The chairman of Oyo State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Demola Babalola, has spoken on redefined governance in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde through his programmes and projects which he said have improved the people’s welfare.
In an interview with The People’s Verdict, Babalola said, “Seyi Makinde is a person who has broken the glass ceiling. He came from nowhere, broke the glass ceiling and redefined governance in Oyo State through numerous projects and programmes that have direct bearing on the welfare of the people of Oyo State.”
According to the Oyo NUJ chairman, “the Governor Seyi Makinde administration in the last six years has been a blessing to Oyo State. The reasons are not farfetched. Before Makinde came on board, all of us witnessed a number of unrest and serious misgivings between the workforce in Oyo State and the government because of salary and welfare packages for workers in the state.
“When Makinde came on board, he promised that workers would be receiving their salaries on or before the 25th of every month. Till date, he has not defaulted. He has even been paying the 13th month salary.”
He added: “When the problem of fuel subsidy removal happened, Seyi Makinde took it upon himself and came up with a number of policies and programmes aimed at alleviating the sufferings of workers and the people. Majorly, it was the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER).
“Through this programme, the government was able to reach the nooks and crannies of the state. The government was able to distribute seedlings to farmers and other things to the non-agricultural sectors like the poorest of the poor, the masses and loans to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at a single digit interest rate to ensure that Oyo State people are living better.”
Giving a panoramic view of the Makinde administration, Babalola said, “For me, I can say holistically that this governor is a welfarist to the core. The welfare of the people of Oyo State is in his heart and he puts that forward anytime, any day. Even before I came on board as Chairman of NUJ, Governor Seyi Makinde had built facilities for us. He donated an ultra-modern science laboratory, a building with equipment, to NUJ for our Pen Junior School, an arm of the NUJ where we have educational support programme for the people of Oyo State.
“Makinde, in 2011, about 14 years ago, ever before he became the governor of Oyo State, built and donated a multi-million naira science laboratory to the union and he has been supporting us. So, in the history of Oyo State, we have never had a governor that has been supporting journalists as Seyi Makinde has done.”
Talking about the governor’s road projects, Babalola said: “The road revolution in Oyo State had never been like this. Go and visit any of the road projects that the governor has done. Everywhere, you have this ultra-modern drainage system, bridges all over that water always finds its level. That makes the roads durable and to last longer than what previous administrations had done for the state.
“So, today we are proud that in Oyo State we have a governor who is forward looking and who is visionary. As NUJ chairman in Oyo State, we have visited a number of states. Some years ago, we met some of the labour leaders in Ogun State. When they saw our bus, the NUJ bus, they said, ‘Ah, Oyo State, how we wish you people could loan us your governor, loan us Governor Seyi Makinde! We would have preferred that your governor was our governor in Ogun State.’
“We then asked them about the things our governor was doing that their governor was not doing, and they said: ‘In terms of workers’ welfare alone, 13th month salary and all of that, Governor Seyi Makinde is the best.’
“Governor Makinde is a welfarist, he is someone who knows where the shoes hurt the people of Oyo State and he is always ready to come to their aid in terms of support and all of that.
“Just a few days ago, I read that the governor has again injected over N5billion into SAfER II. That means in another few weeks or months to come, people of Oyo State, especially the poorest of the poor, are going to enjoy this dividend in terms of distribution of food items, subsidising the transport fares across Ibadan and Oyo State generally; Ogbomoso, Ibarapa, Oke Ogun and Oyo. That alone is really helping our people.”
The NUJ chairman also lauded Governor Makinde for his strides in education.
He said: “All of us know what LAUTECH used to be. Today, LAUTECH is arguably one of the best state universities in the country. Not only that, Oyo State has taken over the responsibility of the university by severing the relationship between the two owner states, it is now solely owned by Oyo State.
“The governor has been doing well in terms of funding the university. He has even taken the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Resources to Iseyin for other people to access quality education.”
Babalola also praised the governor for embracing agribusiness, saying: “Agriculture is our area of comparative advantage. That’s why many of us are happy that this governor is working in the area of agribusiness which will really translate into creation of jobs in years to come and will also make Oyo State the food destination of the country.”
Talking about job creation, the NUJ chairman noted that “the governor has been doing well in the area of agriculture and agribusiness and this has a multiplier effect in terms of people that are engaged in that sector. About 15,000 teaching and non-teaching staff have been recruited into Oyo State secondary and primary schools under TESCOM and SUBEB. The current government of Seyi Makinde has done so well in the area of mass recruitment of our people.
“Governor Makinde has performed so well. That is why today he is the poster boy of the PDP.”
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