By Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Sony was already a global brand before it came up with its Walkman on July 1, 1979. This device, which allowed individuals to enjoy music of their choice wherever they were and anytime they wanted, revolutionized the electronics industry globally and played a major role in pushing Sony to the fore as the leading electronics company because the product sold over 400million units.
The Walkman was developed at the instance of Sony co-founder, Masaru Ibuka. Ibuka, a music enthusiast, loved to go about with Sony TC-D5, so as to be able to enjoy music wherever he was. When he had to make some long flights in 1979, he requested one of the company’s engineers, Norio Ohga, to develop something smaller and more portable than TC-D5 so that he could enjoy music on the flights.
Working with Sony Pressman, a portable, monaural tape recorder, Ohga was able to design a device that enabled Ibuka enjoy his choice of music on his trips. Thus was born the Walkman.
But rather than build on this feat which earned it a fortune, Sony embarked on a long chest-thumping binge. By the time it returned to reality, Apple had built on the Walkman to develop the iPod. Thus, despite giving the world its first mobile stereo music device, Sony failed to move to the next stage. Apple beat Sony to it by coming up with the iPod.
This is known as the Sony slip.
Although Sony is still running, it is no longer a front runner in the industry it once dominated. Complacency is always costly.
Armed with the Roadmap for Accelerated Development 2019-2023 and the Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023-2027, both of which constitute his pact with the people of Oyo State, the former for his first tenure and the latter for the current tenure, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde has birthed unprecedented development in Oyo State. He has constructed more kilometres of roads than any governor in the history of the state, he has employed more civil and public servants than any of the governors that came before him, he has promoted agribusiness more than any governor in the country, he has renovated more schools than any of the governors since 1999, he has appointed more permanent secretaries than any of his predecessors in office, he has funded security outfits more than any of the governors that preceded him, he has championed inclusivity more than any other governor in the history of the state, he has reduced the dependency of the state on FAAC allocation more than any other governor in the state’s history, he has put the state on the world stage more than any of his predecessors through his domestication of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), being the first sub-national to do so, he has attracted more investments into the state than any other governor since 1999, he has supported primary healthcare more than any governor in the history of the state, he has established more institutions and agencies than any governor in the history of the state, he has taken urban renewal to a height never experienced before in the state, he is the first Oyo State governor to achieve independent power generation. Indeed, Makinde has shown the people of Oyo State that his understanding of leadership is service to the people.
His unmatched performance has left the people in awe. Consequently, the applause from all the zones, cities, towns, wards and villages across the state has been deafening. But the governor has always maintained that he is not doing any of the things he is doing for the applause, but for impact.
So, unlike Sony, which plateaued after reaching a significant height, Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, keeps revving up despite his unparalleled accomplishments. For Makinde, complacency is a sacrilege, slowing down is a sin and resting on the oars is a crime against the people who entrusted their collective destiny to him. For him, the tempo of service delivery has to keep rising until he breasts the tape in the final seconds of May 28, 2027. Therefore, rather than rolling out the drums to celebrate the feats he has accomplished, Makinde believes he has to roll up his sleeves to deliver more dividends of good governance and exceptional leadership to all and sundry in Oyo State.
Speaking on the theme “Reflecting on Omituntun 2.0: Towards Building an Enduring Legacy” at the Omituntun 2.0 Mid-Term Leadership Retreat held recently at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Makinde told his cabinet members, heads of departments and agencies as well as permanent secretaries that notwithstanding the strides of the administration over the past six years, it was not yet time for backslapping or self adulation but a time to tighten the belt, work smarter and collaborate better so that the administration could finish on a high note.
After thanking members of his team for their contributions to the success recorded, the governor threw some posers: “Have we made progress? Yes.
“Are we where we need to be? Not yet.”
Not one for theatrics, Makinde drove home the point. He said, “Across our Roadmap, there remain gaps — not of vision, but of delivery. Projects that began with promise now need a final push.”
Expatiating on this, the governor said: “Several critical road and transport infrastructure projects are behind schedule. Our Agribusiness Industrial Hubs — Eruwa, Akufo, Ijaiye— are not yet completed. Solid Minerals Development is just gradually taking off. IGR targets, although rising, have not yet met the monthly benchmark we envisioned.
