The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has signed into law the Executive Bill establishing the Oyo State Mobilisation Agency for Socio-Economic Development (OYMASED), noting that his administration will continue to prioritise economic development to solve major challenges in the state.
While signing the Bill passed by the House of Assembly into Law at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Governor Makinde also announced the appointment of a former Commissioner for Education in the state, Dr Morohunkola Thomas, who is his Special Adviser on Socio-Economic Development, as the Director General of the agency.
According to Makinde, the establishment of the agency is in line with his stand that the administration, will not only be defined by the massive infrastructure it has built, but also by the strong institutions it has put in place. He said: “We are here today to sign one of the most important laws that will shape the future of this administration and our dear state; the Oyo State Mobilisation Agency for Socio-Economic Development Bill (2004). “I want to thank Prof Jerry Ghana, who held a pioneering role as the Director of the Mass Mobilisation for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery (MAMSER), after which we have designed OYMASED. Sir, I thank you so much.
“I also thank the members of the Assembly for the timely passage of this Bill and for continuing to collaborate with this administration to deliver good governance to the people. “With OYMASED, we have an agency that will clarify abstract ideas in our state economic policies and educate our people about the law and political process. “This agency we are creating today will serve as a rallying point for several key MDAs of the government.”
The governor added, “As a country, we have to prioritise production and we cannot be productive without mobilising our people behind what we want to do. When we broaden our productive base, that is when we know we are tackling the issue of taking our people out of poverty into prosperity.
