"Achievers are not born talented but they possess the "I-can-do-it attitude", says Gladys Bejani. This quote reminds me of how the struggle of Omi Tuntun started in our state. Prior to 2015 general elections, the mantra postal flooded the nooks and crannies of the state with two images: ocean and whale. One will wonder what is the idea behind this unique slogan, Omi Tuntun.
After months of wondering aloud, I decided to take the responsibility upon my self in knowing the idea behind it. For I know that our party - PDP - is in a state of comatose then and nobody was ready to take up the resuscitation process. Interestingly, I got to know the prime mover and this further motivated me to get information about his profile, antecedents both private and public life. The man in question is a successful man in the business world. It is no doubt the best choice is to give such man a chance to rewrite our pace setting goals in Oyo state.
Governor Seyi Makinde tried hard to come on board as Governor of the state earlier but the Divine Creator destined that this is the best time. His achievements so far within 100 days in office are not a surprise for people like me as his ways, beliefs, career and people he associates with speak volumes on what could be the end result of his administration.
It is, however, important to itemize some of these achievements for sake of emphasis. In the words of Denis Waitley, "There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them”. In line with this, the People’s Governor did not engage in blame games as he was able to commend past administration in the area where they performed averagely while also leveraging on the available resources to complete all abandoned projects. This alone is enough to define a man with genuine mission to liberate his people from shackles and manacles of oppressors.
When his excellency forfeited his four years’ salary for teachers' pension, I thought I have seen enough not until I confirmed from pensioners on how they are enjoying uninterrupted salary since Engineer Seyi Makinde took the mantle of power. Meanwhile, “retirement is wonderful if you have two essentialo: much to live on and much to live for” is a popular saying. Verily, our pensioners can quote this without any fear of contradictions as they can project enough to live with in this current administration.
During his inauguration, one of many punch lines worthy of note in his speech is his readiness to encourage all inclusive governance while giving priority to accountability. He said and I quote: "We want all of you to be a part of the implementation as we work together to move our state forward. We may make decisions that are sometimes uncomfortable but we will try our best to always be just, fair and act with the fear of God . I am here as your governor to serve you. I will work tirelessly and take responsibility for the workings of every sector. While I will delegate effectively, the buck will stop with me. I want you to hold me accountable and I will also hold you accountable as we work as partners to bring Oyo State to glory". With this, I can agree more that he is truly our saviour. In any government, once accountability is assured, every other things will be in order as it is a clear signal that his administration will have zero tolerance for corruption. No doubt, we are setting pace for other states.
According to Stephen R. Covey, “Accountability breeds response - ability". His Excellency is no doubt responsive to our challenges as a state and he is ready to achieve a lot before four years which will in turn speak for him after his first tenure. I am optimistic that he will reposition our party to winning form in the whole South West.
One thing that is worthy of more emphasis about Governor Seyi Makinde (GSM) is his decision on fulfilling his campaign promises. This is unusual in our political settings. He is not deviating from his electioneering promises as steps are being taken in that direction. His action on total free education for primary and secondary schools is a clear indication that he is an astute follower of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in another flesh. He has never for once forgot how he enjoyed absolute free education; hence, the need to give it back to the people he's promised to serve. His school of thought is that, this will reduce level of out of school students in the state. The mother of all is his free exercise books agenda which will further encourage sound education in the state.
I am bold enough to say that GSM means business after studying his agricultural policies. With the pace at which he is moving and the calibre of people he is appointing to handle various ministries, it is safe for one to say our state will soon become point of reference for other states which are aiming to break even in agriculture.
His effort toward making Oyo state the destination for international business is crystal clear as he is doing everything humanly possible to provide enabling environment, to make friendly policies which will definitely give opportunities to the people of the state. Moreover, how much can I emphasize the early payment of salaries for civil servants? No wonder workers are now smiling, going to various banks on or before 25th of every month. This will not only be prolific for civil servants but will also ensure adequate circulation of funds in the state's economy as research has it that once civil servants are being paid salaries constantly, the poor women selling láfu in Molete market will surely feel the impact, let alone the people in their various workshops.
You will agree with me that it is a new dawn in our state. We now have a Governor who is feeling the pains of his people and who is ready to go any length to ensure that they all smile with fulfilled mind. In fulfilment of his campaign promises to ensure adequate security, he had to retain special security apparatus called Operation Burst. This shows that he is free from politics of bitterness because in the real sense, one will think since it is not the innovation of his party, he will abolish it and introduce another strategy to curb insecurity. He deserves our nod on this as a father of continuity.
His zeal to promote free and qualitative education and to ensure that the state assumes its pacesetter status in the education sector for the benefit of the citizenry of the state is applausive and needs total participation of all stakeholders who believe that education is a non-negotiable right of every child.
Unfortunately, this article can not accommodate all his achievements for the first 100 days in office but the way and manner to which he is accepted by his people during and after election shows that he is truly the chosen one. He has made his ideas materialise within the short period. That is why Scott Belsky says “It’s not about ideas; It’s about making ideas happen.” GSM has ideas and he is ready to make it happen.
I will implore everyone to give him unconditional support as he sails the state to the promised land.
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