Gov. Adeleke calls for closer developmental cooperation among South-West states.
By Adewale Owoade
Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has called for closer developmental cooperation among South-west states.
Gov. Adeleke stated this when he joined his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde to commission the 8.2 kilometres dualised Agodi Gate-Old Ife Road-Alakia-Adegbayi Junction Road, including the Onipepeye Underpass Bridge.
Adeleke, who was the special guest of honour at the event, lauded the project as part of Governor Makinde administration’s infrastructure revolution, describing it as a great motivation for his colleagues in the South-West states.
He also described Makinde as a golden governor in the areas of innovations and infrastructure development, even as he called for a collective and collaborative development in the region.
“Oyo State governor’s performance is a great motivation not only for Osun but for other states in the South-West.
“I am delighted to be present at this all-important event, which is one in the series of achievements recorded by my own brother, the governor of Oyo State.
“In the whole of Western region, he is reputed to be the leading son in the areas of innovations, infrastructure and good governance.
“We have lost that rating for some time now. But I want to put it on record that the South-West has regained the momentum.
“The Oyo State governor is a trailblazer. Come on! Give it to him.
“As the governor of Osun State, I watch with keen interest the developments in Oyo State. I do peer review and I must say that the people of Oyo State are lucky to have Governor Makinde.
“As we celebrate my brother today, I call for closer developmental cooperation among South-West states. We must deepen closer collaboration,” he said.
Gov. Makinde in his speech, said his government has decentralised Oyo’s economy, saying that the completion of the project is a testament to his administration’s commitment to expanding the state’s economy through road infrastructure.
“The completion of this project is further testament of our commitment to expanding the Oyo State economy through road projects.
“As we continue to attract large, medium and small businesses into Oyo State, the pressure on our infrastructure increases and there is a need to upgrade them.
“This is why we have chosen to keep investing in our infrastructure. Our goal is to upgrade cities and towns in Oyo State to places we can all be proud of.
“As we all know, our wants and needs are infinite but the resources to meet them are limited, so, we often have priorities on the project that will bring the best value to the good people of the state.
“This, indeed, for me is the true definition of governance, which is the ability to use limited resources to meet the growing needs of the population by prioritising projects that maximise value. And this is exactly what we are doing in Oyo State,” Makinde said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Prof. Dahud Sangodoyin said the state government embarked on the project due to the expansion of Ibadan.
He said that the road, which used to be a single carriage, was awarded to Messrs Kopek Construction Limited in October 2022 and that with the completion of the project, the Makinde administration has completed 187.42 kilometres of road under Omituntun 1.0 and Omituntun 2.0.
Also, in separate goodwill messages, former President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adebayo Oyero; the Asiwaju Oloja of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Raimi and the Iba Oluyole, Alhaji (Chief) Nureni Akanbi, thanked the governor for the infrastructural and uncommon developmental strides through various projects.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of the State, Mr Bayo Lawal; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni.
Others include chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including a former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara and members of the party’s Board of Trustees; Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Olusegun Mimiko. (NAN)
