Makinde: a governor with a dynamic approach to governance

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde enjoys a huge dose of goodwill from the people of the state. He is truly loved by citizens of all divisions. He is worshiped by Muslims, celebrated by Christians and venerated by traditional devotees.

The Governor is the pride of the elders and an inspiration to the young. Men like to gather around him, women like to hear him talk, even the kids can't seem to get enough of him. The eggheads esteem him, just as the hoi polloi revere him. From Ibadan to Ibarapa, from Oyo to Oke Ogun and Ogbomoso, Makinde is the face people want to see, the name they want to speak and the man they want to follow. For the people of Oyo State, Makinde is the quintessential leader.

An example will suffice. The Governor, on the evening of Monday, May 29, 2023, the day of his inauguration for his second term, was en route to the University of Ibadan International Conference Center, the venue for his inauguration dinner, when his convoy ran into a traffic jam near the site. Not wanting to keep his guests waiting, he decided to get out of his vehicle to cover the remaining distance. As he got out of the vehicle, a horde of people crowded around him, some to take pictures with the governor, others to congratulate him on his election victory, still others to share with him what they would like it to do for them in Omituntun 2.0.

He didn't allow his security aides to chase them away, instead he closed in on them. All the people were thrilled and they couldn't hide it. Many of them would not have believed that they could have the opportunity of a tete-a-tete with His Excellency. They all continued to greet him when they saw him at the entrance to the event venue. Makinde doesn't just work for people; it also works with them.

Why is the Governor so beloved by people? Is it a function of prompt payment of wages and pensions? Or is it a consequence of the sanitation facilities his administration has improved? Could it be because of the infrastructure he put in place, the education sector he transformed, or the economy he developed? All of these reasons are enough to worship a leader, but for Seyi Makinde it's more because of his fairness, creative approach to governance, empathy and humility.

Governor Makinde ensured during his first term that all parts of the state had a sense of his good governance. The development was evenly distributed. It reconstructed the 65 km Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin road, awarded the construction of the 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin road and also awarded the 76.7 km Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road with a view to connecting all the main areas of the state. Along the same lines, the Light-up Oyo project is a statewide endeavor to bring a modern look to all parts of the state. Officers of the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun) are present in every nook and cranny of the state, ensuring the safety of lives and property.

Although he is from Ibadan, the Governor considers himself to belong to all parts of the state. Therefore, everything he does is for the benefit of the whole state. Thus, the governor is as much at home in Saki, Atiba, Ogbomoso or Idere as in Ibadan. He is as beloved in Ibadan as in other parts of the state.

Makinde's creative approach to governance is hard to match. Before he came to power, the power shift among the state's transportation workers resembled a war. Determined to put a complete end to the anomaly, he proposed the Parks Management System, which limited the influence and power of the transport unions in the management of state parks.

With this, the state took its place as the owner of the parks and appointed a committee to manage it on its behalf. When the government felt it was time to change direction after four years, it was done without bloodshed or terror being unleashed on anyone. Although at first some people complained about the PMS, the governor was vindicated by the adoption of the same system by a number of states across the country and the reduction in violence linked to transport workers. /p>

His empathy is unparalleled. It is common knowledge that he went against popular opinion among state governors when leaders decided that states should be locked down to curb the spread of coronavirus disease in 2020. Governor Makinde said he would not subscribe to this due to the realization that the bulk of the citizens survived on their daily earnings.

His argument was that keeping people indoors to curb the spread of COVID-19 would be more dangerous than letting them out. So he devised a way to allow citizens to go out in search of their daily bread without unnecessarily exposing themselves to the virus. Over time, the federal government adopted this style and relaxed the restraining order it had previously put in place.

For Governor Makinde, the interest of the people he leads is paramount...