Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says the Nigerian Army has saved him from imminent death on, at least, two occasions.
Makinde spoke at a reception organised in his honour by the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General Anthony Bamidele Omozoje, at the Tiger’s Den, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Odogbo, Ibadan.
According to him, the military was his saving grace when contesting for senate in 2007 and during the governorship election in 2015.
The governor, who expressed his gratitude to the military for its dedication to the peace and security of the state, said,
“I want to also specially thank the officers for the good work that they are doing to keep us safe and secure.
“To some people, it may be something new but to me, it is not. I had been saved twice from imminent death by the officers of this Division. The first experience was in 2007 when I was contesting to go to the Senate. On the day of the election, my house was invaded by mobile policemen but I was rescued by the officers and was taken to Mokola Barracks where I stayed throughout the election.
“I did not even vote on the day of the election but I was happy that I came back unhurt due to the efforts of the officers of this 2 Division. Also, in 2015 when I was contesting to be the governor of this state, I was going to campaign in front of the family house of my opponent. Violence erupted but the officers of this division took charge and I was rescued unhurt.
“if I fast-track that to Operation Burst, I am glad to say that anytime we have them going out for an operation, we sleep peacefully because we know they will do the necessary things.”
The governor also lauded the Army for being organised and disciplined in their duties, noting that the attributes were similar to what obtains in engineering.
“I tried to join the Nigerian Army because of two basic things; the organisation and the discipline. When it didn’t work out, I decided to be an engineer. There is a similarity between the organisation and discipline of the army and that of the engineering profession.”
He stated that his administration would continue to provide social amenities for the well-being of all and sundry in the state, adding that he had approved the renovation of the school in the barracks.
“The last time I was at the WASA event, I spoke about two major things; the dilapidated school in the barracks and the Light-Up Oyo State Project. Because you have been selfless in taking the wellbeing of the people of the state as a top priority, I have given the approval for the renovation of the school.
“I also said that the second phase of the Light-Up project will not continue until we include Odogbo Barracks in it. In the next two or three weeks, we should approve the second phase which we will make sure extends to the barracks.
“I look forward to us working closely together, especially Operation Burst. We are trying to cover the whole of Oyo State. Some people may not know that Oyo State is quite big in landmass. If you join all the states in the Eastern part of Nigeria, they are not as big as Oyo. So, I want to thank the officers for being diligent in keeping us safe.
“We still have quite a bit to do to entrench the new security architecture and, of course, we want the handshake all the way to Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and other axes too. You are also our constituency because when they were talking about the central abattoir system, I told them that they should remove the 2nd Division Barracks from the centralisation because you have to do your things your own way. So, this is my constituency and I will always give you special consideration.”
Earlier, the GOC, 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major-General Omozoje, thanked the governor for his continuous support for the division.
