Eid-el-Maulud: Makinde felicitates Muslims, calls for more prayers, support
Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has called on the Muslim Ummah in Oyo State to continue to pray for the leadership of the country and the state.
The governor made this call on Tuesday, while congratulating Muslims in the state and across the country on the occasion of the 2023 Eid-el-Maulud, the festival commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Governor Makinde, who charged the Muslim Ummah to use the blessedness of the occasion to seek the face of Allah for the country and Oyo State, commended them for their support for his administration.
He said: “I congratulate my brothers and sisters in Islam on witnessing the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, the blessed day in which the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was born.
“This is another opportunity for us to reflect on the majesty of Allah and the favour He bestowed on Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) among all his prophets and to use the blessings of the period to make supplications for our country and our state.

You may miss:Birthday: Makinde’s Ally, Hon Rita Orji Clocks Another Year in Grandstyles
“As an administration, we value the support and prayers of the Muslim Ummah in Oyo State and we have continued to see the results of their prayers.
“As we move on in our efforts to develop our state sustainably, we will continue to need the prayers and support and we will never take them for granted.
“Eid Mubarak to everyone.”

Signed
Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Chief Press Secretary to Oyo State Governor
September 26, 2023.

Oluyole PDP Chairmanship Candidate, Olatunji Congratulates Alh. Azeez, Kamardeen, Wasilat, Ajetumobi

The Chairmanship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oluyole local government ahead of the 2024 council polls in Oyo state, Akeem Olatunji, has congratulated a close ally and political associate of Oyo state governor, Alhaji Akeem Azeez, on occasion of his birthday.

The former Publicity Secretary of PDP in Oyo state also congratulates his counterpart in Lagelu local government, Honourable Kamardeen, while expressing his best wishes to the duo and praying God’s continuous grace in their lives.

Olatunji disclosed this on Sunday September 17, in a statement made available to journalists.

Olatunji described Alhaji Azeez as more of a confidant and personal friend of the governor rather than a political appointee going by his immense support, loyalty, and hard work to the ‘Seyi Makinde political project before 2019 till date.

He added that many young politicians who have at different stages had encounters with the governor’s ally are currently doing well in different political leadership roles at both party and governmental levels stressing that his selfless and dedicated life to whatever course he believes in remains worthy of emulation.

While also congratulating the two Honourable Commissioners inaugurated last week; Miss Wasilat Adegoke and Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetumobi deployed to Ministries of Youth and Sports, and Health respectively, Olatunji commended Governor Seyi Makinde for bringing more women into the state cabinet.

You may miss:2024 LG Poll: Communities, Landlord Associations Endorse Olatunji Ahead Council Election[Photos]

Olatunji said, he could not be caught by surprise anymore regarding Makinde’s leadership style and unrivalled all inclusive approach to governance as evidently exhibited since his emergence as the executive governor of Oyo state in 2019.

Olatunji disclosed that Makinde’s open door policy as well as his inclusiveness of youths and women who were long relegated to the background in the scheme of things has attracted others across different parts of Nigeria including the federal with the rising number of young people and women coming on board top government positions.

He urged the two Commissioners to justify the trust reposed in them by Governor Makinde and live up to the expectations and demands of their offices urging the duo to quickly adapt to their new work environment as the clock ticks.

“I want to join my heart to many other lovers and well wishers of our celebrants; Alhaji Akeem Azeez and Honourable Kamardeen, who have continued to enjoy God’s grace and immense favour on the auspicious occasion of their birthdays celebration today.

“This is a clear testament of God’s unflinching love and grace and I whole heartedly rejoice with them in celebration over the attainment of their new ages. My prayers and wishes are that God Almighty continue to uphold and increase them in all fronts.

“In the same vein, I wish to celebrate our newest Commissioners for Youth and Sports and Health; Miss Wasilat Adegoke and Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetumobi over their well deserved political appointments.

