Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has assured the people of the state of quality service delivery under his programme tagged Omituntun 2.0, stating that he and the political appointees and top civil servants recently sworn-in would serve the state to the best of their abilities.
Makinde maintained that contrary to the notion that administrations are often relax and non-committal during second terms, his government is looking to leave a strong legacy in the state and that it would not let the people of the state down.
The governor stated this in his remarks at the swearing-in of the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, 16 Commissioners, 14 Permanent Secretaries, including the Accountant-General of the State, held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
He charged the SSG, Head of Service, permanent secretaries and returning commissioners to see their appointments and elevations as a call to greater work and responsibility, saying: “To you all, this is a call for more work. Some of the commissioners worked with me during the first tenure and some of you already know how I work and nothing is going to change.
“Some people have said that the second term administrations are usually very relaxed because they are not looking for anything. Well, we are looking for a strong legacy to give back to Oyo State. So, we are not going to let our people down.
“I want you to know that we have a lot to do for our people. We already prepared the roadmap for sustainable development 2023-2027. Please, key into it.
“These are very difficult periods. A lot has happened in this second tenure, and from what we have seen, a lot will be required from us. Please, there should not be laxity. You have all taken the oath of office and I expect you to deliver according to the oath you have just taken,” the governor added.
Speaking further on the appointment of the Permanent Secretaries in the Public/Civil Service, Governor Makinde said the state government would continue with the conduct of the examinations, urging those interested in becoming Permanent Secretaries to get ready for examinations, as the list of successful applicants for the top civil service posts has been exhausted.
Governor Makinde, who maintained that his administration has continued to follow through on its commitment to run an all-inclusive government that leaves no zone behind, said all 14 federal constituencies in the state have at least one commissioner among those sworn-in.
He charged residents of the state not to distract the administration with criticisms that are not constructive, but should rather allow the government to serve the best interest of the people.
He said: “Since we sent the names of commissioner-nominees to the House of Assembly, we have been inundated with all sorts of analyses – like who is from where? Who brought who and all that.
“Well, let me state it clearly that we started it during our first tenure. This is the first administration that had commissioners from all the 14 federal constituencies of Oyo State, and I know who came from where.
“I read a story where people from Oyo criticised the fact that the Governor is from Ibadan, Deputy Governor from Oke-Ogun, Chief of Staff from Ogbomoso and the Speaker from Ibarapa. And now, the SSG is also from Oke-Ogun. But have we forgotten Oyo Federal Constituency?
“Well, in front of me today, we have three commissioners being sworn-in from Oyo Federal Constituency. So, if you say one commissioner per constituency, Oyo Federal Constituency has three. So, when people do these analyses, I wonder why.
“This is a government that is still being formed. So, I will appeal to our people that if they cannot help us by criticising us constructively, they should not distract us. Let us serve the interest of the people of the state to the best of our ability.
“I think we should be talking about service delivery to our people. What we have demonstrated is that all these people are eminently qualified. That means if we look very well, there is no part of Oyo State that cannot contribute its quota to the progress and well-being of our state. And, as a government, we will continue to search for such people from all the nooks and cranny of Oyo State to serve the state.”
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
