Profile of Gov. Seyi Makinde, career achievements, net worth

This piece curated by News360 Nigeria chronicles the biography and career achievements of Gov. Seyi Makinde.

Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde is the current governor of Oyo State. He is an engineer, businessman, and politician.

He oversees Makon Group Ltd. as its managing director and is a graduate of the University of Lagos.

Profile overview

Name: Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde

Date of birth: 25th December, 1967

Place of birth: Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Education: University of Lagos

Spouse: Tamunominini Makinde

Political party: Peoples Democratic Party

Career: Politician, Businessman

Background

Seyi Makinde is from Oja’ba, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria, he was born on December 25th, 1967.

Makinde attended St. Paul Primary School for his early schooling and St. Michael Primary School in Yemetu, Ibadan for his final education.

His secondary education was completed at Bishop Phillips Academy in Monatan, Ibadan.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Lagos (Unilag) in 1985 after being admitted.

Seyi received training in 1998 from Houston, Texas-based Industrial Control Services as an expert in Safety Shutdown Systems, and in 1999 from Lagos Business School (now Pan-Atlantic University) as a developer of analytical competence for managing operations.

He completed an automation course in 2000. He attended the Jiskoot Auto Control Training Centre in Kent, England, in 2002 to study Fundamentals of Crude Sampling.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the United States, he also studied Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems in 2005.

Career

Makinde completed his National Youth Service (NYSC) at Nigeria’s Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he subsequently secured a position as an engineering student.

Between 1990 and 1992, he handled and participated in a number of significant projects while serving in various capacities.

He was employed by Rebold International Limited from 1992 to 1997 as a field engineer (Eket operations), and in 1995 he was promoted to field manager.

Makinde worked as an engineering manager for a number of international oil and gas companies (IOCs) before founding Makon Engineering and Technical Services Limited (METS) in 1997.

He currently serves as the Makon Group of Companies’ group managing director.

Professional bodies

Makinde belongs to various national and international professional organizations, such as the American Measurement Institute (AMI), the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Council for Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Oil and Gas Design Engineers of Nigeria (OGDEN), the International Society of Automation (ISA), and the Institute of Measurement and Control UK.

Politics

He entered politics in 2007 when he ran under the banner of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to represent the Oyo South Senatorial district in the National Assembly.

However, he was defeated by Kamoru Adedibu of the People’s Democratic Party.

He ran a second time for the senatorial seat in Oyo South, but was unsuccessful.

Unwavering in his political aspirations, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2015 and unsuccessfully ran for the state’s governorship.

He joined the People’s Democratic Party again in 2017, and before the 2019 gubernatorial contest, he became the party’s leader.

After defeating his rival from the All Progressives Congress, he won the state’s gubernatorial contest and took the oath of office as governor.

He chose to run again in 2022, this time for a four-year term.

Makinde announced his candidacy for reelection as Oyo State’s governor on March 18, 2023, during the general election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner and the next governor of Oyo State on March 19 after he received the most votes and fulfilled all legal requirements.

Awards

• Merit Award by Nigerian Union of Journalists (Oyo State Council).
• Merit award by National Association of Oke-Ogun Students (Ibadan).
• Merit award by Fiditi Grammar School (Oyo State)-Old Student.
• Enterpreneural excellence award Junior Chamber International (JCI) University of Calabar Chapter.
• Gold merit award by Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Oyo State Chapter).
• Merit award by Nigerian Association of Social Workers Merit Awards (Oyo State Chapter).
• National Merit award by CCII.
• In recognition of Seyi’s tenacity in helping the underprivileged in society, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (Ibadan) named him “Astute Politician of the Year 2018.”

Personal life

Pa Olatubosun Makinde and Abigail Makinde are Makinde’s parents.

He is wed to Tamunominini Makinde, a native of Southern Nigeria, and the two of them have three children, two girls and a boy.

Gov. Seyi Makinde together with his family

Net worth

Seyi Makinde has amassed a net wealth of more than $5 million.