The commissioner for information and civic orientation in Oyo State, Prince Dọtun Oyelade, strongly disagrees with the suggestion that Governor Seyi Makinde’s second term performance will not match his first term achievements, describing it as a phobia. Oyelade believes that every action taken by the state government demonstrates the governor’s dedication to his second term mandate. He expressed these sentiments during a visit by the management of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to his office.
Oyelade highlighted some of the notable achievements in the first five months of Governor Makinde’s second term. One thousand one hundred and seventy-four teachers have been promoted to level 17 as a result of the governor’s policy to not tie promotions to the availability of vacancies. Additionally, the Omituntun 2.0 initiative has led to the opening of roads, such as the commissioning of the 34km Oyo-Iseyin express road. The successful relocation of 1533 200-level undergraduates from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) to the newly established Faculty of Agriculture and Renewal Science at Iseyin was also mentioned.
The commissioner also highlighted the government’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of the poorest citizens. Over four billion naira has been spent on the Strategic Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) program, including one billion naira recently released to the Oyo State Agricultural Credit Corporation for farmers across the state. Furthermore, the recent increase in the workers’ wage bill by 2.2 billion naira per month, as a result of the new 25,000 naira wage award to state workers and 15,000 naira for pensioners, was emphasized.
Oyelade recalled that during a leadership retreat on October 4, the Governor warned his cabinet members that the people of Oyo State will not accept excuses or stories from his administration. Instead, they expect performance. He instructed each ministry, department, and agency to submit their two-year work plan to his office within the month.
The zonal manager of NAN, Mr. Olawale Alabi, expressed his admiration for the professionalism and transparency in the dissemination of government activities, which motivated him to seek information collaboration with the ministry.