Engr Seyi Makinde’s Two Years in Office As Oyo-State Governor, Critical Appraisal !! By Azeez Shuaib Zeesol
Engr Seyi Makinde’s Two Years in Office As Oyo-State Governor, Critical Appraisal !! By Azeez Shuaib Zeesol.
Two years ago, the people of Oyo state spoke loudly and voted for Engineer Seyi Makinde; it was a historical election, as candidates of other leading parties united against the then ruling party in the state. From Ibadan, to Ibarapa, down to Oke-ogun and Ogbomosho; it was clear that they truly yearned for a change and they got it. Prior to his election, Engineer Seyi Makinde released a document titled “Oyo State Roadmap for Accelerated Development, 2019-2023”: a social contract pact between him and the people of the state.
It has been two years that he has been at the helms and it is high time his administration is assessed. What better way can that be done, than going through his electoral manifestoes: the raison détre he was considered ahead of other candidates that participated in that election?.
In the document, policy issues that affects Health, Education, Infrastructure, etc were highlighted. Problems in various sectors were identified and solutions were proposed; ranging from immediate to long-term solutions. While it will not be fair to compare what has been achieved by this administration with what his immediate predecessor achieved while in office, it is never out of place to look at what this administration has done: especially, when timelines were attached to the possible solutions identified for each of the problems in the pact he signed with the people of the state. It is then we can conclude if this administration is on the path to accelerated development, or we have been scammed: all in our quest for a change!.
´In the first two years, all primary health care centres shall have the minimum package essential for the running of such facilities. The minimum package will ensure that essential care can be provided seamlessly and continuously” page 38. Are our primary health facilities better off than they were two years ago? Do they have the minimum package that will ensure that essential care is provided? Where is the non-partisan Ward Development Committee and Facility Development Committee that we were promised that would be constituted within 90 days of this administration?.
While this administration should be commended for the increase in budgetary allocation to the education sector, the governor needs to tell us what has happened to the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities such as interactive boards, projectors, etc that he promised to ensure that they found their ways into our public schools? Won’t one even be demanding for much from this administration, when one consider the fact that there are no even chairs and tables in the schools for the pupils to seat? Since the beginning of this session, pupils of public schools that I know have not gotten report card after the end of each term: how do parents then assess their children performance? Where is the financial support for graduates with technical/vocational skills to start their own businesses?
Aside the fact that we are unable to export maize to Botswana as promised 2 years ago, what has happened to the modern central fish market that we were promised its establishment in the first 365 days of this administration? Have we expanded School Agricultural Programmes? Where are the small-scale irrigation schemes for farms on existing dams in the agricultural zones of the state? What has happened to the promises made on Ikere Gorge Dam?
Rather than accelerated development that we were promised 2 years ago, it has been 730 days of decelerated development in the pacesetter’s state.
