The Citizens' Watch

Mar 03, 2026

Gov. Makinde signs N892 billion Oyo 2026 Budget into law

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Monday signed the N892 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law, declaring that the spending plan prioritises production over consumption as a deliberate strategy to grow the state’s economy and reduce dependence on federal allocations. The governor noted that his administration has maintained a realistic budgeting process since 2019, resulting in improved budget performance over the past six years. Read more

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Mar 03, 2026

Makinde beats predecessors’ IGR record

Oyo State government has attributed its record of N103 billion internally generated revenue (IGR) in 2025 to the deliberate use of science, data and technology, surpassing the total IGR of the previous two administrations. Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, made this known while addressing journalists at a 2-day Artificial Intelligence training organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held at the American Open University, Global Campus, Ibadan. Oyelade explained that the governor Seyi Makinde-led administration had achieved historic revenue milestone without increasing taxes, but through strategic digitization reforms, citing the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development as an example of MDAs which has blocked financial leakages, reduced fraud and expanded the state’s economic base. Read more

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Mar 03, 2026

Progress Update: The Rehabilitation of the Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road (45.3 km)

Pictures of the ongoing rehabilitation of the 45.3km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road. The rehabilitation of the 45.3km Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road, handled by Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria Ltd is progressing. While the project has faced delays, significant progress has been made, particularly on the Saki-Ogbooro section, with work now commencing on the Ogbooro-Igboho end. Read more

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Mar 03, 2026

Pacesetter Juice Factory, Oko: Another Abandoned Promise

The Pacesetter Fruit Processing Company in Oko has similarly failed to be resuscitated despite a glamorous handover ceremony. In September 2020, Governor Makinde handed over the moribund facility to AGVEST Limited under a Public-Private Partnership built on an equity restructure model with a capital injection of about N350 million. The governor promised that Agvest Limited would get the fruit plant working within six months, stating optimistically: "So, I look forward to visiting here in March 2021 and receiving a very chilled cup of mango juice". That promise was never fulfilled. A special investigative report published in February 2024, more than three years after the handover, revealed that "despite a glamorous handing over of Oko Fruit Juice Company to Agvest company limited by Oyo State government on a Public-Private Partnership in 2020, the company remained moribund and was never revived as promised". The report noted that the company, which was commissioned 17 years ago, has never fully operated, and residents continue to hope for a better turnaround. Shockingly, the government's September 2025 tracking document makes no mention of the Pacesetter Juice Factory, suggesting the administration has quietly abandoned this promise without public acknowledgment. The facility was expected to create 65 direct jobs and over 500 indirect jobs, but these benefits never materialized for the Oko community.

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Mar 03, 2026

Agbowo Shopping Complex: A Failed Promise

The Agbowo Shopping Complex project has failed spectacularly, becoming one of the most controversial broken promises of the Makinde administration. During his first term in September 2020, Governor Makinde leased the 36-year-old complex to Whitestone Global Limited for 50 years with a promised capital injection of N4.9 billion to convert it into premium commercial real estate and a four-star hotel. The governor boasted that the renovation would be completed before May 2023. However, by February 2026, more than four years after the flag-off, the project remains abandoned and incomplete. In August 2025, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State demanded compensation for thousands of legal occupants who were forcefully ejected from the facility in 2019. The opposition party stated: "Unfortunately, the same sprawling complex is now a shadow of itself as nothing was done on it since 2019". The government's own tracking document attempts to present a more positive picture, stating that "Reconstruction/Remodelling of Agbowo shopping complex is ongoing", but this directly contradicts multiple credible reports of the project's abandonment. Suppliers, sub-contractors, and shop owners have protested the project's failure, claiming they are owed over N250 million for materials and services rendered since two years prior. Many borrowed money through bank loans to participate in the project, and their properties have been seized for non-payment. The complex, which in its glory days generated over 5,000 direct jobs and was the biggest shopping mall in Oyo State with a central air conditioner and cinema house, has now become a symbol of unfulfilled promises.

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Mar 03, 2026

Makinde Commissions 38.48km Feeder Roads

The recent commissioning of eight feeder roads, totalling 38.48 kilometres, reconstructed within the Ibadan Zone underscores the unwavering commitment of Governor Seyi Makinde to addressing the critical infrastructure deficit in road construction across Oyo State. While commissioning the feeder roads, Governor Makinde said: “…this commissioning today will be the first of many. Our administration earmarked an initial 95.58km of feeder roads for asphaltic improvement and reconstruction in December 2023. This is just half-way through it and they are to be completed within 12 months. With over 38km completed and the remaining 57km ongoing, I can rightly say we are over half-way done.” Read more

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Mar 03, 2026

Oyo Secures LAUTECH Sole Ownership

LAUTECH's sole ownership was transferred to Oyo State in November 2020 via a National Universities Commission-brokered agreement, with Osun ceding its stake and receiving the College of Health Sciences in return, fulfilling Makinde's first-term pledge. Read more

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Mar 03, 2026

Oyo State Upgrades Over 209 Primary Health Centres

The Oyo State Government in collaboration with the local government authorities constructed/renovated, equipped and staffed 299 primary health centres across the state as at March 2023. The contract for the renovation and upgrading of these primary health centres was awarded to two contractors; Dominant Engineering Limited and Lanocks Construction Company Limited. Read more Fiditi PHC, Fiditi II Ward, Afijio LGA

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Mar 02, 2026

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Reconstruction Flagged Off

Governor Makinde has officially launched reconstruction of the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo, with land clearing now underway. (Watch Video)

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Project Activities

Gov. Makinde signs N892 billion Oyo 2026 Budget into law

Makinde beats predecessors’ IGR record

Progress Update: The Rehabilitation of the Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho Road (45.3 km)

Pacesetter Juice Factory, Oko: Another Abandoned Promise

Agbowo Shopping Complex: A Failed Promise

Makinde Commissions 38.48km Feeder Roads

Oyo Secures LAUTECH Sole Ownership

Oyo State Upgrades Over 209 Primary Health Centres

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Reconstruction Flagged Off

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