Fifty-six thousand, nine hundred and four hours. That is not a slogan, it’s the clock of governance ticking from May 29, 2019 to November 24, 2025. And within those hours, Oyo State has been steadily, sometimes boldly, remaking itself: roads rebuilt and expanded, primary health centres upgraded, markets renovated, and new smart-city set in motion.
The question is simple: will you stare at the problems and say “nothing is happening,” or will you look at verifiable work and admit “there is progress”?
Let’s not trade emotion for evidence. In healthcare, the state has upgraded a significant number of Primary Health Centres while recruiting capable hands to strengthen service delivery and widen access to basic care. The same commitment reflects in the Oyo State Hospital Management Board, better staffing, better facilities, better outcomes.
On infrastructure, the transformation is visible. Road networks across the zones have been repaired, dualised, and expanded. These roads are not “stories,” they are actual tenders, line items, engineering milestones, and completed kilometres. And because roads open markets, commerce has taken a new life across the state.
Agriculture and agribusiness have equally benefited. The tractorisation subsidy program widely praised by beneficiaries has reduced the cost of cultivation and improved productivity. With better road access, farmers now move produce faster, cutting post-harvest losses and securing better income.
Security? Oyo has become a case study in effective sub-national security management. The synergy between government, local structures, and security agencies has made the state safer and more stable, a fact other states have studied closely.
But evidence cuts both ways. Numbers and completed projects don’t erase every concern. Yes, there may be gaps, timelines to tighten, quality control to enhance, maintenance to enforce, and policies that must outlive political cycles. Healthy skepticism keeps leaders accountable. Yet skepticism becomes cynicism when it refuses to acknowledge verifiable gains and sees only what is left undone.
If you are a Doubting Thomas, bring your list specifics, not slogans.
If you are an Optimist, join those who want to guard and grow the progress: demand completion, insist on transparency, and support maintenance of what has already been achieved.
Both roles matter. One keeps governance alert. The other preserves the wins that improve everyday lives.
With clarity, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to a better Oyo.
*Deji Ola*
