Oyo @48: ‘Indeed, Asiwaju Ni Wa’ – Agboworin Celebrates Makinde’s Strides In Infrastructure Upgrade, Other Sectors 

In commemoration of the 48th anniversary of the creation of Oyo State, the Member representing Ibadan North East/South East, Hon. Adigun Abass Agboworin, has rejoiced with the Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the good citizens and residents of the state.

Agboworin, who is also the Chairman of House Committee on Narcotic Drugs, in a statement personally signed on Thursday and made available to journalists, stated that the achievements of his principal in less than 5 years has, indeed, proven that the state has witnessed fast pace of development.

The lawmaker, while admitting that the governor has practically laid a solid foundation upon which successive administrations will continue to build upon, noted that Makinde, through his vision for the state, has continued to promote people-centrism, accountability and effective service delivery in his administration.

He described the projects, which the governor has been able to execute as monuments that would testify to the great works of his administration beyond 2027.

Agboworin expressed that Makinde, who took the leadership wheel of the state since 2019, has not only continued to push it forward, but also taking the people of the state out of poverty to prosperity and delivering good governance across the board.

Adding, He explained that the significant strides of the governor in its four-point service agenda including education, health, expansion of the economy through agribusiness and security is worthy of celebration and have yielded desired positive results.

Part of the commendation he gave to the governor bother on his efforts at linking and interconnecting all the zones in the state together, adding that the state’s IGR has greatly skyrocketed in an appreciable manner since he became the governor.

The statement read, “I want to congratulate my dear governor and principal as well as the architect of modern Oyo State on the occasion of the 48th Anniversary of the creation of the state.

“There is no doubt that my governor, since the inception of his administration in 2019, has continued to improve on the prospect of his predecessors. Getting into office, you started laying a solid foundation, which obviously would soften stress of governance for the future administrations in the state

“You have continued to deliver on your promises, and like some people will say: ‘Makinde is a talk and do governor’. Yes, you have, indeed, been reflecting that maxim in your style of governance. You have the love and interest of the people at heart. From regular payment of workers’ salary and pension for retirees to providing better standard of living for the people, and to other areas, which have been upscaled, I must say thank you, Sir.

“Looking at the infrastructural development on the ground in the state today, we will have to insist that the governor has made impressive efforts to reposition Oyo State for the future of our younger generation. You have embarked on varied programmes aimed at easing the hardship of the people and what you could not do, you have not made worse.

“As an individual who believed in using agribusiness to drive economy of the state, your administration has attracted private investments and expansions of private interests in the state. We can see example of that in the 1,200-hectare Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub located in Fasola, a town in the state, which is expected to create over 1, 000 direct and indirect jobs for the people of the state.

“A of these efforts and your blueprints have had direct effect in enhancing the state’s ability to take advantage of its vast endowments in human and other natural resources for development purposes.

“No doubt, you have delivered many pioneering and indelible landmark infrastructural projects across various sectors of Oyo State. A project like the Moniya-Iseyin Road is one out of those projects that its importance to boosting the economy of the state cannot be overemphasized. The completion of the road project has greatly enhanced the economic development of Oke-Ogun areas which serve as Oyo State food basket zones. These are things we can see as they are ‘video’ but not ‘audio’ like some critics used to say.

“Equally, another project like the reconstruction of Iwo Road interchange cant be forgotten in a jiffy, as it has forever changed the traffic narrative around that axis.

“Some other roads, which this administration has built across all the zones in the state are all of immeasurable importance to the continued economic vibrancy of the state.

“Your Excellency, the commitment of your administration towards linking Ibadan, which is the main consumption centre to Oke-Ogun and other zones; linkage of Oyo to Oke Ogun zone, including others in the state will further ensure sustained economic development. And I must say well done on this yeoman’s job.

“In the area of Internally Generated Revenue IGR, at the initial stage when you took over the reins of government, you met the state’s IGR at N1.4bn and grew it to N3.8bn every month in 2019.

“In the first half of year 2020, the state recorded 26.4% growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first two years, it was increased by close to N15bn without increasing taxes. From the N1.8bn you inherited in 2019 to over N3.3bn within three years, I must commend you for the hard work you have put in.

“Your Excellency, permit me to say that you deserve more accolades as the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) increased to N62.2 billion, making it the third-highest IGR in the Southwest region of Nigeria. This significant milestone is a testament to your commitment to improving the state’s economic outlook and ensuring sustainable development.

“I will say that the significant increase in the IGR can be attributed to various factors, including your focus on improving the ease of doing business in the state, attracting investments through Agribusiness, which has been made possible by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.

“Your achievements in other areas including delivery of qualitative education to our students, improvement in the security architecture, IGR boost and other aspects of the economy are testaments to the fact that, indeed, Asiwaju ni wa. And I have no doubt that you won’t leave Oyo State the way you met it but would rather push it forward to an enviable height in the face of the whole world.”

E-signed:

MEDIA TEAM AGBOWORIN

February 8, 2024.