“These are not failures. They are reminders that great visions demand deliberate coordination — across ministries, agencies, and partners.”
He then gave the clincher: “Finishing strong requires inter-ministerial collaboration. No single ministry can build a legacy. Not Agriculture alone. Not Education alone. Not Public Works, Energy or Lands. But together, they can.”
Makinde told his team members that the last half of the current tenure should not be about starting new projects but about completing ongoing ones. He urged them to consolidate institutional wins, while ensuring that all arms of government work in alignment.
To leave no one in doubt about his determination to see that his administration delivers optimal benefits to the people, Makinde proposed an Oyo State Delivery Taskforce, a monthly review system among ministries to unlock bottlenecks, track legacy projects, and solve problems before they escalate.
He also proposed a public-facing Legacy Dashboard to show citizens what is left to complete and who is responsible as well as quarterly cross-ministerial retreats, focused not on reporting activities, but on co-delivering outcomes.
The governor said the Legacy Dashboard could be patterned after the Rwandan model known as the Imihigo Delivery Compact, through which ministers publicly state what they will accomplish, so the public can hold them accountable when they do not.
Stressing that the exercise would not be an excuse to drop any appointee, Makinde said by deploying the strategy, Oyo State would be setting its own gold standard, which is grounded in coordination, not competition.
The governor then announced the launch of Oyo State’s Performance Delivery Compact, which he said would afford each Ministry, Department, and Agency to identify three to five legacy deliverables that could be realistically completed before 2027. The deliverables will then be broken down into 6-month targets — what would be delivered by January 2026, and what would be completed by May 2027. The MDAs are to ensure that each deliverable is S.M.A.R.T. — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These deliverables will then be published as their Oyo Legacy Pledge.
He added that the MDAs should be prepared to stand before the public and say: “This is what we promised. This is what we delivered.” He also underscored the importance of collaboration among the MDAs through Joint Compacts, especially where outcomes overlap — such as infrastructure and commerce, education and youth, tourism and environment.
Governor Makinde said, “These compacts will be monitored quarterly and reviewed at our Legacy Retreat in 2026. They will guide resourcing, visibility, and decision-making for the remainder of this administration. The Oyo State Legacy Compact is not a slogan. It is a covenant. A pact between us and the people we serve.”
The governor then gave a list of four things that must be accomplished for the administration to build a legacy that would transcend generations.
He said completion must be prioritized: “We must finish the agribusiness hubs, upgrade our PHCs, deliver the airport and feeder roads.”
Whatever works must be institutionalized: “We must protect effective policies through legal frameworks and performance-linked budgeting.”
The process, not just the product must be celebrated: “We must make our delivery model transparent and replicable.”
Successors must be empowered, not sabotaged: “A true legacy is one that outlives its architects.”
He added, “We are at a defining point. The foundation is solid. The vision is clear. The next two years must be about intentional delivery, inter-ministerial synergy, and generational impact.”
Then he delivered the crux of his presentation: “Let us remember: A legacy is not what you start. It is what you finish — and finish well. Let posterity say of this government, of this season: They came, they saw the gaps… and they closed them.”
Makinde’s commitment to the development of Oyo State is both humbling and inspiring. At a time when other second term governors are strategizing for the next election and trying to position themselves for opportunities in Abuja, Makinde is compacting his pact with the people to the most important things and concentrating energy and resources on the most critical things that would positively impact the people and leave an impact for generations yet to come.
Makinde, on assumption of office, hit the ground running and also wants to yield the ground running at the end of his tenure, thus setting a template for good governance and exemplary leadership.
This is probably why Mr Ayodele Ogundele, Chief Executive Officer of Davies Hotel, Ibadan, said in an interview that he had never seen a second term governor working as conscientiously as Makinde is doing.
The best gift a people can have is a leader who does not pay perfunctory interest to their welfare, but one who braces all the odds to improve the people’s lot. Makinde goes the extra mile to make life meaningful for every resident of the state; he leaves no stone unturned to turn around the fortune of the state. So, if Oyo State appears to be on a present continuous development trajectory, it is because it is led by a governor who is consistently raising the bar of service delivery.
•Dr Olanrewaju is the Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor.
