The Citizens' Watch

Jan 03, 2021

Historic Appointment of First Female SSG Overshadowed by Low Cabinet Parity in Oyo First Term

As the first term reached its conclusion in May 2023, the final review of the state’s executive structure highlighted a persistent gender imbalance. Despite the administration's rhetoric of inclusion, the composition of the State Executive Council had not changed significantly since its inauguration, with women holding only the portfolios for Women Affairs and Local Government/Chieftaincy Matters for the majority of the term. Throughout 2021 and 2022, the administration focused on diversifying its appointments within boards and agencies. Several women were appointed to the management teams of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), where they took on roles in planning, research, and standard assurance. The term’s most significant milestone occurred in late 2019 and early 2020. Shortly after his inauguration, the Governor fulfilled a major symbolic promise by appointing Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun as the first female Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in Oyo State's history. This was followed by the appointment of two female commissioners to the inaugural cabinet. These early actions were seen as a signal of a new era for women in governance; however, as the term progressed, the momentum for further high-level female appointments slowed, leaving the administration with a "historic but limited" record on gender inclusion as it prepared for the 2023 transition.

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Dec 17, 2020

Oyo Overhauls Security Logistics with 230+ Vehicles and State-of-the-Art Communication Tools

The modernization drive began just months after the inauguration. In November 2019, the government approved ₦832.65 million for the procurement of 100 Kia Rio automatic transmission vehicles, which were branded and distributed to the Nigeria Police Force and the joint security task force, Operation Burst. To support these vehicles, the administration also approved ₦178.7 million for sophisticated digital radio communication equipment, allowing officers to coordinate more effectively across the state's 33 local governments. Unlike previous years, the state also took over the routine maintenance and fueling of these fleets to ensure they remained on active patrol. Gov. Seyi makinde of Oyo State, seen testing the functionality of one of the launched vehicles With the launch of the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) in late 2020, the logistics effort scaled up significantly. In December 2020, the Governor handed over 33 pick-up vehicles and 396 motorcycles to the corps, with the specific instruction that each of the state's 351 wards must feel the impact of the patrol teams. Additional Vehicles donated to the Amotekun Corps by Gov. Seyi Makinde By April 2022, another 100 operational vehicles were added to the Amotekun fleet to strengthen their capacity in rural areas and border communities. These vehicles were equipped with dual-communication systems linked directly to the Onireke Security Control Room, facilitating real-time intelligence sharing. In addition to mobility, the "modern equipment" component included the integration of the 615 toll-free emergency line and the deployment of CCTV surveillance at strategic junctions in the capital. By the end of the term, the combination of a refreshed vehicle fleet, specialized motorcycles for difficult terrains, and a functional digital communication backbone had fundamentally upgraded the state's crime-fighting posture.

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Dec 17, 2020

Oyo Operationalises Modern Security Nerve Center

Governor Seyi Makinde's commitment to set up a Security Control Room was fulfilled during his first term, with the facility officially commissioned and operational by mid-2020. The expanded and refurbished State Security Control Room, located at the Oyo State Security Trust Fund Headquarters in Onireke, Ibadan, was inaugurated on June 17, 2020, less than a year into his administration. The facility was not built from scratch; rather, Governor Makinde inherited a previous control room at Iyaganku Police Area Command and significantly expanded and upgraded it, incorporating modern technological infrastructure to enhance security coordination across the state. Gov. Seyi Makinde during a visit to the Control Room The Control Room emerged as a comprehensive security hub integrating multiple operational platforms. It houses the Oyo State City Watch Project, which enables real-time monitoring and response to security incidents; the Citizens' Emergency toll-free line (615), which had been procured by the previous administration but left non-operational until Makinde's team activated it; and the Oyo State Crime Alert Platform, accessible through both mobile application and the state government website, allowing citizens to report crimes and emergencies directly to security operatives. The Control Room The facility also coordinates CCTV camera networks installed across strategic locations in the state, with live feeds enabling rapid response to criminal activities. By 2022, the facility was recommissioned following further expansion and refurbishment, signaling sustained investment in the infrastructure. The Security Control Room thus represents a tangible fulfillment of the promise, serving as the operational nerve center for coordinating multi-agency security responses in the state.

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Dec 15, 2020

Fruit Processing Plants: A Conditional Promise Partially Realized

Governor Seyi Makinde's campaign pledge to establish fruit processing plants was qualified by timeline conditions: short-term completion if linked with existing processors (one year), but medium to long-term if new off-takers were to be brought in. During his first term (2019-2023), the promise remained largely unfulfilled on its stated terms. By the two-year mark of his administration, Simply Green Farm, a private fruit processing company, had established its business in Oyo State, marking the only documented fruit processing facility to commence operations under the stated promise. However, this appears to have been a private sector initiative rather than a government-led project. By the third year in office (2022-2023), government documentation indicated that fruit processing plants had "not yet commenced" as a deliberate state initiative, meaning no new government-supported or state-coordinated facility had been launched. The promise was eventually superseded by the broader agribusiness strategy, which pivoted toward establishing the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub and planning subsequent hubs at Eruwa and Ijaiye, where fruit processing would theoretically be integrated into larger processing complexes. During his second term campaign in January 2023, Governor Makinde revived the fruit processing commitment, specifically mentioning plans to reactivate the Oko Fruit Processing Factory (previously Pacesetter Fruit Processing Company) in Surulere Local Government Area, signaling renewed attention to the sector beyond the first term's limited progress.

