As part of the activities to mark his first year in office, Governor Seyi Makinde was live on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) TV for a media chat on Friday, May 29, 2020. During the chat, he answered questions about governance issues in Oyo State from both journalists and members of the public.
Here are ten takeaways from the media chat:
- That in continuing projects uncompleted by past administrations, he was only fulfilling his promise during his inaugural address on May 29, 2019 that he would continue with any past programmes of previous administrations which were viable. Furthermore, that as these projects were funded by Oyo State’s funds, they had to be completed so that the state and the people get value from them.
- That efforts are being made to restructure and properly manage the debt profile of N150B inherited from the previous administration. He stated his resolve for transparency and due process in his administration.
- That loans when taken should only be used to fund capital projects which will expand the economy and not for consumption. Governor Makinde gave a detailed account of the loans borrowed by his administration and the projects they will fund including: construction of roads, bus terminals, counterpart funds for ‘Light Up Oyo’ Phase II, upgrade of health infrastructure and management of COVID-19.
- That a new economic framework is in place to boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue to about N4bn/month by the end of 2020, which is double the amount he met. And that this will be achieved through leveraging on the comparative advantage of Oyo State in agribusiness and creating opportunities to attract investors to Oyo State.
- That the need to strike a balance between the physical health and economic health of the people of Oyo State informed the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force’s decision not impose a total lockdown during the pandemic. However, Governor Makinde stated that the rise in number of confirmed cases is evidence that Oyo State has continued to test and isolate confirmed cases of COVID-19.
- That Oyo State generated new data to get accurate details of the poorest of the poor in the state before it distributed COVID-19 palliatives. And that farm inputs, improved cassava stems, seedlings and herbicides for the planting season were also distributed as palliatives to farmers based on their feedback.
- That a percentage of the N13bn which has accrued into Local Government coffers since May 29, 2019 would be channelled into the establishment of a standard Primary Health Care centre in each ward in Oyo State.
- That decisions on infrastructural projects should be driven by necessity; aimed at productivity and prioritising the welfare of the people. This explained his administration’s decision to reconstruct the Moniya-Iseyin road project as Oke-Ogun is the food basket of Oyo State.
- That the new Park Management System was instituted to boost the state’s IGR and sanitise the transportation sector. And that his administration was working towards improving and optimising the system.
- That the experts are working on risk assessment to determine the resumption of schools in the state and that the state would implement safety measures across schools on resumption to curtail the spread of the virus.
Bonus: That the construction of the Iwo Road Bus Terminal is designed to address the traffic congestion on the road and improve the quality of life in the state. He added that the duration of the project is 12 months.
IFRAME SYNC
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