“To whom much is given more is expected. As they commence this new phase of their lives, I hope that they would immediately acquaint themselves with their new work environment because of the level and standards the present government has laid for cabinet members.

“While urging them to not leave any stone unturned to learn, unlearn and relearn under the Seyi Makinde’s political leadership, it is my earnest prayer that their youthful vibrancy and wealth of professional experience would be brought to bear on their designations to justify the trust and confidence reposed in them by our leader and mentor, His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde.” Olatunji stated.

Omituntun 2.0: How Governor Seyi Makinde is fostering Intra State Trade and Good Communal Relationships.

By Ọba Stephen Adegboyega, member of GSM Advocates

Before Governor Seyi Makinde came on board in 2019, our complaints in Oyo State was that every elected State governors has always abandoned the unfinished projects of their predecessor. This is not far from the fact that every governor want to have his own foundations and legacy projects.

During past administrations, we’ve witness abandoned projects littered every nooks and crannies of Oyo State due to the negligence of the governors. This is not peculiar to Oyo state alone but to major States in Nigeria. Infact, some states even destroyed Infrastructures constructed with their IGR due to hatred or enviness of their predecessors.

This kind of bad behavior has been stopped and changed in Oyo State when His Excellency Engr. Seyi Makinde FNSE came on board and made a statement that non of his predecessor projects will be abandoned or destroyed but rather will complete them and rejuvenate new ones because they are being made or constructed from the IGR gained from the good people of Oyo state.

He also made a statement, that our roads linking zones will be constructed and while new ones will be opened either Federal roads or state or local because Oyo state belong to all of Us.

He set the motion when he ordered the reconstruction of the 65km Moniya-Ìjàyè-Ìṣẹyin. This is the major road that links Oke Ogun people to Ibadan. The road was in sorrow and pathetic condition before GSM came on board. Infact, the pathetic conditions of the road has paralysed many business along the axis most especially the farm produce from Oke Ogun. Before now, It usually take more than 6 hours to ply a road of just between 25-45mins to and from ìṣẹyin to Ibadan.

Reconstruction of this road has increased business activities of the people in the axis and has made movement of goods most especially farm produce to Ibadan without any worries or pains or agony or panic like before. Not only movement of farm produce but has also decongested Ìbàdàn and allowed for intra State flow of business.

You may miss:Photos:GSM Advocates Group Organizes One Day Capacity Building Training For Online Influencers In Oyo

GSM never stopped at that, he opened another fresh virgin road from Ogbomọsọ-Fapotẹ-Ìṣẹyin. Yes, this road was virgin. I mean GSM disvirgin this road and open economy and brotherly relationship between the two ancient town.

Ọ̀yọ́-Ìṣẹyin road will be commissioned in days, this road was a subject of discussions for many years Infact ahead of 2015 and 2019 general election, a senator from Oyo State during electioneering said the road will be constructed. A House of Representative from Ọ̀yọ́ Aláàfin also said same but nothing was done until GSM took the bold steps. Today, dead business activities in the axis are rising again.

Ibarapa people are also not neglected as reconstruction of ibadan-Eruwa has kicked off recently. This will also reconnect our people in Ibadan and Ibarapa together again more than before. It will reduce traveling hours, pains and agony on the road.

How Gov Seyi Makinde is expanding Oyo State Economy through Housing

By Femi Ojo, a friend of GSM Advocates

In the recent time, I have noticed that Real Estate developers are now trooping to Oyo State from Lagos, Abuja and other neighboring States to plant their own Estate in the State capital and other zones in Oyo State.

I took a short trip to Iseyin through Moniya in the past weeks, and to my amazement, the number of Estates I saw springing up in that axis is mind-blowing and what makes it even more interesting is that, there is no big name in the real Estate industry in Nigeria from Adron Homes, Afia Homes, T-Pumpy, MKH Homes, Gracias, and other that you won’t see having a property development on the corridor in Akinyele Local Government. Just like they call Lekki, Ajah & Epe the new Lagos, this axis is fast becoming our own New Oyo.

