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The management of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has expressed readiness to partner with Governor Seyi Makinde in achieving his administration’s objectives for Oyo State.
The bank made the proposal on Tuesday when its management team led by its Executive Director, Mrs Bukola Smiths, visited Governor Seyi Makinde in his office in Secretariat, Ibadan.
Mrs Smith said the visit was to intimate the governor with the products of the bank, adding that the bank was ready to partner the government in areas such as health, education, security and industry.
“FCMB has great skills in those areas and we will like to bring these skills here to help you achieve your various objectives,” she told the governor.
She also congratulated the him on his victory at the Election Petitions Tribunal, adding that the bank recognised achievements recorded so far by the new administration.
In his remarks, Makinde said his administration was ready to partner with any organisation whose proposal would bring value to the government and the people of the state.
He assured the FCMB team that his government would give equal opportunities to all banks, urging the team to be comfortable in making their proposition.
He hinted further that the working proposal submitted by the team would be studied and acted on accordingly, saying: “You don’t have to lobby anybody if what you have in your proposal is good and is able to bring value to the Government and people of Oyo State. Of course, we will be open and discuss it with you. If we have issues that we are not clear about, we will put them on the table.
“So, you should really be comfortable dealing with us, because we will definitely give you equal opportunity with other banks. We don’t have any preference for any bank. We are value-driven. If there is value on the table, we will deal with.”
The governor appreciated the support received from the FCMB during the just-concluded retreat organised for the top functionaries and political appointees in the state held at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
“I want to thank you for the support you showed to us during the retreat at IITA. We appreciate the support and your bank. You have supported us and it won’t be out of place if we give you support from our side, so we can get into a win-win situation,” Makinde said.
He pledged that his administration’s watchword will remain openness and transparency throughout his tenure, saying that he would conduct the business of governance in the state in an open and transparent manner in order to bring the desired development to the State.
“Oyo State is open for business and we try to take a different trajectory from what we have been used to in the past. What we are doing is very simple. It’s just to be open and transparent; these are our watchwords. We want to conduct government business in an open and transparent manner,” he said.