A former Nigerian ambassador to the Philippines, Dr Yemi Farounbi, has said that he admires Governor Seyi Makinde’s intellectual capacity and ability to resolve seemingly knotty issues. He added that these have changed the face of Oyo State.
Ambassador Farounbi, who stated this during an interview with The People’s Verdict, said, “I appreciate his intellect, I appreciate his ability to resolve knotty issues, and I particularly love his understanding of what a proper federation is. And I love his courage about it. He is not afraid to speak his mind.”
The former Nigerian envoy, who described the Oyo State governor as unusual, added, “Sometimes you have to travel around to see the reality of what he is doing all over, even in the areas that you don’t expect. When you see the Ibadan-Iseyin Road, the Ogbomoso-Iseyin Road, and the city road in Saki, you are shocked. When you also see the Circular Road, you wonder how he has been able to do all of these things. He has also done well in agriculture. Look at Fasola; in those days, Fasola used to be a rural settlement. But see what he has done now. He did so much at Fasola that it became an Agricultural Transformation Centre that has been designated Nigeria’s first Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Similarly, he is assisting farmers with fertilisers and other agricultural input.”
Dr Farounbi continued, “He resolved the ownership problem in LAUTECH, and that was critical to its development. Then, look at what he is doing in aviation, the upgrade of the Ibadan Airport. Originally, the Ibadan Airport was expected to be a Siamese twin with Murtala Muhammed Airport. But for political reasons in those days, they didn’t allow that to happen. It requires a boldness, a courage to start work today on the airport, starting with the building, improving on the runway, and making that airport what it ought to be, the Siamese twin with Murtala Muhammed Airport.”
Talking about the impact of the administration on the capital city, Farounbi said, “Look at Ibadan; it has just changed. Ibadan is no longer what we used to call it, an agro city. Ibadan has now become a proper city, an urbanised place in terms of definition. Makinde has turned Ibadan from a big village to a real city.”
According to Farounbi, Governor Makinde’s policies have brought stability and growth to the state. “Since he assumed office, he has consistently paid salaries and pensions promptly. This has brought stability to the state. It has also resulted in the growth of the state’s economy. Now, artisans are doing well, traders are doing well, and even transporters are doing well because the money paid by the government to civil servants percolates to both the formal and informal sectors of the economy.”
While lauding Makinde for creating employment opportunities for young people in the state, he said the administration would go down in history as one of the few that genuinely care about the welfare of the people.