You may miss:Earthquake:Makinde Sympathises With Morocco

I ask myself, why do they all in one swoop invaded this axis, and I also gave myself an answer after realizing that we now have a working train Station commuting passengers to and fro from Lagos daily, and that there is about to be commissioned Dry port in Moniya, where people can clear their goods without having to worry about the gridlock, and bottleneck of Apapa port. This is a business arrangements between Oyo State and Federal Government cited on about 95 Hecters of Land according to the available information.

These are not the only reasons for real Estate developers in that corridor. I also drove on a smooth 65km road, which is without a single pothole, started and re- built by Governor Seyi Makinde. You will have to realize that businesses are very sensitive to infrastructural developments. If GSM hasn’t constructed that particular Moniya-Iseyin road, these big real Estate developers may not have picked interest in that axis of the State.

Governor Seyi Makinde said in his manifesto that he wanted to link all zones of Oyo State, and that he has achieved under #Omituntun1.0, and the resultant effect is that a lot of people are now moving their businesses to Ibadan.

Before now, in terms of real Estate, Oyo State is no where to be found, but all that has now changed and kudos to the effort of our ever performing Governor Seyi Abiodun Makinde. Multiple jobs are now created, new funds from investors are now entering Oyo State running into hundreds of million of dollars, and the economy is generally moving up and expanding steadily.

Let me digress a little, over the weekend, Ibadan became a global spotlight due to the Balogun Danjuma’s led #IbadanTechExpo, that took place at the International Conference Center, University of Ibadan, where young and talented tech enterprenuers gathered to cross ventilate and share ideas. Typically, an event of this size having over 7,000 participants usually take place in places like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt but young professionals are now changing the story. Ibadan is no longer the local city some myopic mind still think it is. Let me commend the conveners while I encourage people of such professions to keep coming up with events and ideas that can keep projecting the State to the whole world.

Back to my story, I recently saw an article shared on a WhatsApp group where the previous and current government is being criticized for converting unused, dormant and vacant parcel of lands to build different residential Estates. The writer started off by criticizing past governments of Kolapo Ishola, Lam Adeshina, Akala, Ajimobi but obviously the target of the article is Governor Seyi Makinde.

Since the Establishment of Kolapo Ishola GRA, Aerodrome GRA, Calton Gate and few others, the quality of housing in Oyo State has Increased and Oyo State is fast changing from the brown roof tag which signifies backwardness in terms of housing development in the State to a modern city that can now rival other States in Nigeria in terms of real developments.

With the coming of Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019, alot of new GRAs has been established in quick succession when he saw the huge housing deficit in the State and amongst them are Kole-Osho GRA, Engr Lere Adigun GRA, Rashidi Ladoja GRA, Rayfield Gardens City Estate Alao Akala GRA, and many others.

I have been to Kolapo Ishola GRA, and I myself resides in Calton Gate Estate, but i cannot dispute the quality I saw when I went to assist my friends who reside outside the country to make enquiries about Lere Adigun GRA and Rayfield Gardens City Estate Alaka GRA. These are Estates built with quality roads Network, drainages and other modern infrastructures, and from what I was told, the Government has warned all developer partners to build only quality Infrastructures.

These are Estates that was never in Existence before now, which has now added to the pride of Oyo State in terms quality projects.

The writer mischievously alleged that the government is converting public land into Estates, and the question is, before now, what was the specific and significant economic contributions of these said public lands to the Oyo State people and government?

He went further to say that the Trans Amusement Park, and Agodi Gardens should also not be used to build Estates but failed to mention the usefulness of these idle public land to the overall economy of the State. Unfortunately, these are the same set of people still thinking that Oyo State should remain where it has always been without any meaningful progress.

