Tag: Makinde

Oyo State Governor ‘Seyi Makinde has announced a major shift in the state’s handling of tourism development.

He said the government is launching a Tourism Reset Agenda, which encompasses a new blueprint on how the state will partner, deliver and communicate tourism.

 The governor noted that tourism is not an after-thought for the state, but rather, a strategic lever for development, stating that the goal of his government is to build a strong tourism economy that can fund itself and the future of the state.

Governor Makinde said this yesterday  during his keynote address at the International Tourism Summit Oyo State 2025, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

 The three-day summit with the theme: “Invest in heritage, leave a legacy,” which began on July 22 with the tour of tourist sites in Oyo zone, followed by a tour of tourist sites in Ibadan zone on July 23, climaxed with the investors’ summit, where investors in the tourism sector and key players took part in pitch presentation, exhibition tour and panel discussion with the topic “Heritage as capital: Reimagining Africa’s Cultural Assets for Sustainable Growth.”

Welcoming investors to the epochal event, Governor Makinde noted that the convening of the summit showed that heritage has value and that tourism is a serious business in which Oyo State must no longer be left behind.

 He added that in order to achieve the vision of building a strong tourism economy, the state is integrating tourism with urban renewal, infrastructure upgrades, youth employment, community-led conservation and diaspora partnerships.

Read Also: Makinde commissions 5.9km dualised Akobo-Ojurin-Olorunda Abaa road

 According to the governor, his administration has recognised that tourism is not about passive sightseeing, but about immersive economies, jobs, infrastructure, identity and long-term prosperity.

 Governor Makinde added that the state has five tourism investment-ready sites, calling on investors to bring their best ideas, execution capacity and commitment to the state with a view to flourishing in the solid tourism economy being created in the state.

 Explaining the Tourism Reset Agenda, the governor stated that “it is built on five executive-level commitments, each designed to clear the path for tourism investment to thrive.

 “We call it the Tourism Reset Agenda — a new blueprint for how we partner, deliver, and communicate in Oyo State. It is built on five executive-level commitments, each designed to clear the path for tourism investment to thrive.

“These are, Commitment 1: Direct Executive Oversight of the Tourism Sector. At the 2025 mid-year Executive Council review, I moved the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under my direct supervision. This means all tourism-linked projects, proposals, and approvals will now be coordinated under the Office of the Governor. The Honourable Commissioner will report directly to me, removing unnecessary layers and allowing fast, decisive action when needed.

 “Commitment 2: Tourism Investor Liaison Unit: We know that navigating government desks can feel like a rollercoaster ride. That ends now. We have created a dedicated Tourism Investor Liaison Unit within the Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA) — your single-entry point for all tourism-related investment matters.

 “This unit will help you to navigate permits, process documentation, access project updates and resolve concerns quickly.

 “We are setting a service standard of 72-hour response time to all enquiries. If you experience delays beyond that, you may escalate directly to my communication team through the state’s official feedback platform.

 “Commitment 3: The Tourism Compact. Going forward, there are no more paper promises. From this summit forward, every major tourism MoU will be tied to a clear, enforceable Tourism Compact — a short, 5-page agreement that spells out project goals, timelines, land status, milestones, penalties for non-performance — by both parties

 “Commitment 4: Transparent Communications. We cannot fix what we do not track and we cannot build trust in silence. That is why we are committing to transparent communication on all tourism-linked investments. Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, my Special Adviser on Media will coordinate this to ensure timely, accurate, and proactive updates.

 “A Tourism Investment Dashboard will go live next month, displaying every signed MoU, current status (green, amber, red), contact officers and government commitments met or pending. This will be publicly accessible via the tourism website. Transparency is not a bonus — it is the new baseline.

 “So, to our partners, both local and global — this is your moment. You now have executive oversight, a single-entry point, a formal compact model and real-time transparent reporting.

 “What we ask in return is simple; bring your best ideas, bring your execution capacity. Bring your commitment to the people of Oyo State, because in Oyo State, tourism is not an afterthought — it is a strategic lever for development.

“With five investment-ready sites — from Eleyele Lake to Idere Hills — we are integrating tourism with urban renewal, infrastructure upgrades, youth employment, community-led conservation and Diaspora partnerships.

 “The goal is clear: to build a tourism economy that funds itself and funds our future. Let me close with a line you may have heard earlier in today’s pitch session. The future of heritage is not nostalgia; it is strategy and in Oyo State — it is investable.

 “We are not promising perfection; we are committing to performance and we are choosing transparency over theatrics. If you have been watching from the sidelines — this is your call. Let us build a legacy together.”

 The governor also used the opportunity of the summit to clarify why work has not begun on Agodi Gardens despite the government signing a Memorandum of Understanding with an investor last year, noting that the institutional bottlenecks hindering the process would be resolved and the project would move forward.

