A leading gospel music singer, Babatunmise Agboola, has described Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as a results-driven leader who allows his results to speak for themselves.
Agboola, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of The Best Event Company, stated this during an interview with The People’s Verdict.
According to him, “Governor ‘Seyi Makinde is an action-driven man who does not talk too much, and some of us have learnt a lot from that. He simply allows the actions and their results to speak for themselves. In my few years on earth, I have learnt that nobody argues with the result, and the result is showing.”
Speaking on the effects of the Makinde administration on his industry, the gospel crooner said, “I am in the events world, and I sing as well. I am an active player in the industry. One cannot help but mention how good the roads are now. It is easier to navigate, to move in and out of town. With that, our job gets easier. We can move at any time. Even the nightlife in the city has improved significantly. We now have malls operating 24 hours a day in the city. Before now, it was never like that. Of course, if the security and roads were not good enough, none of that would thrive. For me, a direct beneficiary of that, I think it has really helped my business to be better and to do more.”
Agboola linked the ease of conducting business to a surge in the revenue of service providers in the state.
His words: “I was saying to somebody recently that before now, it was not easy to charge what you are worth; you would be scared because you would hear things like ‘Ibadan people will not pay’. But all of that has changed. Now, people are paying for the value they receive, except when the value is substandard, in which case you will be hesitant to charge them. Currently, I see clients within the city who are paying for the value you bring to the table. Before now, they priced you like pepper. But right now, I think everybody is seeing that Ibadan is no longer what it used to be.
“I was saying to someone that ‘If you don’t move fast, Ibadan will leave you behind.’ Somebody came into the city recently; he’d been out of town for a while, and he said, ‘Mo fe e sonu. I almost got lost; Ibadan has changed.’ I am a proper Ibadan boy from Oritamerin. I have lived here my entire life. So, I have seen the change, and I am glad that I am still here.”
According to Agboola, the administration of Governor Makinde has been an enormous blessing to the people of Oyo State.
He said, “He made a young person Commissioner for Youth and Sports. That has encouraged some of us to realise that we are not just among the numbers but a part of the government. It means that the government is thinking about us, as evidenced by the appointment of a young person as Commissioner for Youth and Sports. That stands out for me.”
He added, “The enabling environment for us to thrive also does it for me. I am glad that we can now take pride in the city of Ibadan. Before now, it was not like that. I recall attending an event in Lagos one time. After the event, people came to me to ask where I was from. When I told them I was from Ibadan, they said, ‘It is not possible.’ I said, ‘What do you mean it is not possible?’ I told them to come to Oyo State to see what is going on here.
“To a large extent, the current administration in Oyo State has done very well. I have a mother who was a civil servant; she is retired now. When the current Governor came in, my mother started to say a lot about how the pensions, gratuity and all of those things were being paid. The current administration has done exceptionally well.
“I will also say this: I have been here all my life. For the first time, I had the opportunity to perform at a government function in Oyo State. It had never happened till the current administration came in. This idea of the Omituntun Praise Concert allowed me to stand in front of dignitaries to perform. That, in a way, has added value to my brand; it has given me more visibility. I remember the last edition we had was televised live on BCOS TV (Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State); a lot of people called and said, ‘Babatunmise, you are now a big boy. Will you be able to take what we used to pay you?’ I informed them that my price has increased. We can say that because of what we have benefitted from. Governor Makinde has done really well. It can only get better and better. But of course, we must say that we are glad.”
Babatunmise Agboola’s verdict: “Governor ‘Seyi Makinde is a go-getter who does not talk too much.”
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