The Lagos State everyone likes to turn and run to for even Residential Estate didn’t get to where it is today by being rigidly conservative. The State keeps getting hundreds of million of dollars investment everyday because it liberalizes businesses and encourage private investors. This is the same thing Governor Seyi Makinde is doing by creating thriving business environment for Investors, who are bringing their funds into the Oyo State Economy.

We all know the famous Story trending on Social Media about Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 1990, as a jungle and desert, but it took just one man to stand up to change the story of Dubai as the foremost Real Estate and Tourist destination in the world. Dubai rulers are not myopic, Seyi Makinde is not myopic, and that is the reasons you are seeing his government building massive road projects, and correcting all the economic wrongs for the benefit of the good people of Oyo State.

Let me say this, the essence of any elected government is to develop the State, create a better economic experience and change the lives of the people and these are what Governor Seyi Makinde has been saddled with since he came into power.

Oyo State cannot afford to remain the same without developments, because one of the critical factor of developments is Land, and any government willing to take the bull by the horns will start off with unused, dormant public lands in their reach which is what is being done.

Since the Establishments of these Estates as listed on the website of Ministry of Land Housing and Urban Development, thousands of direct and indirect jobs has been created for local contractors, youths, and the Oyo State people. In fact, most of these deals has brought in more income to the State Government rather than having these lands lying fallow. The residents of the Estates will be paying taxes, tenament rate and etc, which will keep bringing in more income to the State cofers steadily.

Real Estate is a capital intensive business if quality Infrastructures is involved, therefore any new Estate in Oyo State is a win for the people and the government. I therefore encourage the State Government to keep up the good work because the number of Estate in Oyo State currently is too small compared to what we have in Lagos and Abuja.

I ‘ll serve Oyo State people till last day of my second tenure —Makinde

You may miss:100 Days: Makinde Has Sustained The Momentum Of Excellent Performance– Wale Ajani

On September 6, the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration hit the first 100 days mark of its second term in office, designated as Omituntun 2.0. In this interview, the governor speaks on the journey so far and his plan for the state in the 1,357 days. Excerpts:

Your second term administration was 100 days in office on Thursday. For someone in his second term, however, the question should not be about the first 100 days but about how well you have served your people and what they should look forward to in the next three years and 252 days.

Four years ago, I made the commitment to serve our people to the best of my ability and upon seeing how well we have done that, they renewed my mandate on March 18, 2023. So, a little over 100 days ago, I stood before them at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan, to renew the pledge I made to them in 2019. I said that I would always put their interests first. That is what we have been doing.

For us, it is not about the first 100 days; I have once said that governance is not a sprint but a marathon. We ran the race in the last four years, working hard to steer our state on the path of accelerated development. We prioritised infrastructure development and we were able to complete over 137 kilometres of road projects, taking a top-to-bottom approach to road rehabilitations and reconstructions.

We also focused on interconnecting all the zones, because we knew that therein lies the key to kick-starting our ‘no zone left behind’ policy. We built roads such as the 76.7 km Ogbomoso-Fapote-Iseyin Road – a completely new road construction. No road had ever existed in that place before now. But we knew that this construction would open up the Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun Zones. Already, we have big businesses springing up on that road.

We are also constructing the 110 km Ibadan Circular Road. We plan to complete the construction of this road with all ancillary amenities that will give our people a first-world transport experience on that route within this tenure.

With all these, we were able to build a solid foundation for sustainable development and that is the whole idea of Omituntun 2.0, which we have rightly designated as ‘Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development, 2023-2027.

So, under Omituntun 2.0, our people should look forward to us completing all ongoing road projects and giving priority attention to internal roads in urban areas.

In line with your last statement, has your administration been able to record any success with regards to projects you left off in the first term?

Yes. As I said earlier, under Omituntun 1.0, we built the much important foundation for our sustainable development agenda. One of such foundations was the sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), which we secured during the first term. We also built on that foundation with the establishment of the College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources of the University in Iseyin and we committed a lot of resources towards the building of the College. Today, we have completed the building of what will unarguably be the finest University College in the country. It is completed with road infrastructure. Administrative building and lecture theatres, among others.

