Rosa Parks says, “you must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right”. This simply implies that the people’s Governor, His Excellency, Seyi Makinde is never afraid of taking the right decision, and doing the right thing to re-engineer the foundation of Pacesetter State in line with the vision of the founding fathers.

It is important to highlight his superlative performances objectively contrary to the notion that he is overrated. As a God Sent Man, Governor Makinde came to power to restore the lost glory of Oyo State and not to amass wealth to himself.

Engr Seyi Makinde as a visionary leader knows money does not produce vision but visions produce money. He is transforming the economic fortunes and business of governance of Oyo State with his creative strategic thinking.

As critics are hell-bent and not relenting to undermine His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde’s performance with constant negative criticisms through social and print media platform to dent his shining image and personality, but he is unperturbed as his focused is on delivering dividends of democracy to the people of Oyo State by implementing the ‘master plan’ of the founding fathers in line with UN goals that ‘meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future to meet thier own needs’.

His Excellency as a resolute and disciplinarian persists despite the challenges encountered in discharging his constitutional duties with the power of determination to succeed in his efforts of performing his democratic mandate to make Oyo State great.

According to a Yoruba proverb which says” ọba t’ójẹ tí ìlú tòrò, ará ìlú ò ní gbàgbé ẹ; ọba t’ójẹ tí ìlú dàrú, orúkọ ẹ kò ní parẹ nínú ìwé ìtàn” the English translation of it is a king that reigns and his domain thrives, his name will never be forgotten; the one that rules but brings hardships and sorrows on his people, his name will not be erased in the history books.The Yoruba adage can be compared between Governor Makinde and his predecessor.

Governor Makinde’s great achievements and his soaring popularity in Oyo State is due to his  ingenuity ways of handling the affairs of the State by changing the narrative of governance which is no longer business as usual for the charlatans who are bereft of ideas to be entrusted with power in the State.

Abraham Lincoln says “commitment is what transform a promise into a reality”. This is a pointer to Governor Makinde’s personality as a promise keeper and a game changer. Without a doubt, he is committed to his vision by fulfilling his campaign promises to the good people of Oyo State.

This provides me with many examples of strong leaders who left thier indelible footprints in the sand of time for posterity sake. Govenor Makinde’s contributions and accomplishments stand tall and his name resonates with awe, respect and admiration.

To this end, it is not an exaggeration to call Governor Seyi Makinde a man of history with a clarity of conscience and a willingness to challenge the status quo and rejigged all sectors for the purpose of making a difference in the lives of the citizens.
It is generally believed that ‘to be the best, one must beat the best’. This is an attestation to the people’s Governor historic giant strides achieved in Oyo State that come with humbleness, humility, maturity, professional insight, experiential wisdom, ability to take responsibility, and a commitment to excellence to get the best result.

The world leaders described Lee Kuan Yew as one of the greatest leader of our time, a lion among leaders and an inspiration to Asia and beyond. This description best described Governor Makinde’s attributes as a dynamic Governor who is  revolutionising Oyo State to a preferred destination to do business for investors, an enviable illustrious son of the Southwest and the pride of good governance model in Nigeria.

When a leader skillfully brings a voice and a clear vision of directions to formulate his policies, his voice speaks for the people of Oyo State, offering a clear path is a departure from the norms of bad governance, a vision for a more positive, efficiency and meritocracy and brighter future for the citizens of Oyo State.

His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde did not set out to toe the path of his predecessor who failed to engage the general public and acted accordingly as he was out of touch of reality to peoples plights. Governor Makinde as a rare breed politician galvanised his experience by bringing his people oriented programmes to the doorsteps of the citizens and by also giving them a sense of belonging in his government. His robust understanding of governance with the combination of the round pegs in the round holes teams helped his administration to make positive impacts on the peoples welfare.

The success story reminds me that transformation can be done in a short period of time by a focused, determined and dedicated leader who cares and loves his people wholeheartedly. After all, It is the people that benefits from any sustainable developmental projects.

Benjamin franklin says “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. This is true because Governor Makinde as a forward thinker has adequately prepared for good governance as enshrined in his “Roadmap to Açcelerated Development Plan 2019-2023″ and Oyo State Development Plan 2021-2040” which set out his four “cardinal points” agenda. Strategic planning is not just about yearly budgets; it is the capacity to think ahead, the ability to work around the available resources to produce the desired results.

To be continued…

 – Jamiu Akano