By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan
Oyo State government has justified the proposed spending of ₦63.4 billion to overhaul the over 70-year-old Government House in Agodi, Ibadan.
The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said this while fielding questions from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The controversy concerning the amount of money to be spent on reconstructing the Government House was triggered after a press release signed by the Commissioner following the last Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday, June 17.
The Commissioner said: “The section of the media that touted the impression that the Government House was going to be renovated is either ignorant or mischievous.
“Not once in the 21-paragraph press release, did we use the word ‘renovation;’ whereas we emphasised total overhauling and reconstruction of the old Government House,” Oyelade said.
The Commissioner added that the present administration had over 200 ongoing projects, including the Samuel Ladoke Akintola International Airport, the 110-kilometre Circular Road, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Iseyin campus, Fashola Agro-Industrial Hub and many other infrastructural development projects across the seven zones of the state.
He said the Government House overhauling and reconstruction was just one of them.
“The Seyi Makinde-led administration is the least that can be accused of not getting its priorities right; and for six years, the government has nurtured the finance of the state efficiently, such that the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased by over 300 per cent within this period from about ₦1.5 billion to ₦7.8 billion as of the end of May 2025.
“The administration has also vigorously pursued the welfare of its workers, such that it would pay over ₦174 billion annually in salaries and wages at ₦14.5 billion monthly, to the largest state workforce in Nigeria,” he explained.
The Commissioner said an administration that had employed over 27,000 workers, spent a record ₦13 billion on gratuities and pension for the aged, subsidizes the transportation fare of over 42,000 commuters everyday to date and promoted 45 Permanent Secretaries in one fell swoop, could not be accused of profligacy.
“On the reconstruction and overhauling of the Government House itself, 21 structures would be affected.
“The decrepit presidential lodge and the banquet hall, which will be ready for the state’s 50th anniversary celebration next February, will be totally reconstructed, while the Governor and the Deputy Governor’s main residences will be overhauled; and structural, architectural, mechanical and electrical works will be comprehensively carried out.
“Also affected are many quarters and chalets for visitors, senior and junior staff whose duties would necessitate dwelling in the Government House,” he said.
According to Prince Oyelade, the mosque, church, external botanical garden, roadworks, landscaping, fencing and furniture would also be affected in the reconstruction.
“It is instructive that the new Government House will also accommodate a helipad to allow VIP visitors, including the presidency, fellow governors, important dignitaries and the host Governor himself to commute seamlessly to and from their destinations in helicopters.
“In arriving at this decision, the state Governor had factored in the pride of the state, befitting official residences for the numbers one and two citizens of the state and a legacy of a beautiful ambience for a place that once had the likes of Sir. John Rankin, Sir. Adesoji Aderemi and others as tenants.”
The Commissioner described as “laughable and kindergarten”, the suggestion by a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2027 that the people of Oyo State would be better served by distributing ₦3 million of the ₦63.4 billion to 20,000 citizens.
“Those who live in Oyo State know that, that is a poor imitation of the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) programme of Governor Seyi Makinde that is impacting effectively in the lives of the people since the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy.
“The overhauling and reconstruction of the Government House is yet another legacy that the Makinde-led administration will bequeath to the people of Oyo State,” he said.
