Makinde: Oyo Health Sector No Longer a Privilege but a Right

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that the state’s healthcare system is no longer a privilege reserved for a few, but a guaranteed right for all citizens. 

The governor made this known during his 2025 State of the State Address delivered on Friday, June 20, in Ibadan.

Makinde said his administration's investment in healthcare is yielding real and measurable results across all zones of the state, with thousands of residents already benefitting from targeted programmes and upgraded facilities.

“Our goal remains simple: to move from healthcare as a privilege to healthcare as a right,” the governor said.

He highlighted the success of the Omituntun Free Health Mission, which, in its fifth year, has delivered free medical outreach to underserved communities across all 33 local government areas. “So far this year alone, over 18,000 residents of Oyo State have benefitted from this project,” Makinde disclosed.

He added that 264 primary healthcare centres had been equipped, while 106 more were currently undergoing upgrades across the state to ensure reliable and accessible care. “We are making sure that no one is left behind, especially in rural communities where healthcare access was once a dream,” he noted.

The governor also announced that Oyo had been nationally recognised for progress in tackling neglected tropical diseases, with three local government areas Ogo Oluwa, Irepo and Ibarapa East recently declared free from river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. 

“This recognition led to Oyo State winning the award for Best Neglected Tropical Disease State Coordinator in Nigeria,” he said.

Referencing a beneficiary of the health mission, Makinde said, “We received feedback from Madam Tosin Segun of Ita Merin in Ibadan South East who said, ‘When I got here, nobody asked me to pay a naira. It was a surprise to me.’ That is the kind of change we are talking about.”

Beyond healthcare, Makinde outlined other achievements under the four-pillar roadmap guiding his administration’s development agenda.

He announced that the Fasola Agribusiness Hub had been redesignated by the African Development Bank as Nigeria’s first Agricultural Transformation Centre and had drawn the attention of global stakeholders, including President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who became the first sitting foreign president to visit Oyo State.

The governor added that the state flagged off the 3,000-hectare Eruwa Agribusiness Hub, and entered a major partnership with Semmaris, a Paris-based agri-market operator, to build a Rungis-style Agro-Food Market in Ijaiye, Ibadan. This project, he noted, helped Oyo State become the first subnational in Africa to join the World Union of Wholesale Markets.

In the area of infrastructure, Makinde said over 100 kilometres of feeder roads had been completed in Ibadan Zone, while 87 kilometres of rural roads are being rehabilitated under the RAAMP initiative. He also celebrated the commissioning of the 11MW IPP Project that now powers the Oyo State Secretariat and surrounding areas with 24-hour electricity.

On education, the governor confirmed that 105 rural schools had undergone upgrades, and over 14,000 new staff were recruited to fill manpower gaps. He further disclosed the ongoing renovation of 100 additional schools across the state.

Security efforts, according to him, were also strengthened by the recruitment of 480 forest rangers, bringing the total Amotekun personnel to 2,500. “We still have the highest number and best-remunerated corps members in South-West Nigeria,” he said.

Makinde also mentioned tourism gains, including the KAP Film Village in Igbojaiye, and extended an invitation to the public for the upcoming International Tourism Summit in July where investment-ready sites will be presented.

He concluded with a firm statement of purpose: “The work is not finished, but the foundation is firm. The evidence is visible. The world is watching. And posterity will judge that, in our time, we chose to build a legacy.”

Tags: Seyi Makinde, Oyo State, State of the State Address, Healthcare, Omituntun Free Health Mission, PHC Upgrade, Rural Health, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Public Health, Health Equity, Fasola Agribusiness, RAAMP, IPP Project, Semmaris, Rungis Market, Tourism, Education, Security, Amotekun, Oyo Development, Legacy Projects