Shortly after our inauguration, we also inaugurated the 8.3 kilometres Ojurin-Olorunda Abaa Road, which is a continuation of the Akobo-Odogbo Barracks-Ojurin Road that was fixed under our first term. When we were campaigning, I promised that Omituntun 2.0 would be better but our people felt it was just a political talk. But the manifestation is already in place. Under Omituntun 1.0, it took us up until November 2019 to flag off the first project. But under Omituntun 2.0, we flagged off a project in less than two weeks.

Let me also add that on September 15, former President Olusegun Obasanjo will join us to commission the 34.85 kilometres Oyo-Iseyin Road, a federal road, which we started under Omituntun 1.0 but have now completed within our first 100 days in office.

In practical terms, we have started strong and by the grace of God, we will finish strong.

You said your administration will be commissioning the Oyo-Iseyin Road, a federal road fixed by your government. Where do things stand with regards to the warning by the new Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, that the Federal Government does not have the means to refund states doing federal roads at this period…

He was with us about two weeks ago and he made the same statement. Of course, I also made it clear to him that as an administration, we would continue to do what is in the best interest of our people and if fixing federal roads is what will make life easier for them, we will not be deterred by the fact that the Federal Government cannot refund us immediately. He also said that the Ministry will keep the records for days when things would improve economically.

For us, if a road is important to our economy, we will fix it even if it is a federal road. You know the question I once asked? Oyo-Iseyin is a federal road, but is it federal people that use it? Is it not our people in Oyo State people that use it? The Oyo-Iseyin Road may be a federal road but it is quite important to our economy in Oyo State, as it passes through our agribusiness hub, the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub.

During Omituntun 1.0, I visited the former Minister of Works and we got approval to fix the road and the Ministry even insisted that it must be fixed according to federal standards. So, yes, we are already putting in place development that is sustainable, having laid the foundation in the last four years.

We have also laid the groundwork for ensuring that we have a modern transportation system. We completed two bus terminals and another two have been progressing at a good pace. We also did set up infrastructure that made it possible for our airport to fuel airplanes for the first time since the Ibadan Airport was constructed. We are upgrading this airport to an international airport, which will serve as a viable alternative to the airport in Lagos.

One of the challenges faced by government at all levels in the last 100 and something days is the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidy, with Nigerians groaning under the effects of the action, while the Federal Government and states have been coming up with palliative measures. How have things been in Oyo with regards to palliatives?

In Oyo State, we made it clear that we are not looking at palliatives. When we were about to launch the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER), I checked the dictionary and looked up the meaning of palliative. I saw that palliative is like a half measure; like treating the symptoms instead of addressing the root cause of the issue. So, we decided that is not what we want to do in Oyo State.

Yes, the people are faced with a lot of hardship as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy, but do we just address that hardship through a cosmetic approach or explore far-reaching solutions? In Oyo State, we want to attack the root cause of the hardship. And that is exactly what we are doing. We have introduced the SAfER packages, under which we are addressing the root cause of the poverty and hardship occasioned by the removal of subsidy.

We are saying that yes, it is not out of place to put in place short-term measures to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, but there must be a holistic and solid plan that goes beyond the immediate, which will have a lasting impact on the people.

As part of the temporary measures, we issued a directive that the number of Omituntun Buses on various routes in the state capital should be increased and that commuters should pay reduced fares, while we said that our senior citizens and students should board the buses at half price.

We have since built on that with the Transport section of our SAfER packages catering to residents of the state commuting from all the five zones of the state. Now, we have Omituntun Buses conveying travellers from Ibadan to Oyo, Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and Oke Ogun zones at a greatly reduced price.

