H.E. Seyi Makinde
Executive Governor of Oyo State
Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, was born in Ibadan on 25 December 1967. Makinde completed his primary and secondary school education in Ibadan before studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Lagos. Thereafter, Makinde worked in the private sector in oil and gas between 1990 and 1997, first with Shell Petroleum Development Company and then with Rebold International Ltd. In 1997, Makinde became an entrepreneur when he set up Makon Engineering and Technical Services, now Makon Group, a successful international business specialising in oil and gas, power generation and distribution. He received further training in Industrial Control Services in Houston, Texas, in 1998.
Between 1999 and 2005, Makinde attended the Lagos Business School (now Pan Atlantic University), Jiskoot Auto Control Training Centre, Kent, England, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a subject matter expert on fluid and gas metering. Makinde is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. He is also a member of other national and international professional bodies, notably: the Council for Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria; the International Society of Automation; and the Institute of Measurement and Control.
In 2018, Makinde resigned from Makon Group to contest for Governor of Oyo State and was elected Governor of Oyo State in 2019. After serving as Governor for four years, Makinde was re-elected Governor of Oyo State in 2023. Since assuming office as Governor of Oyo State, Makinde’s administration has been implementing his people-centred policies in the State guided by his manifesto documents. First by the Oyo State Roadmap for Accelerated Development 2019-2023 and now by the Oyo State Roadmap for Sustainable Development 2023-2027.
His background as an entrepreneur informed the decision by Makinde’s administration to ensure that the government does not get involved in business ventures but rather, continues to create a conducive environment for businesses in the State to thrive. This has led to an expansion of the Oyo State economy with net investments of N457.76 billion between 2019 and 2022.
In recognition of Makinde’s noteworthy contributions to the engineeringprofession and to policy making in governance, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo in 2022. His Excellency Seyi Makinde FNSE DSc, has ignited a political consciousness that spread hope and a renewed belief in good governance in the minds of the people of Oyo State and, indeed, Nigeria.
