, Governor Makinde cited the rehabilitation of Awotan and Ajakanga dumpsites. He however, revealed that he had suspended the board of the Oyo State Waste Management Authority (OYWMA) on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, for failing to effectively carry out its waste management responsibilities. In the meantime, an ad hoc committee had been set up to oversee waste management.

⁃ On the education sector, Governor Makinde said another phase of distribution of palliatives would be distributed to private school teachers to cushion the economic effect of COVID-19 in the next 2 to 3 weeks, once the data had been collated.

⁃ Furthermore, Governor Makinde explained that the ongoing Post Primary Schools Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) recruitment is taking time because the government wants a transparent process where qualified applicants are employed on merit. He admitted that the student to teacher ratio in the state is wide and that the TESCOM recruitment would narrow the gap.

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⁃ However, Makinde expressed his disappointment with the threat issued by members of the Non-Academic Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) in tertiary institutions in the state to embark upon a strike. He said a committee had been set up and talks were still ongoing with leaders of the union to include them in the new minimum wage plans.

⁃ On healthcare, Governor Makinde stated that the Primary Health Care Board was not funded by the previous administration. He said that 7.5% of the statutory allocation of each Local Government Area in Oyo State would be utilised to refurbish and equip primary healthcare centres in the state.

Long Live Oyo State, Long Live Nigeria…Happy Independence Day.

IFRAME SYNC

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