Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that his administration will create a different Oyo State where citizens are law-abiding despite the many challenges they are faced with.
The governor also said that the state would soon come up with legislation to restore order and sanity in the society.
The governor stated these on Monday during the inauguration of the Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN-led Oyo State Advisory Council, held at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The members of the State Advisory Council inaugurated by the governor are: Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN (Chairman); Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; Senator Hosea Agboola; Senator Gbenga Babalola; Senator Kamorudeen Adedibu; Hon. Babatunde Oduyoye; Mr Michael Lana and Alhaji Bashiru Ajibade.
This was as the governor inaugurated the Governing Council of the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, chaired by an indigene of Oyo town, Prof. Ayoade Ogunkunle, in an event held earlier in the same Chambers.
Other members of the University’s Governing Council are: Prof. Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye; Professor Abass Aderemi Adedibu; Chief Isaac Aderibigbe Koleoso and Hon. (Mrs.) Funmilayo Okikiola Orisadeyi.
Speaking shortly before the inauguration of the Advisory Council, Governor Makinde stated that the Council is a sort of feedback mechanism for the administration.
The governor maintained that the members of the State Advisory Council have a huge role to play in calling the attention of the government to the myriad of issues affecting the people, including the poverty and deprivation in the land, challenges in the security, education and health sectors as well as in the area of maintenance of social order, among others.
He said: “I want to say thank you to the chairman and the members of the Advisory Council. It is a thankless job that you have taken. The Council is extremely important in getting feedback for the administration to ensure that decisions are taken in the best interest of the state.
“I have been here for four years and six months and I do know that when our people come in with an idea, we have to dig a little bit deeper to see whether that idea is in the best interest of the generality of our people or the best interest of the individual bringing the advice. So, the intersection of personal versus group interest is where you have to stand.
“There is hunger and poverty in the land as well as other serious challenges we are facing as a country. There is nothing that is happening nationally that you would not see here. Every major intersection is a market. We have security issues, pressure around the mining communities and an education system with infrastructure deficits.
“In the health sector, yes, during Omituntun 1.0, we started rehabilitating our PHCs with one in each ward but staffing, equipping and having sustainable PHCs still constitute a big challenge.
“If you drive from here for five minutes, you will see people driving against traffic. You will see people putting up buildings without a permit. We have to create an Oyo State that is different and law-abiding. In our various family units, we are progressively-minded people but when it comes to the society, things are often not the same. So, you have a big role to play. Through your efforts as an Advisory Council, you must strive to call our attention to some of these issues so that we can make decisions that will be sustainable.”
Earlier, Governor Makinde, while inaugurating the 5-man Governing Council of the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, stated that his administration sought for the upgrade of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education to a university during his first term of office because it noticed the shortage of manpower in the education sector.
He called on the university to step up to the plate to bridge that gap.
The governor appreciated the management of the university as well as the chairman of the Governing Council of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Prof Ayodeji Omole, noting that the University’s team had hit the ground running in ensuring that the National University Commission (NUC) visited and approved the university’s courses.
Governor Makinde equally charged the varsity’s management to ensure religious balance in all its operations.
In attendance at both events were the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Amb. Taofeek Arapaja; former Deputy Governor, Engr. Hamid Gbadamosi; Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabo Yerima; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo and other top government functionaries.
