By Kolawole Ojebisi
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said it’s high time Nigeria started building infrastructure that will outlive this generation and be bequeathed to posterity.
Makinde said it’s something shameful for the present crop of leaders to keep flaunting landmark achievements of past leaders as their own.
The governor spoke at Fashola AgriHub in Oyo State on Saturday.
The governor outlined various infrastructural and agricultural projects his administration has embarked on, stressing they are aimed at boosting the state’s economy and reviving historical ventures that once thrived in Oyo.
He noted that The Fashola Agribusiness Hub, was originally conceptualized during Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s era,
Makinde described how the estate, previously used for cattle breeding, had fallen into neglect but was now being rejuvenated as part of the state’s efforts to tap into agro-tourism and agricultural productivity.
“The people who started this built Cocoa House, the first skyscraper south of the Sahara. But since then, we’ve not built another one.
“In contrast, countries like Israel have built thousands of skyscrapers. We need to bring back the spirit of innovation and productivity,” he noted.
Makinde also highlighted the construction of major roads that link different zones in the state, including a 34-kilometer road connecting Oyo Zone to Oke Ogun and the 76.6-kilometer road linking Iseyin to Ogbomoso.
These projects, despite being on federal land, were carried out by the state government with the goal of expanding Oyo’s agro-industrial capacity and ensuring smoother transportation for goods like cassava, which is widely farmed in the region.
He underscored the need for Oyo State to focus on productivity rather than dependence on federal allocations.
“We know that the way to fix this country is to be productive. It’s not about waiting for federal allocation.
“Those who built the foundation of this state generated their own resources, and we have enough to do the same.”
Makinde also mentioned the creation of Amotekun, the state’s security outfit, and the forthcoming graduation of forest rangers to bolster the fight against banditry.
