Oyo State Governor in Southwest Nigeria, Seyi Makinde, has said the knowledge, exposure and experience he had garnered in his first term in office had taught him enough to prepare him for a smooth sail in his second term.
This is as he disclosed that ‘fathers-in-faith’ were behind his decision to seek re-election after he felt he had proved his point in his first term in office.
Governor Makinde spoke, on Sunday, in a remark during a Thanksgiving Service to commemorate the end of his first term and part of activities for the inauguration of his second term in office.
The special Thanksgiving Service which was held at the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Precious Cornerstone University Campus 1 (PCU), Garden of Victory, Ibadan, was attended by members of the Transition Committee, former members of the State Executive Council, religious leaders, traditional rulers and government functionaries, among others.
Makinde, who noted that all he achieved in his four-year first term could be said to have been achieved within two years, narrated how he had spent time trying to settle down into governance when the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown slowed down activities again.
He said: “It took me time, say close to 6 months, to figure out what is where and who is doing what. So, I would say the first 6months was a period for me to learn what it looks like working in the public domain. By the following months after the 6 months, Covid-19 came and it was an issue of if we will lock down or not and we were like that for 11 months.”
Governor Makinde disclosed that real work started for him towards the end of 2022, through the whole of 2021 and the majority of 2022, before the issue of the second term started, as the leaders of faith in the state came to cajole him into declaring for a second term in office.
The governor disclosed he agreed to it and had to start preparations from September 2022 to March 2023, when he was re-elected, another 6months which he discounted, as his attention in serving the people of the state was divided.
He stated: “So whatever we have been able to achieve, now you will agree with me that we have been able to achieve within two years. But, this time around, it’s not going to be like that. You know why? Since March 18 when I have been declared re-elected, I did not and haven’t stopped working for the people of Oyo State.
“I have learnt the rope, I am now a junior master and there will be in deed and truth no network failure in the governance of Oyo State in this term. This time around, for the next four years, the Almighty God will help us carry our burden,” the governor asserted.
He solicited the support and more prayers of the fathers of faith, whom he said had convinced him and prayed for him to come back for the second term, saying: “And because it is the will of God, He will make out the way for us to take Oyo State on the sustainability path. Sustainable Development of Oyo State 2023 -2027, is about to start. Stay tuned. Omituntun 2.0 is about to start, please stay with us.”
In his sermon entitled: “The Mind of God for your Leadership,“ a former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Supo Ayokunle, enjoined the governor to sustain the tempo of good works in the state.
He said with the re-election, God had silenced the arrogant and proud in the state, urging him to build the state, be humble in leadership and listen to the wise counsel of significant others.
The Presiding Bishop, Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Francis Wale-Oke, led other clerics in a special prayer session for the governor, his family and the state.
