Governor Seyi Makinde, on Sunday in Ibadan, said God’s intervention helped the government and people of Oyo State to go through turbulent times in the year 2024.

“2024 had been really turbulent, but God has given us the strength to keep pushing,” he said in his remarks at the 2024 Christmas Carol and Service of Nine Lessons organised by his government.

Mr Makinde recalled the January 16 explosion, which occurred in the Bodija area of Ibadan and claimed several lives and destroyed property amounting to billions of naira.

The governor also pointed at the recent stampede at the Islamic High School at Basorun in Ibadan, which took the lives of not less than 35 innocent children.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to the growth and development of Oyo, saying the state’s development had been his priority since 2019 when he assumed office.

The governor thanked the Oyo House of Assembly speaker and all members of the Assembly for the timely passage of the 2025 budget, which he would sign into law on Monday.

He also commended the judiciary for working with the two other arms of government “for us to have harmony in the running of government in the state.”

Mr Makinde equally thanked religious leaders and the people of the state for their support, noting that the cooperation of the people made it possible for his administration to succeed.

“I use this opportunity also to thank traditional rulers for maintaining peace in their various domains,” he said.

(NAN)