By Adeola Badru
Day Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State became the talk of Iseyin town was historic and unprecedented. With smiles on their faces and songs in their hearts, the governor brightened the days of everyone he met.
For the residents of Iseyin, life had been difficult. Many had lost their homes and their livelihoods. But when the D-day arrived, he brought hope and new possibilities.
In a historic moment for Iseyin and Oyo State on September 16, 2023, Governor Seyi Makinde officially opened the Iseyin-Ogbomoso road and the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH campus in Iseyin.
The 34.85 km road is a vital link between the towns of Iseyin and Ogbomoso, and it is expected to boost economic activity and improve connectivity between the two areas.
The opening of the LAUTECH campus in Iseyin is also a major event, as it will bring much-needed higher education opportunities to the region. Governor Makinde spoke about the importance of education and development for the people of Oyo State, and he emphasized the need for increased access to quality education for all. The LAUTECH campus is expected to be a catalyst for growth and progress in Iseyin and the surrounding areas.
In addition to these two major projects, Governor Makinde also spoke about the importance of infrastructure development, job creation, and poverty alleviation in Iseyin and Oyo State. He outlined a number of initiatives and programmes that are being implemented to address these issues. There was a sense of excitement and optimism in the air, as the people of Iseyin and Oyo State looked forward to a brighter future.
The impact of these projects is already being felt. The Iseyin-Ogbomoso road is making it easier for people to travel and do business, and the LAUTECH campus is bringing new opportunities for education and employment. But perhaps the biggest impact is the sense of hope and optimism that has been ignited by these projects. The people of Iseyin and Oyo State are now looking to the future with confidence and determination, ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
For the people of Iseyin, the opening of the new road and the LAUTECH campus is more than just a project. It is a symbol of a new beginning, a chance to start over and build a better future for themselves and their families. This is the story of how a small town in Nigeria has been transformed by the vision and determination of a visionary governor and how is poised to achieve great things.
In his remark at the event, the special guest of honour, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, lauded Makinde, for delivering the benefits of democracy to the state through building of infrastructure, education and restoration of the glory of the historical Fasola Farms, Oyo, among others.
Obasanjo, who maintained that the essence of democracy is about the wellbeing and welfare of the people, noted that Makinde “is doing extremely well” and that the people of the state have given their mandate to the “right person.”
The former president commended the governor for restoring the glory of Fasola Farms, stating that though Oyo State is already number one in cassava production, it should complement that with investments in livestock production and other crops.
Earlier in his speech, Governor Makinde said: “It gives me great joy to be here today as we commission one of the key projects that will open Oyo and Oke-Ogun Zones to further investments and economic stimulation. When our administration came in a little over four years ago, we had clear plans for accelerated development in our dear State through improving our road infrastructure.”
“We knew that if we were to compete favourably with other States in Nigeria and become key players in our West African subregion, we had to interconnect all the zones by road. We were able to quickly identify where our competitive advantage lies and to come up with a strategy for harnessing that advantage.”
“Oyo State has arable land for agriculture, and the question for us was: how do we get the big players to come and site their agribusiness where we had land? The answer was to open up the zones through road projects.”
“Yes, we had a choice between doing what previous governments had done, which was to concentrate efforts in Ibadan to repair inner roads which would be easily visible to the people in the capital.”
“So, here we are today to celebrate another milestone. When this project commenced in July 2021, we had an expected completion date of July 2022. However, the construction of the Ogun River Bridge caused delays, and we had to recalibrate our expectations. But we are here now and with the joy I can see on the faces of our people, all is well that ends well.”
“As I mentioned earlier, this 34.85 km Oyo-Iseyin Road has high economic significance, not just to the people of Oyo and Iseyin but to the entire State and region. The fact that it is a Federal Road highlights its importance, but as we will find out as we move on to inspect the former Fasola Livestock Farm, this road hosts one of our biggest assets in Oyo State.”
“Our first agribusiness industrial hub, which I have been told will be completed in about a month or two, is domiciled on this route. I do not want to pre-empt what we will be seeing there, but going by what I have been told, our vision of creating an industrial hub in this zone is becoming a reality. We already have at least five agribusinesses operating out of the hub and expect more.”
“Our vision is to have an agrotourism site here, and I am looking forward to seeing the Ministry of Culture and Tourism work with the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) to make this place a tourist destination in the shortest possible time. I look forward to seeing what horizontal synergies can be created between the ministry and OYSADA to achieve this,’’ Governor Makinde stated.
In his comments, popular lawyer, Barr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), hailed Makinde on the Oyo-Iseyin Road, saying: “We know how to describe Governor ‘Seyi Makinde. This is his second term in office and he is still firing on with regards to projects.”
“When the Moniya-Iseyin Road was completed and the government started the Ogbomoso-Iseyin Road, I told him I said Your Excellency, the Oyo-Iseyin Road is of more importance to our people and the situation of that road is quite worrisome. But he told me, SAN we will fix the road.”
“Today, by completing this project, you have made life easy for our people. You have made life easy for the peasants, the farmers, business owners and even those trying to access healthcare.”
“We need people like you in power. If infrastructure development can be made to go round everywhere like you are doing in Oyo State, then Nigeria would have become a better place.”
Similarly, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, who appreciated the governor on behalf of the people of Oyo, described him as a promise-keeper, stating that the Oyo-Iseyin Road is an arterial road that holds great importance to the economy of Oyo.
A resident of Fasola Village, Mr Saliu Akano, who explained the plight of residents of villages on the Oyo-Iseyin and road users prior to its construction said: “life was quite unbearable for us because of this road. During dry season, we had no respite from dust.”
“We could not even sit in front of our houses due to the dust. And when it is rainy season, we were always helping one motorist after another push their vehicles from swamps on the road. “The worst experience is on the Odo-Ogun River. The bridge on that river is more than 50 years-old and it can only take one vehicle at a time.”