Engr ‘Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State has maintained that the State has been moving forward at a great pace under his watch, adding that his government still remains open to collaborating with private individuals and businesses to further develop the state.
The governor stated this on Tuesday, in Oyo town, where he commissioned the Dynasty FM, Oyo.
According to the governor, his administration has engineered a modern Oyo State and has attracted accelerated development in major corridors of the state.
He noted that through the upgrade of the moribund Fasola Farm to an agribusiness industrial estate and the construction of the Oyo-Iseyin Road, which made the journey from Fasola to Oyo not more than 10 minutes, his government has ensured that Oyo zone is not behind in the progress being made by the state.
Makinde, who lauded Engr. Biodun Ajisafe, the founder of the new radio station and first private radio station in Oyo town, said his government has also been challenged to bring Atiba FM back to life.
Lamenting how a contractor to whom the project was earlier awarded mismanaged it, the governor promised that his administration would take up the issue of the station again and ensure that the project is delivered without delay.
He said: “When Baba, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu was speaking, he said that an Oyo indigene has beaten the government to setting up a radio station. Well, in the same Oyo, some people beat the government by establishing Atiba University but when the government was ready, we did the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education.
“Now that Dynasty FM has begun, we will follow the lead and do Atiba FM. Baba has challenged me, we will ensure that we bring Atiba FM back to life and I will take a personal interest in the project and ensure it is done in record time.
“What all this tells us is that we are making progress in Oyo State. Only yesterday, Oyo Zone hosted my birthday at the Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub, and I can tell you that the Fasola air is good and that Oyo has become another home for me.
“With the various projects embarked upon by our government, the boundary of Oyo is being extended. From Fasola, it took us 10 minutes to get into Oyo. With a world class hotel just down the road here, this radio station that can propagate our culture and Fasola, an agribusiness estate, you can see that Oyo State is moving forward and Oyo town is also moving forward.
“I was just informed that when I got into government in 2019, there were only 20 radio stations but four and a half years later, I learnt that Oyo State now has 51 radio stations, if you add the radio station we are commissioning today. This tells you about how far we have come as a state.”
The governor congratulated the Ajisafes, noting that their father, the late Alhaji Moshood Ajisafe had left a worthy legacy of training his children and that whatever anyone does will outlive such a person, hence the need to do good.
He equally expressed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with the new radio station to propagate Oyo State’s culture and inform the people, saying “you can see BCOS chairman here. What it means is that our government is ready to collaborate with Dynasty FM to propagate our culture. We can compete but then, there is always room for collaboration.”
Speaking earlier, the proprietor of the new radio station, Engr. Ajisafe, said Dynasty FM is a victory for Oyo people and that he has fulfilled the dreams of his late father for Oyo and Oyo State.
Ajisafe, who hailed the governor’s humility and conduct, said the new station will work with Makinde to promote his efforts in the state and particularly in Oyo zone.
While also speaking, Arch-Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, hailed Governor Makinde for his roles in the development of Oyo town since he assumed office in 2019.
Similarly, Chairman Emeritus of Dynasty Radio, Mrs Adenike Abimbola, appreciated the governor and his team for taking time to honour the Ajisafe family.
In attendance at the event were the Chief of Staff to the governor, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; Commissioners and other top government functionaries.
Packaged by Adekunle Adegboyega
