Extraordinary Engineering Gov Makinde Crafts A New, Exciting Narrative That Solves Ogunpa Flooding
The Oasis Reporters
October 18, 2022
By Greg Abolo
@gregabolo
@Theoasisreport1
If you see Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde today at Agodi Gate beaming with confident smiles at political decampees or mixing with dissenting PDP governors in a self assured and cocky way, ask yourself where this engineer’s confidence is coming from.
I’ll tell you for free.
Ibadan, capital city of Oyo State in South West Nigeria used to have a perennial problem of flooding. This problem has been ongoing for decades, perhaps even before Seyi Makinde was born.
The problem was so huge and so devastating that each rainy season, between May and October every year, every Ibadan resident used to hold his thumping heart in his hands. Going out was one thing. But coming back home without being swept away by Ibadan’s unusual flood was another thing entirely.
There’s an ancient river in Ibadan called River Ogunpa. Each year, Ogunpa river would over flood it’s banks. And in the process, poorly constructed bridges by thieving politicians would cave in, swallowing commuters in a city that has no swimmers and the happening would be ascribed to the acts of angry or thirsty spiritual gods hovering over the land.
There’d be wails, tears, sobs and burials by the people saddened over the happenings.
Then Oluseyi Makinde came to town, armed with his engineering degree he received from University of Lagos which is sited by the Lagos Lagoon. He wanted to be Governor of Oyo State.
Thrice he was spurned by the career politicians who scoffed at his youthfulness and termed it exuberance. Yet the youth was undaunted.
Third time, he was lucky that an angry people despite all odds placed on their part by entrenched politicians shouted, ‘Seyi lo kan’, meaning, ‘it is Seyi’s turn’.
He became governor on May 29, 2019 and set to work, just before the ravaging floods set in, flooding houses from Ogunpa, other parts of the ancient city up to Olodo and other outlying districts of Ibadan land.
He and his team came together and intellectually brainstormed on the flooding problems of Ibadan city, then holistically drafted a comprehensive solution which they set out to work on and implement.
It’s such that in the year when the Cameroonian Labdo dam has once again burst it’s embankments to submerge the entire city of Kogi State’s Lokoja the capital city, Delta State, Rivers State and in all, over 17 Nigerian states were submerged in water. Ogunpa river was flowing peacefully and the people of Ibadan were sleeping blissfully without a hoot in the world.
Where is Ibadan’s yearly and troublesome flooding?
Behold, it’s gone !
All hail the energetic, youthful and engineering governor that the people of Oyo state defied free gifts of kulikuli and garri to vote their conscience for, and chose Makinde as governor against the then ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) that then ruled but knew not what to do.
While Delta State under Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who is running as Atiku Abubakar’s Vice presidential candidate is submerged under water with no knowledge of what to do, Ibadan is largely free and dry.
Kudos to Makinde. He has achieved what some others could not do. Thank you, Seyi.
Written by Greg Abolo
gregabolo@gmail.com
