By Sulaimon Olanrewaju
For Oyo State, it is greatness foretold.
Given its rich and unique ancestry; the Ibadans’ administrative and military prowess, coupled with the diplomatic and political sophistication of the Oyos, the craftsmanship and gallantry of the Oke-Ogun people, the bravery and entrepreneurial dexterity of the Ogbomosos, as well as the integrity and warmth of the Ibarapas, its lush land, the clement weather, and its nodal nature, Oyo State already enjoys an elevated status.
Though conceived in greatness and birthed in splendor, the current height attained by Oyo State is the culmination of the mental rigor of those privileged to steer the ship of the state at one time or the other, as well as the sweat of the people; the farmer in Igbo Ora, the teacher in Saki, the weaver in Iseyin, the trader in Ogbomoso, the palm wine tapper at Tapa, the trucker at Moniya, the agribusiness expert at Fasola, the artisanal miner in Igbeti, the traffic warden in Lanlate, the filmmaker in Oyo, the homemaker in Komu, the parliamentarian in Agodi, the civil servant at the Secretariat, the local government employee, the medical personnel, the security operative, the politician, the traditional ruler, the intellectual, the artisan, the butcher, the driver, the entertainer, the content creator, the beauty therapist, the fashion designer, the IT specialist, everyone, in their own way, contributing a note, a verse, a line, a bridge, or a chorus to the melodious symphony that Oyo State has become.
Being a scion of the peerless Western Region and the inimitable Western State gave Oyo State a head start. While others were scrambling to get off the ground, it hit the ground running. Starting from 1976, when it was created, Oyo State kept on with the tradition of its progenitors, blazing the trail in different human endeavours, thus earning the moniker of the Pacesetter State.
Then, there was a slide…
In his goodwill message delivered at the Gala/Awards Night as part of Oyo State’s golden jubilee celebration, Kwara State Governor, who doubles as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, aligned himself with earlier speakers, who had paid glowing tributes to the state, its leaders and the people on the momentous occasion of its 50th anniversary. He went a step further by pointing attention to the impact of Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration on the state.
He said: “Oyo was in the forefront. But at a point, it lost steam, but that steam that was lost has been reignited by the catalyst (Makinde) you see here. He has restored Oyo State back to its former glory. I say congratulations to Governor Seyi Makinde and congratulations to the great people of Oyo State.”
AbdulRazaq continued, “Personally, I have seen the development of Oyo State over the last 50 years. When I was a kid, I travelled through Oyo State to Lagos with my father all the time, and in the last few years, I have passed through Oyo State more than 20 times by road. And each time I passed, I saw new developments.
“I must congratulate you all that you have a hardworking governor in Oyo State. Seeing is believing. You can see things on social media and say that ‘the governor is working, things are happening’. But I have witnessed the development going on in the state. Look at the Ogbomoso-Iseyin Road. I was at the flag-off and the commissioning of the road project. Look at the dualization of the Airport Road and its upgrade as well as the inner city projects. So, things are changing.
“I truly congratulate His Excellency because I am a living witness to the giant strides being taken in Oyo State. It is not just in Ibadan but all over the state. Look at the agro projects, schools, healthcare.”
The NGF Chairman challenged Nigerians asking questions about how governors had been spending increased resources accruing to their states to pay a visit to Makinde’s Oyo State and see how he had judiciously deployed resources to provide top-notch infrastructure.
As attested to by Governor AbdulRazaq, as well as millions of Oyo State residents and thousands of observers and commentators, Governor Makinde has restored Oyo State’s lost glory in the area of infrastructure. But beyond reconstructing derelict infrastructure with asphalt and tar, and rebuilding dysfunctional structures with brick and mortar, Makinde has restored the dented dignity of the citizens, strengthened the bond between the people and the government and has been giving wings to the residents’ dreams.
In the not-so-distant past, the people of the state counted for little in the estimation of their leaders. Citizens and residents were treated as statistical figures, only useful for winning elections and pushing for higher allocations from Abuja. Civil servants were disrespected, pensioners were disdained, traders were disgraced, students were dishonored, people living with disabilities were disparaged and the elderly were dismissed.