 “Many of you were here last year when I stood on this same stage and proudly announced that Agodi Gardens had secured an investor. That announcement was not a gimmick. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed. The team was ready. The vision was clear. Yet, over a year later — that project has not broken ground.

 “Why? Let us call it what it is: institutional bottlenecks; a breakdown between intent and implementation. But they are not issues that cannot be resolved. So, once again, let me give the assurance that the issues will be resolved and we will move forward with that project,” the governor added.

 The summit featured goodwill messages from foreign and local tourism investors, with different state government functionaries pitching the state’s investment-ready tourist sites to those in attendance.

 Director-General of the Oyo State Investment and Public Private Partnerships Agency, Mr Tilewa Folami, delivered the pitch on Eleyele Lake with the theme: Discover Blue Gold (Leisure, lifestyle and waterfront investment in Ibadan), while the Executive Adviser to the Governor on Agribusiness, International Development and Cooperation, Dr Debo Akande, delivered a pitch on Ibadan Cultural Centre with the theme “Stage the future, transforming legacy infrastructure into a modern performance economy.”

 Similarly, Executive Adviser to the Governor on New Towns and Cities, Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, delivered the pitch on Bower’s Tower with the theme “The view that pays, scenic tourism meets soft infrastructure returns,” while the Special Adviser to the Governor on International Trade and AfCTA, Ms Neo Theodore Tlhaselo, delivered the pitch on Idere Hills and Iyake Suspended Lake, with the theme “Climb into nature’s ROI, eco-tourism as a sustainable growth corridor.”

 Also at the panel discussion, discussants made a strong case for heritage as economic infrastructure and tool for cross-border collaboration.

 The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr. Bayo Lawal; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adebo Ogundoyin; Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Kazim Adeniyi; commissioners and other government functionaries.

Co-chairman of the Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun; as well as topmost traditional rulers across the state were also in attendance.

• Govt’s policies on teachers’ recruitment, training have raised stake in educational standard, says SUBEB chair

The Chairperson of Oyo State Post Primary Schools’ Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mrs Olubukola Oladipo, has hailed Governor Seyi Makinde for increasing staff strength in secondary schools from 13,730 in 2019 to 26,436 after just six years in office.

Mrs Oladipo made this known during a session of Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing.

She said the state government recruited 10,500 teaching and non-teaching workers in the second term of Governor Makinde.

She said the recruitment had brought about massive improvement in students’ academic performance in internal and external examinations, apart from creating employment opportunities for youths and also improving the standard of living of teaching and non-teaching workers.

The TESCOM chairperson said the commission had also succeeded in creating additional educational zones for ease of school administration, adding: “Four educational zones were created by the governor for ease of school administration, now adding up to 10 educational zones. We have Ibadan Zone I, II, III, IV, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Kishi, Saki, Eruwa and Iseyin educational zones.

“We also created the Directorate of Pension and Post Services for effective and efficient service delivery for the TESCOM retirees.

“We appointed 10 tutors-general/permanent secretaries and a permanent secretary at the headquarters for effective and efficient service delivery in areas of monitoring and supervision of teachers and students.”

Read Also: Makinde increased secondary school teachers from 13,730 to 26,436 in six years

Mrs Oladipo said the commission was also able to conduct the 2017 to 2024 promotion exercises for eligible officers.

“In 2024 and early 2025, the recruitment of 7,500 teaching and 3,000 non-teaching workers for the improvement in students’ academic performance both in internal and external examinations took place.

That gave an opportunity for the employment of youths and this will have multiplier effects of increasing the standard of living of the employed teaching and non-teaching workers.

“As of 2019 when the governor came on board, the total staff strength was 13,730 and it is encouraging to state that the staff strength has increased to 26,436.

“The state government has continued to pay running grants to the 695 public secondary schools to ease school administration for school principals,” she added.

She said the commission had been paying vehicle loans to interested teaching and non-teaching workers of the commission across the 10 zonal offices, noting that it had also introduced e-payment for payment of car loan to ease tension faced by teaching and non-teaching workers, who usually travelled to the headquarters to pick cheques.

Oladipo said the commission had integrated 2,000 seconded teachers from SUBEB to TESCOM and had continued to ensure that they got job satisfaction and a sense of belonging.

The chairperson stated that the commission was proposing training for the 695 principals to expose them to 21st century school management techniques.

She lauded the governor for his magnanimity to the teaching and non-teaching workers of the commission, to whom he had continued to pay salaries as and when due, leave bonuses, 13th month salary and also giving approvals for a number of welfare programmes.

“It is important to state that the governor has also approved the terminal Grade Level of Teaching Staff to Grade Level 17.”

The TESCOM chairperson was accompanied by the commission’s Coordinating Director, Revd. A.V. Adesola.