OMITUNTUN 2.0 FIRST 100 DAYS IN OFFICE: ADVANCING AND SUSTAINING THE OMITUNTUN 1.0 ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENTS.

By Tolu Adewusi, a member of GSM Advocates

After his landslide victory at the polls on March 18th, 2023 defeating his immediate opponent with 307,071 vote difference, having a percentage votes of 63.37% with total votes of 563,756 which doubles the addition of votes of his two major opponents; with a margin never seen before in the history of Oyo State in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, one would think it was over; that such a winner should extol himself in his victory, that all the promises and the diligence that the Seyi Makinde administration offered would end with his first term in office, as several naysayers pushed that they were only baits for his reelection, and that by second term, he like every other reelected Governors in time past, will show his true colour as a typical Nigerian politician.

However, this has not been the case so far in OMITUNTUN 2.0 which promises sustainable improvement of the first term (accelerated development), as it seems to be a thing of pride for Engr. Seyi Makinde as he consistently shut the mouths of naysayers with his commitment to his promises and obligations as the Governor of Oyo State; like Lionel Messi in Inter Miami, he keeps delivering. While opposition keeps wailing, he keeps working.

Just after his emergence in 2019, it was the Pacesetter Quarry and Asphalt Plant that the Seyi Makinde administration revived, and now, just after his reemergence, it is the Pacesetter Transport Services, which has so far posed to be a very proactive and timely revival, as the transport service has been a major tool to combat the economic challenges faced with the State like every other part of the country due to petrol subsidy removal.

The OMITUNTUN SAfER buses are said to serve at least 10,000 commuters per day across the State with a comfortable and very affordable transport service, helping to ease the people in the State of the economic difficulties the entire nation is faced with. Not forgetting that OMITUNTUN 1.0 was characterised by infrastructural developments; seeing to the completion of over 137km of road projects; focusing on the interconnection of all the geopolitical zones. Who would have thought that those projects were precedents for a time such as this when there will be need to deploy subsidised transport services across the geopolitical zones? Apparently, in 1.0, a solid foundation was laid for sustainable developments.

Well, advocates and believers in GSM would not have thought less that the Seyi Makinde roadmaps of accelerated (1.0) and sustainable (2.0) developments are not scattered pieces of guess work, but interwoven and intentional projects towards the economy. The terminals that were a fuss then, are today stimulating the economy and serving as parts of the loading points for the 2.0 OMITUNTUN SAfER buses which has been receiving enormous feedbacks on its cushion effect on the masses, rendering 50% subsidy compared to the usual transport operations.

Coupled with the transport service in stimulating actions within these 100 days, is the ongoing process of the distribution of food palliatives containing 10 kg of rice, 5 kg of elubo, 5 kg of beans, 5 kg of garri and 1 litre of groundnut oil to 200,000 households, 180,000 vulnerable persons and 20,000 selected groups to ease residents in the State of the economic hardship the whole nation is faced with. Like COVID-19, like subsidy, the economy of the State under the Seyi Makinde administration continues to thrive against all odds and the welfare of the people being met despite the peculiarities. I remember that it looked like there was no COVID-19 in Oyo State during the pandemic, as there was no lockdown, and it is beginning to look like there is little to no effect of the subsidy removal in Oyo State aside from the general fundamental challenges.

Oyo State enjoyed a significant 25% decrease in crime rate under the OMITUNTUN 1.0 and became one of the safest places to do business in the Southwest evidently as a result of the support given to the various security agencies in the State by His Excellency, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde and the incorporation of the Amotekun corps; and in improving on this development and to ensure its sustainability, the Seyi Makinde administration within its 100 days of this second term, has approved and funded the provision for 100 additional vehicles to the security agencies in the State.

The Sole Acquisition of LAUTECH during the first term has made it possibly easy to now have a College of Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources in Iseyin, whose building has just been completed; with road infrastructure, administrative buildings, and lecture theatres, amongst others, it is projected to be the finest University College in the country.

Part of these is the completion of Oyo-Iseyin 34.85km road to be commissioned by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

As it has obviously been impossible for us to speak of OMITUNTUN 2.0 without referring to OMITUNTUN 1.0, as it is a deliberate roadmap built on continuity, it will only be fair to agree that some projects met their reality at the advent of this second term, to include the Light Up project as it is evidently now in its sustainability phase; the continuation of construction of roads like Olohunda and Olodo as mentioned by Seyi Makinde in his bi-weekly newsletter. And not failing to mention that prompt payment of salary on every GSM-Day, 25th of every month, has uninterruptedly continued.

OMITUNTUN 2.0 is a stretch, and it has evidently kicked off.