We’ll sustain development if re-elected, Makinde tells NGE

The Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, yesterday, took members of the Nigerian Guild Of Editors around iconic projects undertaken by his administration, declaring that his focus is to move the state from accelerated development to sustainable growth if he is re-elected as governor in 2023.

Makinde stated that this vision lies behind the Omituntun 2.0, noting that the government has, in the last three years, focused on putting in place policies and projects that have not only helped in repositioning the state but in also lifting the people from poverty to prosperity.

While addressing members of the NGE, when he hosted them at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Makinde said that he will leave the state in better shape if re-elected.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor, after the courtesy visit, led the members of the Guild on an inspection tour of various projects, including the Methodist Model School, Bodija, Ibadan; the headquarters of the Oyo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun; the 65-kilometre Moniya-Iseyin road, 78-kilometre Iseyin-Fapote-Ogbomoso road; the 12-kilometre ongoing Apata-Bembo-Jankata Road, Ibadan road; the ongoing dualisation of the Airport Road, Ibadan and the 500,000 capacity aviation fuel storage facility being undertaken by the State at the Ibadan Airport.

He said that the government would move on to sustain the developments already put in place.

The statement further indicated that other projects inspected by the Guild of Editors included the Lere Adigun Housing Estate, Basorun, Ibadan and the Ode Oba Primary Healthcare Centre, Iseyin, which is one of the 299 completed Primary Healthcare Centres in the state.

The governor explained how his administration has been able to achieve massive success in reducing the infrastructure deficit in the state through the Alternative Project Funding Approach, saying: “Some of the projects you will be seeing have been carried out through Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA), which has been able to sanitise the mode of delivery in the state.

“We all know what the country is facing in terms of resources but we still have to carry on. The Omituntun 2.0 is about sustainable development. We have been able to put things in place and we feel that once we take on the issue of sustainability when I finish my work here, others can take over.

“For this administration, the unique feature for us is that some of these projects were started by one of the governors. For us, if it’s Oyo State money, we will try to extract value from it. So, I will take you to projects that were started by Governor Akala between 2007 and 2011, a 12-kilometre stretch of road linking New Garage to around Apata. It was not touched for eight years when former Governor Abiola Ajimobi was governor but we have taken it up. About 10 kilometres of that road has been completed right now.”

President of the NGE, Mustapha Isah said that the Guild was in Ibadan to hold its standing committee meeting and that it will join the governor to see some of the projects put in place by his administration.