Lawyer Adebayo Lawal sworn-in as new Oyo State deputy governor at ceremony in Ibadan

LAWYER Adebayo Lawal has been sworn-in as the new deputy governor of Oyo State following the recent impeachment of his predecessor Rauf Olaniyan by members of the Oyo State House of Assembly.

On Monday, members of the of the Oyo State House of Assembly impeached Mr Olaniyan after adopting the report of the seven-man panel constituted to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against him. An engineer by profession, Mr Olaniyan was elected in 2019 on a joint ticket with Governor Seyi Makinde on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) but recently defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Following the impeachment, Mr Lawal, 58, a former attorney-general and the current chairman of the Oyo State Housing Corporation, has been sworn-in as the new deputy governor.  At the inauguration ceremony, Governor Makinde, urged his new deputy to put the interest of the state first and see his new assignment as a position of trust.

Governor Makinde said: “As the saying goes, the reward of hard work is more work, that’s why we’re giving you more work. The position of deputy governor is a position of trust, our masters are the good people of Oyo State.

“So, our responsibility is to continue to serve them to the best of our abilities to deliver good governance to them.” He added that the new position is evidence that Mr Lawal excelled in his previous position.

According to Governor Makinde, Mr Lawal will continue to supervise the State Housing Corporation and will be responsible for the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency.  He added that the state ministry of justice would also be under his supervision.

Mr Lawal pledged to build on his previous performance by supporting Governor Makinde in providing good governance to the people of Oyo State. Mr Lawal hails from Kisi in Irepo Local Government Area of the state.

Among those who attended the inauguration ceremony were the speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly Hon Debo Ogundoyin; the chief of staff to the governor, Segun Ogunwuyi and the secretary to the state government, Olubamiwo Adeosun. Also in attendance were several commissioners and some members of the Oyo State House of Assembly.