29th May, 2025
Taiwo Ogunniyi
There is no doubt that the Oyo State is fortunate to have a visionary leader like Engr. Seyi Makinde who is driven by a commitment to provide quality and purposeful leadership and service of the state.
His administration, which came to the fore on May 29, 2019 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has implemented quite a number of landmark and impressive legacies that will not only outlive his administration but will for years to come serve as a reference point to successive administrations in the State.
But first, let’s take a step back and start from the beginning. Before he was elected governor in 2019, he had never held an elective post. He established his reputation in the corporate world, where he made a strong mark. At the age of 29, he founded Makon Engineering and Technical Services Ltd (METS), later expanding it to Makon Group, a leading oil and gas firm. Makon Group’s growth and his philanthropic scholarships earned him a reputation for business success.
In 2007, Makinde made his political debut contesting the Oyo South senatorial seat under the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) ticket but lost the election to Senator Kamorudeen Adedibu, son of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, High Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu. He also tried his luck for the same senatorial seat in 2011 but lost again. In 2015, Engr Seyi Makinde turned his attention to the gubernatorial seat and contested under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), he came fifth in the said gubernatorial election. Still undaunted with the outcome of the said election, Governor Seyi Makinde also contested and was the PDP’s standard bearer for the 2019 gubernatorial election. But alas! He was overwhelmingly elected. Governor Makinde who was on a historic mission sought re-election in 2023, and was even more impressively re-elected again for a second term in office, thus becoming the second elected Governor to achieve that feat after his predecessor in office, late Abiola Ajimobi. Governor Makinde defied prominent political godfathers in the process.
His record in governance has been impressive. He has delivered for the civil servants and pensioners time and again with the prompt payment of their salaries and pension arrears and gratuities. Payment of 13th month salaries to workers and wage allowances to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and the eventual payment of N80,000 as minimum wage for all cadres of civil and public workforce in the State.
Not only that, he has employed nothing less than 25,000 unemployed youths into the state’s workforce and converted the ad-hoc staff at the local government into permanent employees. He has set impressive feats on infrastructure. His agrarian reforms have also begun to yield positive fruits. Governor Seyi Makinde as a smart politician has surrounded himself with brilliant technocrats, and has effectively deployed them to move his agenda forward- while deftly managing the “professional” politicians around him.
For the people of Oyo, Makinde has achieved some memorable feats. Some of such interventions that are etched in the memory of all sons and daughters of Oyo state are his heavily invested in the development of infrastructure including roads, bridges and public buildings. He has implemented several initiatives aimed at improving education in the state, including provision of free education to students in public schools.
Governor Makinde also prioritized healthcare. With initiatives such as the establishment of a health insurance scheme, and the renovation of several hospitals and primary health care facilities across all the 351 wards in the state
Not only that he has implemented policies aimed at promoting economic development in the state including the establishment of a free trade zone and the provision of support for small and medium – scale enterprises.
He has attracted several investments to Oyo State, including a multinational oil and gas company at about $100million.
Under his leadership, Oyo State’s economy has experienced remarkable growth, with the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing from N2.75 trillion in 2019 to N4.05 trillion as of Q3 2022.
Governor Makinde’s leadership style has been described as transformational, bringing about positive change in Oyo State. His administration is people-centric, with a focus on improving the lives of citizens.