But while the transport intervention may look good to some residents, some others may not even have any need to travel for months. So, how have you benefited those people? If you look at palliatives from the perspective of food distribution; there are people who rarely have need for food handouts, for instance farmers in rural centres. If we use this period to share only foodstuff, how have we benefited them? So, we consulted widely and we arrived at decisions that will be of the most benefit to the majority of Oyo State people.

We considered the importance of using these economic packages to stimulate our economy and bring about sustainable development. Through our SAfER package, we hope to ensure a softer landing for the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable through food relief. We have kick-started the distribution of food relief packages to about 200,000 households in the state. We also designed a component to address food security through direct intervention to our farmers, and that goes beyond just the immediate period. The state has distributed farm inputs to farmers across the local governments of the state.

There is another component that touches on health insurance. We are providing health insurance for 100,000 of our most vulnerable citizens. We will be paying the one-year health insurance premium of these people under the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) scheme, so that they have access to quality healthcare without paying out of pocket. We will also subscribe 50,000 pensioners to the scheme.

We are also setting aside the sum of N500 million as enterprise support fund for youth agropreneurs, who were trained under the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP) and have established businesses, while Small and Medium Scale Enterprises will also be able to access low-interest-rate loan through another tranche of N500 million. Traders, artisans and other small business operators can apply for these loans.

What should the people of Oyo State look forward to in the next three years and nine months?

We have shared our plans with the people of the state in our Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023-2027. So, they should look forward to four years of sustainable development refocused on the four pillars of Economy, Education, Healthcare and Security. We focused on the same four pillars in the last four years. That is why we have said that Omituntun 2.0 is an upgrade. We have assured our people that Omituntun 2.0 will be better than Omituntun 1.0. Though some people have said that second term administrations are usually very lax because the office holders are not looking for anything, that is not the case with us. We are looking for a strong legacy to bequeath to Oyo State.

100 Days: Makinde Has Sustained The Momentum Of Excellent Performance– Wale Ajani

Former aide of Gover

nor Seyi Makinde has commended his ex principal and leader over his performance in office in the first 100 days under Omituntun 2.0.

The ex Director General of Oyo State Liaison Office in Abuja and Lagos disclosed to journalists in a statement on Saturday that Governor has sustained the momentum of excellent performance amidst serious economic hardship.

Makinde who won his reelection for a second term in the 2023 governorship election was sworn in for a second term of office on May 29 and would have completely his first 100 days in office on September 10.

Ajani who recalled Makinde’s first 100 days in office during his first term tagged ‘Omituntun 1.0 noted that one of the most remarkable tasks carried out in line with the governor’s commitment to security of the state was the procurement of 100 unit of vehicles to bolster security operation.

He disclosed that the governor has again ordered the procurement of another set of 100 vehicles to further fortify the state’s security architecture among other notable programs in the first 100 days of his second while nicknaming Makinde as ‘Mr 100 over 100.’

Overwhelmed by the governor’s sustenance of what he called ‘aggressive infrastructural drive, Ajani said, Makinde’s flagged off of the dualization of 8.3km Akobo, Ojurin/Odogbo Barracks Olounda Abaa Junction within the first week of his second term when other governors were still basking in the euphoria of their electoral victories was almost unbelievable.

While also describing Makinde as ‘Mr No Nonsense, Ajani alluded to the fact that his personal discipline and integrity has continued to rub off positively on the transformation of Oyo state noting that the Governor’s shoes were daily becoming bigger to wear by whoever his successor would be.

The former President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria noted that the governor had also carried out projects commissioning within the last 100 days including an electric power project in Ona-ara local government implying that Makinde has also sustained his ‘reward for success is more work’s mantra.

“Governor Makinde’s first 100 days under Omititun 2.0 has been very remarkable, maybe because of his astonishing achievements during his first term, some of us are no longer surprised at his success rate and winning streaks.

“There’s no gainsaying that Governor Makinde hit the ground running immediately upon assumption of his second term of office and within a period other governors were still basking in the euphoria of their electoral victories, he already started flagging off and commissioning projects almost immediately.

