Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday announced a cabinet reshuffle that led to the removal of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the appointment of new officials.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the governor relieved the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo, of her appointment with immediate effect.
Governor Makinde also approved the appointment of Professor Musibau Adetunji Babatunde as the new Secretary to the State Government.
The statement further disclosed that Barrister Temilolu Seun Ashamu was redeployed from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
In addition, the governor announced his Senior Special Assistant on Public Works, Ademola Aderinto, as a commissioner-designate. Aderinto is to be presented to the Oyo State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.
The governor also approved the appointment of Honourable Abiodun Adedoja as Special Adviser on Energy Security, while Kolawole Elijah Akanmu was named Senior Special Assistant on Budget and Economic Planning.
The newly appointed SSG, Professor Babatunde, is a seasoned economist from the Department of Economics, University of Ibadan. He previously served as Chief Economic Adviser to Governor Makinde during the governor’s first term and later as Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning.
Babatunde is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Economics, as well as his Master’s and PhD degrees. He earned his doctorate in Economics on June 30, 2007, and joined the Department of Economics at the University of Ibadan as an Assistant Lecturer on November 1, 2006. He is currently a Professor in the department.
In September 2005, Babatunde received the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doctoral Internship Visiting Scholar Support Award in Geneva, Switzerland. He also emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student in the Master of Science degree in Economics at the University of Ibadan and won the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Nairobi, Collaborative PhD Scholarship Award for African scholars.
His international experience includes serving as Director in the Industrial Policy Course in Africa and Domestic Resource Mobilisation for Investment for African policymakers at the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), Dakar, Senegal.
Professor Babatunde has consulted on several national and state-level economic assignments, including work on the National Factsheet on the Impact of the Economic Partnership Agreement on selected sectors of the Nigerian economy, export supply response capacity constraints in Nigeria and output market initiatives.
His public sector assignments also include serving as Chief Consultant on the Niger State Economic Development Strategy in December 2008 and Coordinating Consultant on the Niger State Vision 3:2020 and Local Governments Vision 3:2020 documents in March 2010.
