Governor Makinde Breaks the Mold: Pays Oyo Workers January Salaries Without Waiting for FAAC Allocation or Abuja Handouts
While many states looked anxiously toward Abuja for the January Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursement, Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, once again proved that prudent planning beats last-minute begging.
As the Federal Government and several states only began paying January salaries after FAAC released ₦1.969 trillion, Oyo State workers had already received their pay without the governor waiting for federal allocation or heading to Abuja to plead for funds.
FAAC’s January distribution saw the Federal Government receive ₦653.5 billion, states ₦706.4 billion, and local governments ₦513.2 billion, with oil-producing states sharing ₦96 billion as derivation.
Only after this release did many federal and state civil servants start seeing salary alerts, a development confirmed by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite.
But in Oyo State, the story was different.
Governor Makinde, known for his insistence on financial discipline and internally driven governance, ensured that workers’ salaries were paid as a priority obligation, not as a post-allocation afterthought. Long before FAAC sharing made headlines, Oyo workers had already been credited quietly but efficiently.
Oyo joined a short list of states alongside Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Ondo, Bayelsa, and Edo that met their salary responsibilities promptly.
However, Oyo’s case stands out as a reflection of Makinde’s long-held stance: states must not run their governments on allocation dependency.
In a time when salary payments are often tied to FAAC calendars and emergency trips to Abuja, Governor Seyi Makinde has sent a clear message: good governance is about preparation, not allocation speculation.
