Seyi Makinde: Always Hit the Pole with Right Precision By Bashorun Saintabey, Member GSM Advocates

Governance, when divorced from precision, becomes noise. It is in this light that I observed Governor Seyi Makinde’s recent remarks in Ibadan, where l captured the philosophy of his administration in one line: “Always hit the pole with right precision.”

As a student of historical account and public policy, I find this statement more than rhetoric. It is a methodological stance. Makinde is not speaking in metaphors for aesthetics alone. He is articulating a governance ethic that prioritizes aim over motion, outcome over activity. As a socio-philosopher and public policy observer, I still do not take such statements at face value. Language in public life reveals intent. And in this case, the intent is clear: to replace scattergun governance with targeted action.

In the engagement I attended, the governor made clear that Oyo State’s resources are being channeled toward interventions with measurable impact, schools that are actually renovated, primary healthcare centers that are truly equipped, and farm roads that open markets rather than end in photographs. This is the difference between governance as spectacle and governance as function.

What struck me, beyond the policy examples, was the underlying social philosophy: that the state owes its citizens not activity, but results. In a political culture often addicted to volume, number of projects launched, length of speeches delivered, Makinde’s insistence on “hitting the pole” is a call back to purpose.

From a reformer’s view, this approach aligns with what societies need to break cycles of waste and disillusionment. Targeted investment, backed by data and followed through to completion, is how trust is rebuilt between government and the governed.

Party members and residents I spoke with at the event echoed this sentiment. There is a growing recognition that the Omituntun agenda is shifting from promise to verifiable delivery. If this trajectory is sustained, the move toward the next phase, what many now refer to as Omituntun 3.0, will not require new slogans, but simply the continuation of precision.

As a writer on contemporary issues, I note this moment as significant. It signals a maturation in our political discourse: from asking “what was done?” to asking “what changed because it was done?” That is the standard any serious society must hold its leaders to.

“Always hit the pole with right precision” should not end as a line in a speech. It should become a standard by which citizens evaluate every public official, at every level.

If Oyo State maintains this trajectory, the next conversation will not be about promises made, but about lives changed. And that, ultimately, is the only metric that matters in public life.

Seyi Makinde’s phrase should not be dismissed as a soundbite. It is a challenge, to his team, to citizens, and to every public servant across the country: aim well, and strike true.

Bashorun Saintabey is a socio-philosopher, author, reformer, coach, and public policy expert. He writes on social dynamics, governance, and contemporary issues affecting Nigerian society