But since Omituntun berthed in the state, the trend has changed. Makinde has brought civility and compassion as well as humility and humaneness into governance. Makinde holds the people in high esteem and conducts the business of government with empathy. He is concerned about the citizens’ wellbeing and honours everyone, irrespective of their status or stature.
On Sunday, February 1, 2026, the state government, as part of activities marking Oyo State’s 50th anniversary celebration, hosted the elderly and People Living With Disabilities (PLWD) at the Omololu Olunloyo Park. In the course of the programme, one of the participants, a man on wheel chair, made two requests of Governor Makinde. First, he asked that the governor should embrace him; the governor left his seat on the dais, went to where the man was and embraced him.
Then, the man asked the governor for a house, to which the governor responded that the man’s wish would be granted.
Neither the governor’s action nor his promise was for the crowd or the cameras. Makinde did what he did because of his belief that no opportunity should be passed up to make the physically-challenged members of the society as comfortable as possible. This is the reason he established the Oyo State Agency for People with Disability, headed by Barrister Ayodele Adekanmbi. The agency’s core mandate is to ensure inclusivity and eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities.
Governor Makinde has ensured that the physically-challenged are properly treated and benefit from all programmes of government, such as civil service employment, political appointment and economic empowerment. Makinde has been working hard to remove every encumbrance that can hold down the physically-challenged in Oyo State.
As a champion of inclusion, Makinde is the first Oyo Sate governor to appoint a female Secretary to the State Government. He is the first governor in the state to appoint four female commissioners at once. He is the first governor in the state to recognize Hijrah Day as a public holiday, and the first to give recognition to Isese Day for traditional worshippers.
Makinde is gung-ho about urban renewal, but not at the people’s expense. Agodi Gate Area of Ibadan used to be an eyesore. The chaos caused by street traders and hawkers in that area always created indescribable gridlock that made the axis impassable. To solve the problem and give the place a facelift, Makinde introduced junction improvement in the area. However, rather than pushing the street traders away and forcing them into poverty and grinding hardship, knowing that the government has a duty to take care of the citizens, he chose to integrate them into the development programme of the state by building 700 stalls, which he gave out free of charge to the street traders, thus taking them away from the road. With that gesture, Makinde has shown that for a caring leader, development doesn’t have to be exclusive of the down-trodden.
The governor did the same thing on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, when he gave out 540 stalls free of charge to traders at the newly constructed modern shops and motor park in Bodija Market, named after Alhaji (Chief) Sunmaila Aderemi Jimoh, with a view to taking the traders off the road and positioning them for improved living.
Oyo State Government, through various programmes and interventions, has impacted 1.13 million indigent families over the last 30 months. It has also empowered tens of thousands of farmers with agricultural inputs and soft loans, while encouraging young people to take to farming through the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP). In the same vein, the government has disbursed loans to multiplied thousands of small businesses, while also subsidising transport fare for millions of commuters through the Pacesetter Transport Service and providing free health insurance cover to more than 50,000 pensioners.
The Makinde administration has made the state business-friendly, and this has drawn a number of new businesses into the state. With this, many job opportunities have been created in various sectors of the economy just as local businesses are enjoying a boost as a result of increased patronage.
So, in Makinde’s Oyo, everyone benefits from the state, one way or the other. This has changed the attitude of the people to the government. Oyo State people no longer perceive the government as a phantom phenomenon; rather the government is seen as an enabler of their personal aspirations and a partner in their journey to self-fulfillment and self-actualization. For this reason, most residents are interested in what is going on in the state. This was evident during the parade organized as part of activities marking the state’s golden jubilee as people trooped to the streets and thronged Lekan Salami Sports Complex to hail their governor. Even those in the Diaspora are clamouring for the extension of the Oyo State at 50 celebrations to all the major cities across the globe for them to participate.
When a leader acts in the common good, the citizens become beholding not just to the leader, but also to the state. That is the law of reciprocity. That is Oyo State’s reality. That is the Makinde advantage.
•Dr Olanrewaju is the Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor.
