*completes 200 PHC centres, 56 model schools in 3 yrs.
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde on Tuesday, disclosed that his administration’s policy of increased private sector participation in the agribusiness sector has enabled the state to attract N23 billion in agribusiness investments.
The governor in a state broadcast in commemoration of his third year in office, also said Oyo State has secured another 125 million dollars in development partners-blended finance for rural roads, agro logistics, market and industrial hubs.
According to Governor Makinde, his administration has constructed 56 model schools in three years, while it has also completed the renovation of 200 Primary Health Care Centres in its drive to ensure the existence of at least one functional PHC in each of the 351 Electoral Wards of the state.
The governor pointed out that all these have contributed to providing direct and indirect jobs to residents of the state, and that the state had also trained close to 4,050 youth in agribusiness, 98 of whom have started their businesses, while the state is set to support the others in diverse agribusiness enterprises
“When you gave us the mandate to serve, we made a promise to you that we would engineer a modern Oyo State by building on four pillars: Education, Economy, Health and Security. As we mark our third year in office, we have another opportunity to share our scorecard with you so that you can judge how well we have kept that promise”, he said.
Gov Makinde added, ” as we review the past year, we are thankful that our administration’s economic policies in the past three years are yielding the desired results. We have always said we believe in data, science and logic” .
Stressing that the economic policies of the government have been yielding positive results, the governor noted that his government will continue to consolidate on the gains already recorded in the education sector, road infrastructure and agribusiness, among others.
Appreciating residents of the state for their support, patience and understanding and for trusting his government to deliver on its promises, Governor Makinde said the gains already recorded by the administration in the last three years include the construction of several roads that have impacted positively on the economy of the state through the creation of a thriving environment for private sector players in the state’s agribusiness sector.
The governor hinted that the state government will ” now move on to fix inner and feeder roads so that inner-city travels could become stress-free for residents, having been executing road projects that improved access and connectivity between the zones in the state.”
Promising to consolidate on the gains of the last three years, the governor said, ” our plan is to consolidate on the gains of the last three years in the one year we have left in our tenure.We will continue to work with the private sector, especially those involved in agribusiness to expand our economy”.
” With the flag-off of the Eruwa Agribusiness Industrial Hub next month, there will be even more opportunities to do agribusiness in Oyo State.We will also be supporting our smallholder farmers. The rollout of another phase of the Oyo-CARES project will provide our farmers with inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides and seeds, and assets such as water pumps and sprayers. We promised you Omi tuntun. We will continue to provide Omi tuntun,”
