Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has deployed the newly sworn-in Commissioner, Pastor Ademola Aderinto, to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
This was as the governor declared that the state is yet to achieve the level of results expected from the sector.
Speaking shortly after administering the oath of office on Friday, Makinde openly acknowledged that while efforts have been made in the ministry and results achieved over the years, many of the desired outcomes have remained unmet.
The governor said the new posting was deliberate and urgent, stressing that environmental challenges in the state required renewed energy, clarity of purpose, and firm leadership.
“There are challenges in the Ministry of Environment and much of the desired results have not been met,” Makinde said.
“That is why I am confident in the capacity of the Pastor Aderinto, the new commissioner, to address these issues headlong,”
Makinde charged Aderinto to leave no stone unturned in tackling issues bordering on climate action, environmental degradation, and sanitation across the state.
He also urged him to confront what he described as an entrenched culture of indiscipline, particularly indiscriminate waste disposal, which continues to undermine government efforts.
According to the governor, the assignment should not be unfamiliar terrain for the commissioner, noting that Aderinto had previously served as Special Assistant on Environment and Natural Resources, a role that exposed him to the inner workings and challenges of the ministry.
“This is not a strange assignment for him,” Makinde added. “He understands the sector and knows what needs to be done.”
Addressing journalists after the brief ceremony, Aderinto said his approach would go beyond the narrow focus on waste management, which he acknowledged was often the most visible environmental concern to the public.
“When people talk about the environment, what comes to their lips immediately is waste management,” he said. “But there are many other things in the environment beyond that.”
While admitting that progress had been uneven, the commissioner said the administration was now at a point of consolidation rather than experimentation.
“It is not that we have not made gains over the years,” Aderinto said. “What we are doing now is consolidation. If you want to cut down a tree, you sharpen your axe first. The question is how much effort you put into sharpening before you start cutting, so you do not get frustrated halfway.”
He explained that much of the work done in recent years had taken place behind the scenes, particularly in areas such as climate action, environmental protection, and waste management systems.
“What people have been seeing is the sharpening of the axe,” he said. “Now we are ready to cut. The things you have not seen, the work done in the background, it is time to show the whole world.”
Aderinto described his appointment as strategic, noting that the administration was in what he called its final lap and could not afford to miss the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy.
“This is the home run. It is the last lap,” he said. “We have to get it right once and for all, for everyone to see.”
He added that the goal was to firmly place the environmental record of the Makinde administration in history.
“We want to write the name of this administration in the sand of time, and write it in gold. So that it can be said that during the eight years of Governor Seyi Makinde, in environment, waste management, climate action, and environmental protection, this administration got it right,” Aderinto said.
The event had in attendance, the Deputy Governor of Oyo state, Barr Bayo Lawal; Speaker, Oyo state House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adebo Ogundoyin ably represented by the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Mohammed Fadeyi; Chief Judge of Oyo state, Hon. Justice Iyabo Yerima ably represented by Jon Justice O.A Adetijoye, Secretary to the State government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Head of Service Mrs Olubunmi Oni mni; Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Adeniyi, Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties Chief Bayo Lawal, Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and other top government functionaries.