Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that his administration will review the recent sack of members of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) from the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).
The governor, who stated this while receiving members of the association at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, added that his administration will continue to run an open government.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted Makinde as saying that his government would continue to do the needful to ensure the uplift of the state.
He added that his administration will continue to run an open government with a view to carrying all and sundry along.
The governor promised to look into lingering issues between BCOS and FIBAN members within the next four weeks, as according to him, he was aware of and grateful to them for their contributions towards his emergence as governor of the state.
He said: “When I was praying towards the 2019 election, I did not pray to become the governor, I was only emphasising that the will of God be done in Oyo State. So, I know for a fact that if it is the will of God, He would bring those that would make His will to be done, and one of them is Senator Monsurat Sunmonu.
“I am just hearing about all your complaints for the first time. If I had known this is what we would be discussing, I would have contacted Prince Dotun Oyelade to come join us in this meeting. I want to repeat that I don’t know it all. We make mistakes as humans, only God cannot make mistakes. “Sometimes, where we think there is no way, God can create a way. So, I want to sincerely apologise to you.
“I have seen that most times in politics, it is someone that will work while another person will enjoy the labour of another person. And I have always said that no other person will enjoy the labour of another person under my watch. That is why I said I apologised sincerely, because you cannot suffer to install this government and you will eventually get something negative at the end of the day.
“So, I promise we will do the needful where necessary. And all the requests you have tendered will be addressed.”
Makinde also stated that his plan to govern the state was borne out of his desire to make life better for everyone in the state, adding that his ambition to become governor was like a calling.
He added that the essence of government is to take the dividends of democracy to the door steps of everyone.
Commenting further on the lingering issue between FIBAN and BCOS, the governor said: “Within the next week and a half, we will take certain steps to get to the bottom of the issue that cropped up in BCOS.
“And moving forward, I don’t want a situation whereby people will be saying I became non-accessible since I got to this position. And that is why I did not even change my phone number and I did not add another number . I believe that most of the things you requested will be looked into logically and we will bite at those we can do for now. And I want to assure you that we will do most of them before the end of this tenure.
“I believe that position, power will come and go. So, the government I am running is for everyone. It is a government that even when it ends, one should still be able to do what God has sent one to do to affect society positively. Despite some constraints in governance, we still need to look inwards to see the things that are important to us and make sure we get them done.
“So, I want to thank the FIBAN, the leaders, the executives and everyone because you have said some certain things the way they are supposed to be said. The commissioner said 4+4, meaning two tenure but I want to say, let the will of God be done.
“I want progress for Oyo State. I want God to guide me to govern the people of the state. Power is transient and what is important is the legacy we are leaving behind.”
Earlier, the state chairman of FIBAN, Comrade Seun Awodele hinted that the association would do all within its capacity to give support to the present administration by supporting its programmes and policies with their broadcast contents.
He added that the body would equally support the government to achieve its mandate and projections in the areas of education, health, urban development and social welfare for the people, saying “we will use our different platforms to project the good works of Governor Makinde.
“Today is a very memorable day. We have deemed it fit to have this interactive session with you since 2019. Oyo State is a state of peace and we are a pacesetter state.
“As a professional body, we relate with the past governments in Oyo State and our constitution also lets us understand that any governor that comes on board should be our grand patron.
“Since 2014, Atiba FM has been something that the state government is meant to achieve and when you came on board, we traced all your efforts to have a station in Oyo but, till now, nothing is going on. The reason we are a professional body is for us to have a place to showcase our potentials. As content providers, it is an opportunity for us to have Atiba FM, which I believe will be achieved by the special grace of God.
“Our members cover 85 per cent of those who present on air on different contents and we believe we can relate with the state-owned station. The duty of BCOS is to have the privilege to relate with the people in that state, which we believe if the governor can give us that grace, I am promising that we will bring back the glory of BCOS, because we have the content,” Awodele said.
