General Solo Makinde is a Nigerian businessman, politician, and philanthropist, who has been the governor of Oyo State since May 29, 2019. He is an engineer with expertise in fluid and gas metering. He is the group managing director of the Nigerian oil and gas firm, Makon Group Limited. He is also known for his humanitarian and developmental initiatives in Oyo State and beyond.
Early Life and Education
General Solo Makinde was born on December 25, 1967, to the late Pa Olatubosun Makinde and late Madam Abigail Makinde of Aigbofa Compound in Oja’ba, Ibadan, Oyo State. His father was a well-known teacher who later became an accountant. He is the third child of the family.
Table
| Name | General Solo Makinde |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 25, 1967 |
| Place of birth | Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Ethnicity | Yoruba |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Parents | Pa Olatubosun Makinde (father) and Madam Abigail Makinde (mother) |
| Siblings | Two brothers and two sisters |
| Spouse | Tamunominini Makinde |
| Children | Three |
General Solo Makinde attended St. Paul Primary School to start his schooling and St. Michael Primary School in Yemetu, Ibadan, to finish it. He proceeded to Bishop Phillips Academy in Monatan, Ibadan, for his secondary education. After that, he was admitted to the University of Lagos in 1985 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1990.
He received training in 1998 at Industrial Control Services in Houston, Texas, United States, on the Safety Shutdown System, and in 1999 at Lagos Business School (now Pan-Atlantic University) in the Development of Analytical Competence for Managing Operations. He received automation training in 2000. At the Jiskoot Auto Control Training Centre in Kent, England, he studied Fundamentals of Crude Sampling in 2002. He also studied Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the United States, in 2005.
Career and Business
General Solo Makinde completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the Nigerian Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he was later employed as a student engineer. Between 1990 and 1992, he served in various positions, managing and participating in several significant initiatives.
He worked for Rebold International Limited from 1992 to 1997 as a field engineer (Eket operations), then the same firm hired him as a field manager in 1995. Makinde also worked as the engineering manager for numerous international oil and gas corporations (IOCs) for five years (1992–1997) before founding his own company, Makon Engineering and Technical Services Limited (METS).
He currently serves as the Makon Group of Companies’ group managing director. Makon Group Limited is a Nigerian oil and gas company that provides engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning services to the oil and gas industry. The company has executed several projects for major IOCs such as Shell, Chevron, Total, ExxonMobil, and Agip.
General Solo Makinde is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Council for Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Oil and Gas Design Engineers of Nigeria (OGDEN), International Society of Automation (ISA), Institute of Measurement and Control UK, and American Measurement Institute (AMI).
Political Career and Achievements
General Solo Makinde ventured into politics in 2007, when he contested for the Oyo South Senatorial seat under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but he lost to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate. He later joined the PDP in 2010 and aspired to be the governor of Oyo State in 2011, but he was denied the ticket by the party.
He left the PDP in 2014 and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he emerged as the gubernatorial candidate for the 2015 election. He contested against the incumbent governor, Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he lost the election.
He returned to the PDP in 2017 and secured the party’s ticket for the 2019 governorship election. He faced a tough challenge from the APC candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). However, he emerged victorious with 515,621 votes, while Adelabu had 357,982 votes.
He was sworn in as the governor of Oyo State on May 29, 2019. Since then, he has embarked on several developmental and humanitarian projects in the state, such as:
- Establishing the Oyo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, to combat insecurity and crime in the state and the region.
- Increasing the budgetary allocation for education from 3% to 22.3% and abolishing all fees in public schools.
- Implementing a free health care program for pregnant women, children under five years, and the elderly.
- Launching the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) to boost agricultural production and create employment opportunities.
- Constructing and rehabilitating roads, bridges, and other infrastructure across the state.
- Paying workers’ salaries promptly and increasing the minimum wage from N18,000 to N30,000.
- Establishing the Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA) to attract local and foreign investors to the state.
- Providing palliatives and relief materials to the vulnerable and the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Supporting the growth and development of the creative industry, sports, tourism, and culture in the state.
General Solo Makinde has also received several awards and recognitions for his exemplary leadership and service to humanity, such as:
- The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Oyo State Council’s Man of the Year Award in 2019.
- The BusinessDay Newspaper’s Governor of the Year Award in 2020.
- The Leadership Newspaper’s Governor of the Year Award in 2020.
- The Vanguard Newspaper’s Personality of the Year Award in 2020.
- The Silverbird Group’s Extraordinary Personality Award in 2020.
- The Tell Magazine’s Governor of the Year Award in 2020.
- The Nigerian Tribune’s Platinum Award in 2020.
Personal Life and Family
General Solo Makinde lives in Ibadan, Oyo State. He is married to Tamunominini Makinde, a Southern Nigerian by birth, and they have three children. He is a devoted Christian and a member of the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Aremo, Ibadan.
He is also a philanthropist and a humanitarian, who has donated generously to various causes and organizations, such as:
- The Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde Foundation, which provides scholarships, bursaries, and grants to students and youths in Oyo State and beyond.
- The Seyi Makinde Football Tournament, which promotes grassroots sports development and talent discovery in Oyo State.
- The Omituntun Free Health Mission, which provides free medical services and drugs to the people of Oyo State.
- The Omituntun Women Empowerment Scheme, which provides interest-free loans and grants to women entrepreneurs and traders in Oyo State.
- The Omituntun Food Bank, which distributes food items and cash to the needy and the less privileged in Oyo State.
Net Worth and Tribe
General Solo Makinde is one of the richest governors in Nigeria, with an estimated net worth of over $200 million. He declared his assets publicly before and after assuming office as the governor of Oyo State, as a sign of transparency and accountability. He owns several properties and businesses in Nigeria and abroad, such as:
- Shares worth over N2 billion in different companies and banks.
- A 25-room mansion worth over N800 million in Ibadan, Oyo State.
- A 12-bedroom villa worth over N500 million in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
- A 9-bedroom duplex worth over N300 million in Victoria Island, Lagos State.
- A 6-bedroom bungalow worth over N200 million in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.
- A 4-bedroom penthouse worth over N100 million in London, United Kingdom.
- A fleet of cars worth over N300 million, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Bentley Mulsanne, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, a Range Rover Sport, a Toyota Land Cruiser, and a Lexus LX 570.