“It is a pride for anyone who worked for and with His Excellency successfully because with his personal principles as ‘Mr no nonsense, unbended integrity, and demand on those working with him, for me I see him as a success propeller.

“With his achievements so far in just 100 days in office particularly procurement of 100 unit of vehicles to boost security operation in the state and other projects flag offs and commissioning, he has earned himself a pass mark and in my assessment, it is safe to nickname the governor ‘Mr 100 over 100.

“So, I want to passionately appeal for more support for governor Makinde. He is not perfect, he is not near perfection but he is consistent and consciously working towards perfection with his selfless approach to governance.” Ajani stated.

Oyo SAfER Palliative, A Success- Oyo Govt.

The Oyo State Government has described the Food distribution exercise under the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) as a testing ground that has thrown up it’s own challenges and success.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade in spite of the challenges, the exercise was able to reach most vulnerables in all the 33 local governments in the state and therefore a success.

The food distribution exercise which is the first phase of SAfER consists of only 25% of the food to be distributed to identified poorest of the poor in the state.
The commissioner said that henceforth government will ensure that desperate and violent-minded people are not allowed to hijack the exercise from the organisers.

It will be recalled that organisers were overwhelmed in certain areas particularly in Ibadan zone and were forced to disperse the Food items in their custody for fear of being lynched.

Prince Oyelade however, said that the items distribution went according to plan in other areas of the state.

While assuring that the next phase which will begin in due course will be better implemented, Oyelade said that food items distribution is only an aspect of SAfER.

Other areas like Transportation, Health care Insurance, Food Security and Agriculture are also very active.

On transportation, 46 buses have been provided out of which 31 of them ply intra-city routes in Ibadan, while the others ply other key towns in Oyo state at a very reduced cost.

This transportation project has been so successful that private transport owners have had to complain about the reduction in government buses fares.

The plan of government to provide N500m as loans to small and micro entrepreneurs is also afoot and has reached advanced stage with the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) with seven micro finance banks across the state.

On Health, the SAfER Initiative has identified 50,000 pensioners as qualified to be enrolled in the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) free of charge, while 100,000 vulnerable residents will be enrolled for free treatment under the same scheme.

Under food security, the State Government earmarked N1bn as loans for Small scale farmers, and Youths Entrepreneurs and Agiculture businesses (YEAP) at N500m each.

The loans are being midwifed by financial institutions and the Agricultural Credit Corporation of Oyo state.

Prince Oyelade said these are long poverty alleviation plans of the state government that take immediate effect and that is why Governor Seyi Makinde has said that in Oyo state, we do not operate a Palliative plan, but SAfER plan, which is more enduring.

On the phase 2 of the Food distribution project, Governor Makinde has assured the people that the little anomalies identified in a few areas will be corrected.

Recall that while the State Government awaits the full complement of the N5bn promised by the Federal Government, Governor Makinde ordered the deployment of over N8bn, which includes the N2.6bn from the 33 local governments and this is the money that are being used to pay the bills of the SAfER initiative.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde said the people of Oyo State will be well-informed about what he will use the N5bn from the Federal Government for.

Oyo Commences Operation At New Model Smart School, As UBEC Hands Over Structure

The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, on Thursday said all is set for the commencement of operation in the newly constructed model smart school, Sogunro, Akinyele, Ibadan.

The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Jacob Dairo, said this during a handover of the structure to the Board by the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.

During the handover, Dairo applauded UBEC on its commitment to technical and digital education in the State.

He equally said the Oyo State Government, through the Board has not relented in its bid to equip the younger generation with the requisite skills to remain competitive in the global economy.

Mr. Dairo added that the place of education in the attainment of national development and transformation cannot be relegated to the background.

The federal government through the Universal Basic Education Commission and the Oyo State Government constructed the Model smart school at Sogunro area, Akinyele Local Government.

