Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has challenged the growing emphasis on the proposed bill seeking to upgrade the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH), Igboora, to a university, declaring that the issue is far bigger than the passage of legislation.
The Governor, who spoke on Saturday in Eruwa, questioned what would happen after the bill is passed, stressing that the real test lies in implementation and the ability of government to translate legislative declarations into a functional institution that genuinely benefits the people.
His position came just hours after Peoples Conscience, in an editorial published early Saturday, raised similar questions about the timing of the proposed legislation and the practical steps required to establish and sustain the proposed university.
The editorial questioned the wisdom of presenting the bill as though its passage automatically guarantees the establishment of a university, particularly when critical issues such as executive assent, funding, accreditation, infrastructure, staffing and the actual commencement of degree programmes remain central to the success of such an institution.
The development has now brought the newspaper’s editorial intervention into sharp focus, as the Governor himself publicly raised the fundamental question of implementation rather than simply celebrating the introduction or passage of a bill.
The demand for the upgrade of OYSCATECH was made by Elder Ademola Eyinade Elejire, who appealed to Governor Makinde during his installation as the Asoludero of Ibarapa Land to convert the institution into a full-fledged University of Agriculture, arguing that Ibarapa deserves a university just as other geopolitical zones in Oyo State have benefited from higher institutions.
Responding to the appeal, Makinde disclosed that he had a similar conversation with the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, when Elder Elejire was making the request on the podium. He said the issue was not simply whether lawmakers could pass a bill, but whether the government would be able to implement what the legislation provides.
Speaking in Yoruba, the Governor said: “Mo ti ka ninu iroyin pe bill naa wa ni first reading, sugbon e ma je ka paro fun ara wa, ijoba yii o nilo lati maa tan awon ara ilu je ni asiko oselu yii,” which literally means “We cannot start to be deceiving our people with bills now that election is around the corner.” He added that while a bill could be passed, the critical question remained: what happens to its implementation?
Makinde explained that there were several ways his administration could intervene in OYSCATECH without necessarily limiting the conversation to the creation of a new university. He cited the possibility of developing the institution into a university campus running degree programmes, while stressing that whatever intervention is eventually adopted must reflect what the people of the region genuinely want.
The Governor’s remarks have consequently shifted the debate from the politics of who sponsors a bill to the more important question of who will implement it, how it will be funded and when the people will begin to see its benefits.
The newspaper’s editorial had warned against reducing governance to the mere introduction of bills and motions, noting that lawmakers and political actors should be judged not only by the number of legislative proposals associated with their names but also by their ability to demonstrate the pathway from legislation to implementation and measurable benefits for constituents.
Makinde’s remarks has therefore provided a significant contribution to the debate, especially his insistence that the people of Oyo State should not be deceived or given false impressions about government action.
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