Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has on Tuesday approved the procurement of 100 units of Kia Rio automatic transmission executive patrol vehicles for security operatives in the state.
The approval was given during the maiden state executive council meeting held at the executive chambers of the Governor’s Office Complex yesterday.
The Council also approved the distribution of 1.7 million books to 463,801 public school students in the state.
While the cost implication of the vehicles was put at N832, 650,000 million, that of the books stands at N447, 257, 384 million.
The meeting which was chaired by Governor Seyi Makinde, has in attendance the Deputy Governor, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun, the Head of Service, Mrs Amidat Agboola, and all the newly sworn in 17 commissioners in the state.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun who was accompanied by his counterparts at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Professor Raphael Afonja said the approvals were given in line with the campaign promises of Governor Makinde.
Olatunbosun noted that the decision to give the free books and other writing materials is to complement the earlier decision of the Government to scrap all forms of educational levies imposed on students and parents by past administration as a way of reducing the out of school students in the state.
According to him, junior school students comprising those from Basic one to nine (formerly Primary one to Junior Secondary School three) whose total number was put at 252,644 will get six copies of 60 leaves notebook each while those in the senior school (senior secondary school one to three) who are 211, 157 will also get six copies of 80 leaves notebook each.
He explained that student statistics was according to the enrollment for the 2019/2020 academic session obtained from the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB)
Additionally, he added that the decision on the procurement of the vehicles was arrived at after the last security meeting where the need for more security patrol vehicles was identified.
He assured that since the decisions have gotten the approval of the state executive council, each item will be delivered in no time, adding that the books will be ready for distribution before the schools resume for the next academic session in about two weeks.
To ensure the functionality and durability of the vehicles to be given the security operatives, Olatunbosun noted that the government has also reached an agreement with the vehicle dealer and supplier to open up a service centre in the state which by extension will also provide jobs for the people and open a market in the state.
Olatubosun said: “At our inaugural state executive council meeting, we succeeded in approving two procurements. The first one was approved in line with the administration’s free education programme.
The executive council believes that not only payment of schools fees and all forms of levies should be the determinants of free education. We believe that we should take a step further and that is getting students and pupils in public primary and secondary schools exercise books, that is writing materials.”
speaking on the 100 saloon cars for security agencies, he stated: “At the last security meeting held with the security agencies, it was agreed that there was the need for the state to procure vehicles for all the security agencies. So, the SEC decided to procure 100 units of KIA RIO 1.4 Executive Automatic Transmission vehicles to shore up the fleet of vehicles of various security agencies.
“So, the SEC approved the vehicles, after considering a report of Due Process, that the vehicles should be supplied by Messrs Dana Motors, the major distributor of KIA products. Governor Makinde has also taken another step further by working out an arrangement with the supplier to also bring their major service centre to Oyo State, and they will also partner with us to maintain all the vehicles purchased from them.”
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