Osun No Longer Civil Service State – Oyetola

The Governor of the State of Osun, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, has said his administration is gradually changing Osun’s narrative from being a civil service oriented economy.

He explained that economic diversification had been one of the drivers of his administration, with mining, agriculture and tourism being important diversification vectors.

This, according to him, informed the decision to organise an economic summit in 2019 which brought critical stakeholders and potential investors together.

Oyetola, while fielding questions during a live broadcast as guest of the month on the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), as part of events to mark the 30th anniversary of the State’s creation, assured that in a matter of years, Osun will thrive majorly on mining.

“I’m not contesting whether or not the Statw was known as a civil service state, but we are changing the narrative. The essence of the economic summit of 2019 is to talk about the possibility of economic diversification.

“We sought to diversify the economy from was a civil-service-reliant economy to one that is buoyant. We identified agriculture, mining and tourism as our growth vectors and we have indeed done well in these three sectors, particularly in the area of mining.

“It would amaze you that we have interested investors coming from Canada and other foreign countries, coming to explore the possibilities of responsible mining in the State, as against previous activities that given rise to degradation, low remediation and the likes.

“Now, we have responsible miners like Segilola Gold Project. And a number of them are still showing interest. So, I can assure that in a matter of years, Osun will be able to thrive majorly on mining”, he said.

Commenting on the state of Osun at 30 years, Oyetola described the progress of the State as one that is steady yet setting enviable precedence of good governance.

He commended the efforts of the founding father and former governors who have served in the course of the State’s history, adding that they have all contributed positively to the development of the State.