As Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration nears its conclusion, the Oyo Affairs team has taken on the task of compiling profiles of potential candidates who could assume leadership roles in 2027 as the next Governor of Oyo State.
In our previous three series, we featured two individuals: 46-year-old Bolanle Aminat Sarumi and Ipapo-born Beulah Adeoye, as well as Akin Alabi, the entrepreneur-turned-lawmaker.
The fourth individual in our lineup is Oluseun Onigbinde, a distinguished technology entrepreneur, civic-tech pioneer, and advocate for public sector transparency. He is the co-founder of BudgIT, Nigeria’s leading fiscal transparency and data visualisation organisation, and the Chief Executive of Kwerty Systems, a data services company providing strategic insights and investment advisory for inclusive economies. His career has been dedicated to leveraging technology for citizen engagement, institutional improvement, and open governance.
Born on 18 September 1985 in Osogbo, Osun State, Oluseun hails from Ile Asipa, Masifa, Ogbomoso. He attended Queens Primary School, Oluyoro, Ibadan, and later studied at St John’s College, Ilupeju, Lagos, and Loyola College, Ibadan, before earning his degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). He holds a Master’s degree from The George Washington University and has completed executive education programmes at Stanford University and Columbia University. His global perspective has been shaped by travels to 28 countries, expanding discussions on fiscal transparency, data-driven governance, and inclusive civic engagement.
Oluseun began his professional career as a Strategy Officer at First Bank of Nigeria before transitioning into civic technology. In 2011, he co-founded BudgIT, an organisation committed to making public finance accessible to citizens. Under his leadership, BudgIT has developed tools like Tracka, a project tracking platform, and Fitila, a data and design agency. The organisation has reached over 22 million citizens across West Africa, fostering public interest in open data and civic participation. Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, BudgIT also has offices in five African countries and the United States. The organisation has been recognised and supported by global institutions, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Omidyar Network, MacArthur Foundation, and Luminate. Its impact has also been acknowledged by prominent figures such as Bono, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
In 2019, Oluseun founded Kwerty Systems, a private data services firm catering to international clients. He also established Civic Hive, Nigeria’s foremost incubator for civic-tech initiatives, which has supported over 40 organisations in data, design, and technology development. His expertise in public sector reforms led to his appointment as a Technical Adviser to Nigeria’s Ministry of Budget and National Planning in 2019. He has also contributed to major public institutions such as the Budget Office of the Federation, Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), National Assembly, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), and Kaduna State Government.
Beyond his work in technology and governance, Oluseun has been deeply involved in philanthropy through The Proximity Trust, which has provided over 700 scholarships for youths at Christ Apostolic Church, Agbala Itura, Ibadan, since 2019. He also led the rebuilding of a computer lab at Loyola College, Ibadan. In 2024, he expanded these initiatives into the Oluseun Onigbinde Resource Centre, which has enhanced library development, organised literacy programmes, and provided free internet access and learning materials to young people in Ogbomoso.
Oluseun has received numerous accolades for his contributions to civic technology and governance reform. He was selected as an Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University in 2018 and named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He is also a Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa Scholar, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, Quartz Africa 30 Innovators Awardee, Ashoka Fellow, and a recipient of the Seras Award for Outstanding Leadership and JCI TOYP Award. His work has been recognised by institutions such as the London Stock Exchange, which named him among the 100 Companies to Inspire Africa in 2019, and New African Magazine, which listed him among the 100 Most Influential Africans. He is a Fiscal Commissioner for NESG and a member of the Expert Committee on the Aig-Imoukhuede Public Sector Performance Index.
Akin alabi