Mr. Dairo, who was recently appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Board by Governor Seyi Makinde, said the goal is to prioritize digital and technical education towards attaining socioeconomic development in the younger generation and make them competitive.

The Executive Secretary said officials are ready for full academic activities, which will commence in September.

Mr. Dairo said the school will accommodate pre-basic class; Special Education; Basic 1-3 and Junior Secondary School 1-2 pupils.

“All is set for the school’s take-off in the new school calendar. The school will enhance the quality of teaching, learning and the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) of our pupils”, he said.

“We commend the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, for its support in uplifting basic education in the State, as well as moves to eliminate out-of-school syndrome”.

“Equally, we appreciate Governor Seyi Makinde in the implementation of qualitative basic education in the State. The visit was meant to assess the level of the project in readiness for the next session”, he added.

Also speaking, a representative of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Mrs. Sherifat Lawal, reiterated the commitment of the federal government to Basic Education in Oyo State.

She also said the objectives of the Commission is to assist all States in the development of smart schools projects, and to improve the access of teachers and pupils to quality teaching and learning materials.

The Zonal consultant, UBEC, Arc. Sanya Akindele said the school has classrooms for pupils with special needs, Pre-basic, Primary and JSS classes.

He added that the school is equipped with a Robotic laboratory, vocational laboratories, Clinic, ICT room and an e-library.

Akindele also eulogized Governor Seyi Makinde, for his commitment to the project.

Arc. Akindele added that the project is an opportunity to open up e-learning and expose pupils to computers at an early age, saying the school is fully computerised by UBEC/SUBEB.

“The way forward is ICT and this will give them a jump-start in life”, he said.

The Chairman, Sogunro community, Mr. Jimoh Wasiu who applauded Governor Seyi Makinde and the OYOSUBEB, said the project will contribute to the development of the community.

Recently, the Desk officer, Oyo state Smart School, Mrs. Olaide Ladipo led a monitoring team, including officials of the Ministry of Energy and the host local government round facilities at the model smart school.

She disclosed that registration has commenced online through www.oyostatesmartschool.com for admission, adding that the entrance examination will come up on Monday, September 11, 2023.

Media Team,
Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board,
September 8, 2023.

Oyo Govt to pull down shops built into schools’ fences, as gov gives ultimatum
.Says ‘we’ll revisit waste management architecture

Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has issued a one-week ultimatum to owners of shops built into the perimeter fences of public schools in the state to pull down the shops and stop all trading activities, stating that the government would bring sanity to the school environment ahead of students’ resumption.
The governor maintained that the government intends to make the learning environment in the state more conducive.

He decried the worrisome situation in which the learning environment is being compromised with trading activities close to school entrance.
Governor Makinde stated this shortly after inspecting some public schools in Ibadan, the state capital, in the early hours of Tuesday.

The governor equally monitored the waste management situation across the state capital, noting that the government would come up with a strategic plan to make the environment what everyone would be proud of.
He said: “The entrance is almost blocked by people who have their shops very close to the entrance of the school, which is not conducive for learning. So, we have gone round and what we are saying is that if you have anything attached to the fence of a school, you must remove it.
“We are going to give them about a week to remove those things. They should clear them so that when our children come back to school, we will know they are coming into an environment conducive to learning.

“Also, we have taken the opportunity to look at the situation with solid waste management. You can see most medians have become dumpsites but this has to stop.
“Where we have single carriage roads, you don’t see people dump their waste by the roadside. How come they have made the medians the dumpster?

“So, we will, again, go back to the drawing board because something is not obviously working with the architecture that we have in place.
“We are working to look into what has to be done next to have the kind of environment that we really want to be proud of.”

You may miss:Oyo Govt’ll Continue To Engage With Residents On Budget, Makinde Says .Advocates Better Synergy Between States, LGs
The governor was in company of the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade; his counterpart in the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola; and the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Oyo State, Barr. Abiodun Aikomo.