One of the most painful ironies of governance is when a government celebrates a people while sidelining them. This irony appears to have played out during the Oyo State 50th anniversary celebrations, where credible allegations suggest that vendors, contractors, and service providers from outside the state were overwhelmingly favoured despite the availability of capable Oyo-based businesses. The occasion is aptly described as ‘celebrations of exclusion’.
The recent open appeal by Olayinka, an Oyo-based business owner and employer of labour, has given voice to what many local entrepreneurs have long whispered in frustration. Her lament was not driven by sentiment but by fairness. She asked a simple, legitimate question: Why should businesses that pay taxes, employ youths, and sustain the Oyo economy be ignored during landmark state events funded by public resources? If these allegations are true, then Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration must be called to order.
Governance is not only about roads, bridges, and infrastructure; it is also about economic inclusion. A government that truly believes in sustainable development must deliberately strengthen its local economic ecosystem. When state funds are repeatedly channelled to contractors and vendors from outside Oyo, the multiplier effect of public spending is exported elsewhere, leaving local businesses weaker, not stronger.
This concern is not new. Over the years, there have been murmurs about the preference for “external” contractors in project execution, even where competent Oyo-based professionals exist. Such a pattern, if unchecked, undermines local capacity, discourages entrepreneurship, and contradicts the very idea of people-centred governance.
The Oyo at 50 celebration should have been a showcase of Oyo excellence in terms of its culture, its creativity, its enterprise, and its people. Instead, it risks being remembered as a missed opportunity to empower indigenous businesses and reward loyalty to the state economy.
No one is arguing against quality or professionalism. But quality is not the exclusive preserve of outsiders. Oyo State boasts seasoned event planners, caterers, logistics providers, creatives, engineers, and artisans who have successfully handled national and international projects. To consistently overlook them sends a dangerous message: that contributing to Oyo’s economy does not guarantee inclusion in Oyo’s opportunities.
Governor Makinde has often spoken about fairness, transparency, and inclusive governance. This moment calls for those words to be matched with action. A clear procurement policy that prioritises qualified local contractors, especially for state-funded events, should not be controversial; it should be standard.
Oyo belongs to its people. Public funds must first work for those who generate them. Celebrating 50 years of existence while alienating indigenous businesses is not just insensitive; it is economically counterproductive and morally indefensible.
The governor owes Oyo entrepreneurs more than rhetoric. He owes them a seat at the table, access to opportunity, and a fair chance to grow with their state.
History will not only judge what was built in Oyo; it will judge who was allowed to build it.
