By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
Biography
Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, fondly called Governor Seyi Makinde or ‘GSM’, is a businessman, politician, and philanthropist.
He was born to Pa Olatubosun Makinde and Abigail Makinde of Aigbofa Compound in Oja’ba, Ibadan, Oyo State, on December 25, 1967. Seyi is 55 years old as of 2022.
Engineer Seyi Makinde was sworn in as the Oyo State governor on May 29, 2019, under the People’s Democratic Party(PDP)) umbrella. A position he is constitutionally entitled to hold till 2023.
Before his election to office in 2019, he contested the gubernatorial election of Oyo State in 2015 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, but she was unsuccessful.
He is an engineer and a specialist in gas and fluid metering. He served as the managing director of Nigeria’s indigenous oil and gas company, Makon Group Limited.
At the age of 29, in the year 1997, he founded Makon Engineering and Technical Services (METS), his first oil and gas private company, following years of work experience with significant oil and gas firms.
Education
Seyi had his elementary education at St Paul Primary School and St Michael Primary School, Yemetu, Ibadan, before heading to Bishop Phillips Academy, Monatan, Ibadan, for his secondary education.
He then headed to the University of Lagos, where he bagged a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
Seyi was trained as a Safety Shutdown System expert in 1998 from Industrial Control Services in Houston, Texas, and in the Development of Analytical Competence for Managing Operations in 1999 from Lagos Business School (now Pan-Atlantic University).
He also earned another certification in Fundamentals of Crude Sampling classes in 2002 at the Jiskoot Auto Control Training Center in Kent, England.
In 2005, Seyi had another certification from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
Career
After graduation from the university, Oluseyi observed his one-year mandatory national service at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he gained experience as a pupil engineer.
Between 1990 and 1992, he served in various capacities, managing and participating in several major initiatives. He worked as a field Engineer (Eket operations) for Rebold International Limited from 1992 to 1997 and was promoted to field manager in 1995.
Seyi founded his company, Makon Engineering and Technical Services Limited (METS), after his departure from Rebold International Limited in 1977.
Seyi opted for partisan politics in 2007 when he contested to represent Oyo South Senatorial district at the National Assembly under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) but lost to Kamoru Adedibu of the People’s Democratic Party.
He then defected to the People’s Democratic Party to recontest for the same post in 2010 but lost in the primary.
Still determined in his ambition, Seyi tried to clinch the PDP gubernatorial ticket but failed to make it past the primary in 2014.
Determined and focused, Seyi crossed back to the SDP, where he clinched the gubernatorial party ticket for the 2015 general election but failed to emerge as he could only amass less votes to emerge third in the race.
Following extensive, deep, and comprehensive deliberations with national leaders, Oyo State leaders and elders of the Social Democratic Party, and cross sections of strategic partners within Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde returned to his former political party, the People’s Democratic Party, in September 2017.
Seyi emerged as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate for Oyo State in the 2019 general elections after amassing 2772 votes in the primary election in 2018.
At the general election on March 9, 2019, Seyi had 515,621 votes, surpassing his nearest challenger, Adebayo Adelabu of the All Progressive Party, who received 357,982 votes.
Following his victory in the election, he was sworn in as the 28th executive Governor of Oyo State on May 29, 2019, succeeding Late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who served eight years in office.
In 2022, Governor Seyi Makinde clinched the PDP gubernatorial ticket for reelection in the 2023 general election.
Marriage
Engineer Seyi Makinde is married to Tamunominini Makinde and is blessed with three children
- Feyi
- Tayo
- Tobi
Net worth
Seyi Makinde publicly declared his assets worth over 48 billion naira. However, NewsWireNgr cannot independently verify his current net worth.
Achievements
Engineer Seyi is a member of several national and international professional bodies, some of which include
- Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)
- Council for Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)
- Oil and Gas Design Engineers of Nigeria (OGDEN)
- International Society of Automation (ISA)
- Institute of Measurement and Control UK
- American Measurement Institute (AMI)
Awards and recognitions
- Nigerian Union of Journalists (Oyo State Council)-Laudable Contribution to Humanity Merit Award.
- National Association of Oke-Ogun Students (Ibadan)-Merit Award.
- Fiditi Grammar School (Oyo State)-Old Student Merit Award
- Entrepreneurial Excellence Award – Junior Chamber International (JCI)
- Sports Writers Association of Nigeria Award
- Nigerian Association of Social Workers Merit Awards (Oyo State Chapter)
- CCII National Merit Award.
- Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (Ibadan) – Astute Politician of the Year 2018
Below is a list of some of his philanthropic activities.
- Construction of a gas-powered turbine to generate independent power/electricity at Ajia Town in Ibadan
- Construction of a block of classrooms for Bishop Oyebode Memorial Primary School; Agugu
- Construction of blocks of classrooms at BOMAC Primary School Oremeji Agugu, Ibadan
- Provision of relief materials to fire disaster victims in Ibadan
- Renovation of Ibadan House, Ibadan in Ibadan North LGA
- Donation of relief materials to some victims of flood and rain storms across Oyo State.
- Provision of electricity transformers to various communities in Oyo State, at Soka an area in Oluyole LGA, Olode village and Akobo Ojurin Lagelu LGA, Elere-Eleshinmeta, Apata, Ibadan South-West LGA, Idi-orogbo, Igangan Town Hall, Ibarapa North
- The construction of the Olatunbosun Makinde Media and Agro-Allied Hall in the Ajia Village, Ona-Ara LGA.
- Scholarships to outstanding students from numerous secondary schools across Oyo State, particularly Bishop Philip Academy, Ibadan.
- Procurement of medical equipment and dispensing of medications to the aged.
- Sponsorship of a medical team from the United States of America to Nigeria to carry out free medical procedures.
- Distribution of teaching and writing materials to the pupils of primary and secondary schools in Oyo State.
- Construction of Science Laboratory for the PEN Junior School Iyaganku, Ibadan.
- Installation of Street Light at Bayo Oyeleke Street, Ikolaba Ibadan with 10 KVA Generator.
- 1,500 students drawn from across the tertiary institutions in the country have also benefited from Seyi Makinde’s scholarship awards.
- Donation of N1 million to UCH Indigent Patients Fund.
- Donation of N5 million to support LAUTECH fund raising
- Donation of N50 Million for 2017/2018 Seyi Makinde Bursary Scheme Award to 2,500 tertiary institution students.
- Donation of multi-million naira project to an e-library ?to his alma mater- Bishop Phillips Academy, Iwo Road, Ibadan.
- Donation of golf kits to Tiger Golf Club Odogbo Cantonment, Ibadan
- Sponsorship of Seyi Makinde’s ‘Women’s Support Golf Tournament.’
- Adoption of seven children with full scholarship up to tertiary education level.
- Job creation for Oyo State indigenes through his Youth Empowerment Programmes
Controversy
Following the declaration of Seyi Makinde’s public assets, the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress, clapped at him for not declaring the source of his wealth.
In an interview, the chairman of the APC in Oyo State, Mr Akin Oke, reportedly questioned the governor about his wealth declaration.
“I don’t think I want to make comment on the issue, since I have no idea, but it raises a number of issues.
“He just declared what he has but not how he came about it.
“Going by my experience and exposure, I think it is too early to honestly assess a governor just after a few weeks in office. I would rather wait till after 100 days or even after six months,” he said.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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