Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has declared that for Nigeria to beat the poverty trap and become a prosperous country, its economy must be built to weather all storms.
He said the country must also raise entrepreneurs and improve the standard of education, adding that, in spite of Nigeria’s natural resources, its people might remain poor until its leadership put the right things in place.
Makinde stated these while responding to a sermon delivered by Bishop Williams Aladekungbe of Ibadan North Anglican Diocese at the funeral service of his (Makinde’s) older brother, Engineer Olufunmilayo Sunday Makinde, held on Friday at the Bishop Akinyele Memorial Anglican Church, Ibadan.
The governor said mineral resources are not enough to liberate any country from poverty.
According to him, the experience of Venezuela which, despite its huge oil reserves, cannot hold a candle to Finland (which based its growth on developing its human capital), is enough to teach Nigerian leaders to invest more in educating its younger generation and building more entrepreneurs, apart from managing the country’s natural resources well.
The reality, he said, made his administration in Oyo State to continue to invest heavily in education.
The investment in education, Makinde said, began with matching the UNESCO recommendation for education funding, as evident in his government earmarking above 20 per cent of the state’s budget to education since he assumed office in 2019.
“While preaching, the Bishop raised some issues. He said Nigeria does not have any reason to be poor because we do have natural resources. But natural resources alone do not lead to prosperity and that is just the reality.
“The country with the highest reserve of oil in this entire world is Venezuela and it is poor. So, to have prosperity, we must raise entrepreneurs and raise the standard of education.
“I was in Finland with my team and I tried to make enquiries on why the country got so developed. I asked if they had oil, they said no. I asked if they had gold and silver and they said no. I asked of what they have and they said it is education.
“So, in Oyo State, since we came in six years ago, we resolved to meet and exceed the UNESCO recommendation on education by allocating over 20 per cent of our budget to the sector.
“It is because we know that some people will need to be entrepreneurs to turn the natural resources into something that can take us out of poverty.
“Yes, God has blessed us and we should be thankful to Him for that. The first Industrial Revolution was coal. Nigeria was rich then because we had coal but nobody is using it again because the world has moved to oil.
“Very soon, they will move away from oil to something else. So, we must be prepared. We must go beyond depending on natural resources to having an economy that can weather all storms,” Makinde said.
The governor eulogised his late brother, fondly called Sundo, describing him as a good man, a good brother, a good husband and a good father.
He recounted how the late Engineer Sunday Makinde sacrificed his university education to join the Navy so that his siblings could have a better life.
Governor Makinde said, though he didn’t expect Engineer Makinde to die so soon, he and the family had taken solace in the fact that he lived a good life and in the promise of God that there would be resurrection after death.
“I didn’t expect that he would die for the next 20 years. I thought by the time he gets to 85, I would be around 78 and we would all still be alive.
“People grow old and they know they would die. People get very sick and we sometimes find out that anytime soon, they might leave us. But you get prepared if you are in such a situation.
“But he was not sick. Yes, his death was really shocking and I am really grieved, not because he did not do well in life; not because he did not play his part for us. I said it yesterday that he decided to forgo his university education so that our parents could look after the rest of us.
“I am so shocked that his death was so unexpected but what can I do? What can we do as a family? We have to submit completely to the will of God.
“I gained strength personally in God’s promise. So, today, my little message is similar to somebody in this kind of situation about 2,000 years ago. You may have read about three siblings — Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Martha answered ‘I know he would rise again in the resurrection at the last day’.
“My brother, Sundo, was a good man, a good brother, a good husband and a good father. He was not a perfect man and nobody is. But he was indeed and in truth an officer and a gentle man. So, I have faith like Martha that he would rise on the last day and we will see again.
“Sundo is gone but he left behind for us a legacy. His legacy was of truth without compromise, forgiveness without holding back and transparency in his dealings with all. This is how I will remember him,” the governor added.
He announced the donation of a sum of ₦25 million to the church on behalf of the Makinde Family towards immortalising his brother.
“To start the process of immortalisation, on behalf of the entire Makinde family, we will donate N25m to the church.
“Sundo has lived and left but his words live on and indeed will go well with him. It is now left for us the living to live our lives to the glory of God so that, even if we die, the words of Martha to Jesus will be true in our case.”
Earlier in his sermon, Bishop Aladekungbe pointed out the inevitability of death.
He stated that Engineer Sunday Makinde had done his bit and that it was now left for those alive to do their best to serve God and fulfill their purposes on earth.
He equally tasked the leadership of the country on the need for the effective management of the country’s natural resources, stating that it is the only way the country could get out of the doldrums.
“There is something fundamentally wrong in our management or mismanagement of our natural resources. It is also clear that if we continue to mismanage these resources, we will remain stuck.
“Let us stop securing loans. Loans are not transparent. They are expensive. The basic resolution is that if the current trend of borrowing continues, it will be a disaster for Nigeria.
“If we manage our natural resources well, Nigeria has no reason to be poor. We simply need to pull up our efforts together to stamp out corruption and manage our resources in the interest of our country and that of our people.
“Let me say that the resources of a country do not belong to the pockets of some powerful and rich individuals. They belong to the state – to be used for the benefit of the people,” Bishop Aladekungbe said.
Dignitaries in attendance at the funeral service included the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed; Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke; Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang; Delta State governor, represented by the deputy governor, Mr Monday Onyeme; former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; wife of Oyo State governor, Engineer (Mrs) Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde; and Alhaja Mutiat Ladoja, wife of a former governor of Oyo State.
Also in attendance were Acting Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Umar IIiya Damagum; former deputy governors of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Engineer Hamid Gbadamosi and Chief Hazeem Gbolarumi; Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; and the PDP National Secretary, Honourable Sunday Udeh-Okoye.
Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Senator Sharafadeen Ali, Senator Yunus Akintunde, Honourable Abass Adigun Agboworin and the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin were also in attendance.
Others were the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Iyabo Yerima, Secretary to the Government of Oyo State, Professor Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff to the Governor of Oyo State, Honourable Segun Ogunwuyi; Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni; commissioners, serving and former political officer holders; traditional rulers; religious leaders and captains of industry.
