The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, has announced the conferment of a traditional title of Aare Jagunmolu of Ibadanland on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state.
Oba Adetunji made the announcement while speaking at the investiture of Governor Makinde as a Distinguished Member of the Ibadan Progressives Union (IPU) during a reception held at the Government House, Ibadan.
The monarch, however, announced that the formal installation of the Governor will take place at a later date.
Makinde while reacting said his administration has so far executed some landmark projects without accessing any borrowed funds as he declared the readiness of his administration to sustain the high tempo of developments he instituted in the state since his assumption of office in May.
He said, “We are also focusing on security and expansion of our economy through agriculture and Agric value chain. We know that it is through agribusiness that our teeming youths can get jobs and I am pleased to announce that African Development Bank (AfDB) has agreed to include Oyo State in the Agro-processing zone and that will get the needed support.
Speaking on the unprecedented level of development his government has brought to bear on Oyo State in six months, Governor Makinde declared that he was not about to lift his legs off the pedal, adding that his administration would sustain the tempo of development in the state.
He said, “The civil servants are here and I make bold to tell you all that we have not accessed one Kobo of borrowed money on the things we have done in Oyo State up till this moment.
“Now, on the issue of sustainability, I am an Engineer and if you see an Engineer digging a hole in front of your house, he already knows how the structure he will build on it would look like. So, we will sustain the tempo.
“When we got into office six months ago, we outlined a few things we needed to do. One of them is to ensure that the economy of Oyo State, is increased with, at least, N8 billion. We thought of how to achieve this even when we need to pay salaries of workers every 25th. When we started, some were saying we can’t sustain that policy action but this is the sixth month we have fulfilled the obligation without borrowing a dime.
“People will always say that power gets into the head of politicians when they get into office. For example, if you want a 10 power-horse engine to tow a car, you can move from 0-100 km/hour within three to four seconds, but if you get to a point where you are supposed to apply brake and you are unable to, you will lose control.
“So, power without control is nothing. In fact, it is dysfunctional. The people of Oyo State have given me the power but I will apply all the control. Here, we are just starting; you have not seen anything yet”.