Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has been described as a servant leader, who is all out to make life more meaningful for the people of Oyo State.
This was the submission of Chief Wole Akinwande, a former President General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, in an interview with The People’s Verdict.
He said, “His leadership style is inclusive, transformational and what you can call servant-leadership. He is ready to talk with you any time and if you give any convincing point, he will exercise courage. There was a time they had difficulty getting to Alakia when the airport road was being constructed. He went there one day and they suggested to him, ‘Governor, how about making a small road here so that we can pass when coming?’ He said, ‘That should be possible. Let’s look at it.’ Within the next two weeks, the road had been constructed. He’s very, very good. There are many examples. He is not autocratic and he is accessible to everybody. If you phone him, he’ll pick it or call you back. He is very, very amiable, his influence is ubiquitous.”
Speaking about the impact of Governor Makinde’s leadership, Chief Akinwande said, “He is an encompassing governor. He has the Midas’ touch; anywhere he touches, he does something amazing there. In education for example, look at what happened – Technical University, he made sure he gave it a stronger stand and started a new university at Oyo now and in particular, in LAUTECH (Ladoke Akintola University of Technology) where we had problems, where students always took a long time before graduating because of the tussle between Oyo and Osun states, he resolved it neatly. He resolved it in a way that the university did not have to change its name because it is very vital for LAUTECH to be there because of our Baba Ladoke Akintola. That is in education.
“In roads, everybody now comes and says, ‘How is Ibadan like this? O ti di London now’, (Ibadan is now like London.) There has been a lot of improvement. The major improvement on roads – I never knew it was possible to construct a road from Iseyin to Ogbomoso.
Everybody was even skeptical that politicians bi won se ma nse niyen, (Politicians are wont to make unrealistic promises.) But this is a man who walks his talk. Whenever he says he will do something, consider it done.
“Then health, all the staff get paid on time. Personnel get paid on time so they can plan their lives and everybody is happy. So you can see that there is peace in the state.”
Chief Akinwande said it is not only Ibadan people that are proud of Governor Makinde but everyone in the state.
His words: “Everybody is afraid of somebody coming from a section of the state or the country, because they think all the facilities would be diverted to his place. This man has spread all the facilities to the three senatorial districts so nobody can argue that he’s neglecting their area. Therefore, if somebody can be so dispassionate, not ruling out of sentiment but solid principles, building for a future, you should be proud of him. Before he became governor, he was always assisting CCII in things that can bring progress to Ibadan land. Just mention a need; he’ll be there for you. So we’re very proud that he’s there and we pray that he has a successful tenure.”
The roads stand out for Chief Akinwande among all the projects executed by Governor Makinde.
He said, “The roads stand out significantly because they help people in the chamber. Because of bad roads, our people complain about selling their products, about moving here and there or we have difficulty holding meetings in some sections of the state. But with all these improvements, nobody complains anymore. It has helped the private sector much more than they can think.”
Akinwande, a former President of Ibadan Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said the state economy has performed well under Governor Makinde.
His words: “The economy has fared better because there are so many encouragements for the people, business transactions are faster. Secondly, because of regularity of pay here and there, you can get loans from the bank and be sure that you will pay and that helps the economy. In Ibadan Chamber, Oyo Chamber, in the olden days, we always had trade fairs, where people brought their products for sale. Between 2009 and 2022, we couldn’t do it but Governor Makinde made a promise that in his second term, he would ensure that we start again and since then, every year, at least twice now, we have done it. That encourages interaction and economic development. So, we are grateful and we believe it will continue.”
Chief Akinwande said on a scale of 1 to 10, he would score Makinde 10.
He said, “If I had my way, I’d just give him 10, but so that nobody would think we’re saying he’s perfect or he can’t move more, let’s give him 8 out of 10.”
Chief Akinwande’s verdict: “Governor Makinde is an amiable person, humble and he walks his talk; anything he promises, he does it. He is very, very dependable.”