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Dec 15, 2020

Makinde hands over state’s moribund fruit juice company to investors

Source: The Eagle OnlineThe Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on Thursday officially kickstarted the process of reviving the moribund Pacesetter Fruit Processing Company, Oko, when he handed it over to AGVEST Limited.The event, which took place at the premises of the company in Oko, Surulere South Local Council Development Area, was attended by government functionaries, traditional rulers and chairmen of all local governments and local council development areas in Ogbomosoland.While performing the handover ceremony, Governor Makinde maintained that the revival of the company will bring economic development to the state.

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Dec 10, 2020

Makinde Keeps Youth Promise: Appoints 27-Year-Old as Sports Commissioner

Governor Seyi Makinde fulfilled his campaign pledge to appoint someone below the age of 30 as Commissioner for Youth and Sports by nominating Seun Fakorede, then 27 years old, in August 2019, shortly after assuming office. (right to left) Gov. Seyi Makinde with the newly elected Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Seun Fakorede Fakorede, a civil engineer and alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was sworn in on August 26, 2019, making him Nigeria's youngest commissioner in history at the time. During the swearing-in ceremony, Governor Makinde reiterated his commitment to the pledge, stating: “I promised them that whoever is going to be the commissioner of youths and sports will be below 30 years of age and I was conscious of the fact”. Fakorede served continuously in this position from August 2019 through September 2023, covering the entire first term and extending into the second term. During his tenure, he oversaw youth empowerment programs, agribusiness training initiatives, sports facility upgrades including the remodeled Lekan Salami Stadium, and various athletic competitions. His appointment earned recognition as an innovative approach to youth inclusion in governance, with Fakorede subsequently winning The Future Awards Africa Prize for Governance in 2020 and being named a 2022 Politician of the Year by One Young World. The promise was not only kept but exceeded in symbolic value, establishing a template for intergenerational leadership in the state.

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Dec 10, 2020

Oyo Exceeds General Insurance Targets but CBHI Scale-Up Misses 12-LGA Pilot Deadline

As the first term drew to a close in early 2023, the Oyo State Health Insurance Agency (OYSHIA) reported a surge in total enrollees, reaching over 100,000 lives across various plans. However, the specific "Community-based" segment, targeting residents in their local wards, remained concentrated in a few pilot areas. The initiative began in late 2019 and early 2020, shortly after the Governor’s inauguration. By the end of the first year in office, the administration had only piloted the CBHI scheme in two communities, Eyin Grammar and Ogungbade Community in Egbeda Local Government Area, rather than the four LGAs per senatorial zone (totaling 12 LGAs across three senatorial zones) as explicitly promised. Although this pilot provided the "proof of concept" mentioned in the Roadmap for Accelerated Development, the momentum required to scale this specific community-led model to the remaining 11 target LGAs across Oyo North and Oyo South stalled, as the administration’s focus turned toward renovating physical Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to provide the infrastructure needed for future insurance rollout.

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Jun 08, 2020

Oyo Education Funding Outpaces International Benchmarks as First Term Concludes

As the administration’s first term drew to a close in early 2023, the Governor presented a "Budget of Sustainable Development" which earmarked N58.21 billion for the education sector. This allocation represented 18.78% of the total budget, maintaining the state's record of staying within the UNESCO-recommended 15-20% bracket despite the economic pressures of inflation and fluctuating federal allocations. This followed a consistent pattern set in 2022, when the government allocated 18.37% (N54.11 billion) to the sector, focusing heavily on the completion of over 700 classroom blocks and several "Model Schools" across the three senatorial districts. The middle of the term saw even more aggressive funding. In 2021, the state hit a 21% allocation mark, a move that the government argued was necessary to stabilize the sector following the COVID-19 pandemic's disruptions. However, the most significant leap occurred in the 2020 fiscal year, the administration’s first full budget cycle, where education funding skyrocketed to 22.37%. This historic high was more than double the original 10% promise and positioned Oyo as one of the leading states in Nigeria for education spending. Wasiu Olatunbosun, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Oyo state. This journey began in the latter half of 2019, shortly after the May inauguration, when the Governor moved to fulfill his campaign pledge by reviewing the state's budget and jacking up the education portion from a meager 3% to the promised 10% threshold to fund the immediate distribution of free textbooks and science equipment.

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Jun 07, 2020

Oyo Govt Charges Enrollment Drive Committee on Basic Education

Official Website of Oyo State Government Oyo State Government has charged members of the newly inaugurated committee on enrollment drive to facilitate enrollment, retention and completion of Basic Education in the State. â€œThe Enrolment drive is geared towards addressing the out-of-school-children phenomenon in the State. This will create needed awareness on the need to address out-of-school-children in the State, this drive would adopt different strategies targeted at communities in the State, so as to increase enrolment in Public schoolsâ€.

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Project Activities

Historic Appointment of First Female SSG Overshadowed by Low Cabinet Parity in Oyo First Term

Oyo Overhauls Security Logistics with 230+ Vehicles and State-of-the-Art Communication Tools

Oyo Operationalises Modern Security Nerve Center

Fruit Processing Plants: A Conditional Promise Partially Realized

Makinde hands over state’s moribund fruit juice company to investors

Makinde Keeps Youth Promise: Appoints 27-Year-Old as Sports Commissioner

Oyo Exceeds General Insurance Targets but CBHI Scale-Up Misses 12-LGA Pilot Deadline

Oyo Education Funding Outpaces International Benchmarks as First Term Concludes

Oyo Govt Charges Enrollment Drive Committee on Basic Education

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