Cutting costs: Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde still uses his personal Car and did not approve new cars for his administration officials
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| Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde quarterly media chat |
Fresh off his win at the Supreme court just three days ago that affirmed his election victory as Governor, Seyi Makinde held his quarterly media chat where he spoke at length about a range of governance matters in Oyo state. The chat was hosted by the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo state (BCOS) with phone lines opened and the Q & A live-tweeted on the Governor's handle @seyiamakinde
Cost cutting has allowed Oyo state pay salaries
When asked the secret to how Oyo
state has been able to pay salaries, the Governor said he had to cut
costs. He not only still drives his personal car, he did not approve new
cars to be purchased for the officials in his administration.
Considering the uproar over the Nigerian Senate choosing to spend N5.5bn on new cars despite the state of the nation's finances, this was a prudent and necessary decision by the Governor.
Our stand on LAUTECH is in the interest of the parents, students and staff. We were given an overwhelming mandate by the people of Oyo State both in the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections so we cannot claim lack of political will.
Oyo state had over 60 bank accounts which he consolidated into one
Said the governor:
"We decided to prioritise the needs of the
people of Oyo State. Oyo State had over 60 bank accounts, I asked the
Accountant General to consolidate into one account. The total was N6
billion. The IGR has gone up a bit, because we have blocked the
loopholes but we will do more."
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| Oyo state IGR via BudgIT |
Oyo state didn't spend any money on Christmas decorations
Governor Makinde said the following:
"Oyo State government didn't spend 1 kobo
on the Christmas decorations. It was funded by the usual 'Christmas
gift' to the governor, that was what we used to pay for the Christmas
decorations so it cost government nothing."
Implementing the new Minimum wage in Oyo state presents a fiscal challenge
On the matter of implementing the new minimum wage, Governor Makinde stated the reality of the situation for Oyo state:
"We have cut out a lot of wastage, to
enable us fund everything which we have been paying for. On minimum
wage, we set up a committee yesterday that will engage with labour. We
have been open with incoming funds, and been transparent about
government expenditure.
If we adopt the minimum wage, we know how much we need to pay for this but do we have the means to do it and at the same time carry out all the developmental works in Oyo State? We promised good governance and we are surely working on delivering that to all residents."
Too many Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Oyo state. Consolidation needed
The Governor said there are about 600 PHCs in
Oyo state with many of them not fit for purpose. He said the benchmark
for performance in delivering proper healthcare is the Oranyan PHC,
located in Ibadan. His plans include consolidating the PHCs and making
sure there is at least one functional Center per ward in the state. He
also stated his plans to make health insurance more effective.
Street Hawkers in Oyo state are human beings that need to make a living
An Oyo state resident called in to the media
chat to complain about Street hawkers and asked how the Governor planned
to remove them. His response was as follows:
"Street trading will not be eradicated
overnight. some of them are breadwinners, and that is their main source
of income. I agree it's very dangerous. Our position is, we can't chase
them off the street without an alternative.
The ones removed from Ojoo, were moved to
the Akinyele trailer park. At scout camp, we reduced the rent for stalls
and ordered installation of electricity, toilets etc. we have to be
careful we don't take away their means of livelihood without offering
alternatives."
Other matters
The Governor also spoke at length about
providing education and jobs in Agriculture for the youth of Oyo state,
beefing up Security and reducing crime during the festive period,
transportation and housing, opening up the State to more investment, the
refuse disposal structure in the state, and other issues.
13th month salary and celebrating the Governor's birthday which is on December 25th
Ending the media chat on a lighthearted note,
the Governor informed Oyo residents that his birthday is on December
25th (he will be 52) and they should buy Chickens and Turkeys to
celebrate it in their homes along with him. He also announced that Civil
servant 13th-month salaries would be paid by December 28th.
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