IS GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE CORRUPT AS ALLEGED – LET’S LOOK AT HIS RECORD AS THE GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS

I am from Osun State, but I have been a resident of Oyo State all my life... I was born in Ibadan and received all my education in Oyo State. I worked for Lautech for over 13 years before I left the country. Most of my investments are in Oyo State.

Here is what I know from experience. Governor Seyi Makinde remains one of the best governors Oyo State has had in terms of doing what is expected of a governor... What transpired between him and President Tinubu is a classic example of politics at its best. Why did Seyi Makinde support Tinubu against Atiku in the 2023 presidential election? It has a common-sense answer: It was a North versus South political dominance issue... After eight years of a northern presidency, it was time for power to return to the South... Supporting Atiku, a northerner who violated the unwritten agreement between the North and South in Nigeria, is acting like an "omo ale" – a bastard. It was a no-brainer. If he expected something in return, it was common sense... He wanted to nominate a candidate that he felt would duly represent the people of Oyo State at the Federal cabinet level, instead of the chop-chop Penkelemess, the defeated APC gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, who has delivered nothing in his position as Minister in charge of power. Adelabu gaslighted us that power supply had improved late last year, while the experience of the people of Oyo State was to the contrary. He managed a ministry that plunged the whole of the southwest into darkness for weeks leading to the Christmas holiday in 2025... Makinde has the right to ask for a representation at the Federal cabinet if he delivered Oyo State to Tinubu, who could not win in his own state... He deserved to be rewarded for the people of Oyo State, unlike Wike, who got a position for himself, where he was fomenting trouble, allegedly stealing lands, and enriching himself and his cronies.

The question of N50 billion versus N30 billion requires more clarity. He requested N100 billion for the recovery effort. He was promised N50 billion, but only N30 billion was delivered to him. They wanted him to go public with the news of N50 billion, but he refused. He would not do the same until the remaining N20 billion is released… Otherwise, the N20 billion would never be released again as soon as he goes public. He decides to bank the N30 billion and wait for the rest. Governor Makinde will do himself a favor if he releases more evidence of what transpired between him and President Tinubu’s government. Otherwise, his political reputation will be ruined, and his 2027 ambition will be dead on arrival.

Any Nigerian is free to seek a political office. Especially if they think they have the capacity and the record to back up their bid… What is Governor Seyi Makinde’s record in Oyo State? Even though I live abroad, I can attest to some of them that transcend the issue of bomb blast relief fund and that affect me personally as a resident of the state…

1. In Seyi Makinde’s seven years in office, he has not missed payment of workers’ salaries even once. He pays workers' salaries between the 25th and 31st day of the month… unlike a lot of his predecessors and counterparts across the nation.
2. He has paid all arrears of gratuity and pension owed to LAUTECH staff… I know because I am a LAUTECH pensioner. He is still owing new gratuity that accrued during his tenure though...
3. He was one of the few governors who paid palliative money to government workers in his state for months during and after the COVID-190 pandemic.
4. IGR has increased significantly since he became governor. You can see that in the Federal government record of Oyo state tax contributions to the Federal purse… so much more than many oil-producing states in the Southeast and so-called highly populated states like Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, and Katsina in the northern part of Nigeria.
5. Many of the roads constructed under Governor Makinde are of the highest quality standards you will find anywhere in Nigeria today… I drove on the Ogbomoso-Iseyin and Iseyin-Ibadan roads last year, and they were both in excellent condition. The roads within the Ibadan metropolitan city are superb. I am sure that this is the same for many roads across the state. Of course, there are still many roads that need to be constructed. A major stain is the forceful and illegal acquisition of people’s land around the circular road in Ibadan, which he has handled well to date.
6. Governor Seyi Makinde seamlessly negotiated the disengagement of Osun State from the ownership of Lautech. A situation that has been recalcitrant for years.
7. Many chieftaincy title tussles were handled seamlessly under his leadership.
8. Aside from the Fulani uprising, which he handled with wisdom, and the bomb blast at Agodi-Bodija, Oyo State has not seen a more peaceful and prosperous time than now since the time of Chief Bola Ige.
9. He was pivotal and instrumental in the formation of Amotekun to counter the violent insurgency of Fulani herdsmen and bandits in the Southwestern part of Nigeria.
10. He has traveled widely to negotiate many trade deals across the globe… I follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn, and I have read about some of his efforts to bring development and prosperity to the state... Many of them need to translate to significant economic impact for Oyo state people.
11. He was one of the few governors who publicly declared their assets when they assumed the office of governor. He was a billionaire who made his money during the Jonathan administration...
12. No single scandal in almost seven years of his governorship, except for this relief fund saga. And we have yet to see the end of it. We will know more as more facts emerge that are not politically spun. Makinde will do himself a big favor by releasing all the facts from his end, while I urge his detractors to do the same.

I do not know Governor Seyi Makinde from Adam… I have zero vested interest other than being a resident of Ibadan… As a matter of fact, I do not live in Nigeria… I am not an indigene of Oyo State…. I am just a resident of the state and a political observer of Nigerian politics, and I am obligated to speak the truth to power as part of my civic duty. In my opinion, among all the governors in Nigeria today, Governor Makinde ranks among the top three in terms of performance. He has the right to protest against ill treatment as a political actor. He has the right to demonstrate ambition for the highest office in Nigeria if he believes he has something to offer the people of the country based on his record. Here is my personal position. I admire Seyi Makinde more than Ayo Fayose or Wike. The latter are known thugs and alleged thieves while serving as governors. They became rich without any investment of any kind, other than serving as the governors of Ekiti and Rivers State, respectively. No one can point to a single dominating public scandal in Seyi Makinde’s personal life or government since he became a public figure, until this finger-pointing about the relief fund issue. These do not mean I will vote for him if he decides to run. He would not to make a strong case as to why he is the best candidate to lead us and tell me what he would do differently than we are seeing right now....

Can Governor Makinde do more? Yes, he can and should do more for the people of Oyo State before he leaves office in the next 16 months. Performing better than one’s predecessors is not a yardstick for growth and development achievement. The metrics of his government in the last seven years against the resources available should be the gold standard for measuring his government’s impact. Hence, there is a valid argument for him to account to the people of Oyo State as to what happened to the Relief Fund. He must explain how he disbursed the N30 billion. If he has not spent it, why? And he needs to show the people proof that the money is still there and how he intends to use it for the people impacted by the horrific bomb blast in his state, and the state as a whole.