Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, has said the economic reforms carried out by Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration have paid off. The state currently targets over N100 billion from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Oyelade confirmed the report that since last year, Oyo State has been the best place to live in Nigeria based on quality of life, functional infrastructure, service delivery and security.
Apparently reacting to a report by the State Performance Index (SPI), handled by a consultancy firm, he said, “Obviously, the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which has improved dramatically in the past few years, is being put to good and productive use for the benefit of the citizenry.
“While the past administration struggled to reach the N15 billion mark annually, the Seyi Makinde administration has increased IGR to N65 billion in 2024, and as at July this year, it has increased to N58 billion, just N7 billion short of the 2024 total revenue gathered.”
The commissioner said these figures imply that Oyo State will beat its own record by the end of this year, with a target close to N100 billion, making it sit comfortably as a leading financial hub in the country.
He said that, unlike most sub-nationals and past administrations in Oyo State, IGR collection had been seamless and had not increased the burden on investors.
He said it has opened up the economy through agribusiness, infrastructure, and tourism. This expansion of the economy, coupled with the ripple effect of consistent payment of N11.9 billion to over 130,000 workers monthly, has had a salutary effect on the state’s increasing IGR.
The commissioner revealed that N15.4 billion was paid as salaries in September instead of N11.9 billion.
“Another area of concentration of this administration is healthcare. According to the Commissioner, 264 primary healthcare centres have been upgraded and over 3,900 professionals recruited, which has significantly restored the healthcare system”, he said.
The commissioner recalled that during a courtesy call at the Governor’s Office two weeks ago, the UNICEF Country Representative, Celine Lafocriere, said that UNICEF has had more engagements with Oyo State than any other state in Nigeria in the past two years.
On education, Prince Oyelade said that the staff strength in the primary schools had increased by 100 per cent from 13,730 in 2019 to 26,436 in 2025, and over 10,500 teaching and non-teaching staff have been employed to improve academic performance and living standards of youths.
The commissioner stated further that Makinde’s reforms in education have led to the construction of 60 model schools, 289 new classroom blocks, renovation of 229 others and reintegration of over 60,000 out-of-school children.
He added that four new educational zones have been created, including administrative structures, while 2,000 teachers have been absorbed into TESCOM to further strengthen efficiency.
