Israel has achieved so much but fallen short of where they should be, ideally, if they had taken opportunities that had come their way. It reminds me of the Nigerian leadership who believed having money was not its problem but how to spend it is. See how things changed within such a short time!

As a strong and resilient country, Israel has survived world powers, including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Rome and Greece. Its modern history is also as riveting. As I read this book, I discovered new things that have driven this resilience and what was responsible for the opportunities they missed. I will share these in subsequent newsletters.

One lesson for Oyo State I have drawn so far is that we may not be where we need to be, but we have made some progress, and our people should remain positive in the face of challenges as we work towards getting to where we want to be.

In keeping with this positive outlook for 2024, we will be commissioning two projects this month. On the 15th, we will commission the 7.2 km Agodi Gate--Old Ife Road-Adegbayi Junction with a spur to Alakia-Ibadan Airport (3.3 km) dualisation project, while on the 22nd, we will commission the 12.5 km Challenge-Odo Ona-Elewe Apata Road dualisation project.

These two projects will further open up our economy as more people choose Oyo State to invest and reside in because of the developmental strides being carried out in the State.

I look forward to a year 2024, when we will witness a turnaround in our outlook towards our physical and economic environment in our dear State. I will again implore all to cooperate with relevant authorities as we build a State governed by the rule of law.

Talk to you again soon.