The Ogun State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Solomon Adeola, has promised to create more than 500,000 jobs and train 100,000 youths in digital skills if elected governor in the 2027 general election.
Adeola also pledged to allow local governments in the state to function effectively by ensuring that the 2024 Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy is respected to aid rapid development at the grassroots.
Yayi, as he is fondly called, made the disclosure on Friday during a courtesy visit to the Ogun State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists at the Iwe Iroyin Press Centre in Abeokuta.
Adeola stated that his administration would focus on infrastructure, industrialisation, agriculture, healthcare, education, security and institutional reforms.
The senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District described his proposed programme as a “covenant” with the people of the state, saying he expected journalists to hold him accountable for its implementation.
Adeola said that “I stand before you not as a politician reciting promises, but as a son of Ogun State bringing you a covenant, a plan I intend to be held accountable to, page by page, project by project.
“You are the custodians of public memory. Whether you call me Senator, or one day a Governor, you will be the ones who ask me, in one year, in two years, ‘what happened to that promise you made in Abeokuta?’ That is exactly the relationship I want with this Union.”
He said his experience in public finance and legislative oversight had prepared him for the governorship, citing his previous positions as chairman of finance and appropriations committees at the state and federal levels, as well as his current chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Unfolding his development plan, the senator said that under his infrastructure plan, he would introduce the Ogun State Bus Mass Transit Programme on major corridors, including Abeokuta, Sango-Ota and Sagamu.
He also said his administration would work with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to introduce commuter rail services linking Abeokuta and Lagos and connecting the state’s industrial corridors to the Lagos rail network.
The candidate further proposed “OgunRide”, a state-backed mobility platform for commercial cars, tricycles and motorcycles, which he said would provide drivers with health insurance, vehicle financing and cooperative support.
He promised to expand digital connectivity, provide affordable housing and develop new towns along high-growth corridors.
The senator said his administration would establish a Youth Enterprise Hub in Abeokuta within its first six months, with satellite hubs across the state.
Speaking on the challenge of unemployment, Adeola said that “I will not stand here and recite this as a platitude. One in four of our young people between fifteen and twenty-four is unemployed today. That is a young person in Ilaro, in Ijebu-Ode, in Sagamu, with talent and no door open to them.
“We will train 100,000 young people in digital skills by 2031, and within our first six months in office, launch a Youth Enterprise Hub in Abeokuta with satellite hubs across the state, backed by microcredit for young entrepreneurs, aiming to cut youth unemployment by 40 percent and help create over 500,000 jobs”.
Adeola said his administration would implement financial autonomy for the state’s 20 local government areas, in line with the 2024 Supreme Court ruling on local government financial autonomy.
He said allocations would flow directly to the councils without state-level interception or diversion.
The senator said that “Government that cannot be felt where people live is not government at all, Itesiwaju Ipinle Ogun must be felt at the local government level, and it begins on day one.”
On sports, he promised multipurpose sports complexes in each senatorial district through public-private partnerships, grassroots talent centres and an Ogun Youth Sports Academy, pledging scholarships and insurance support for athletes.
The APC candidate said agriculture would be transformed through mechanisation, farmer financing, climate-smart farming and agro-industrial parks.
He proposed a State-Supported Produce Market and processing hubs to reduce post-harvest losses and connect farmers to wider markets.
On industrialisation, Adeola promised to establish a Solid Minerals Development Company to facilitate licences and joint ventures in the mining sector.
He also said artisanal miners would be brought into the formal economy through simplified licensing and cooperative support.
Adeola placed particular emphasis on oil exploration in Ogun Waterside and frontier exploration around Tongeji Island in Ipokia.
He said the development of the two areas could create a “200-kilometre Coastal Energy Corridor” stretching from the state’s border with the Republic of Benin to its boundary with Ondo State, with the Olokola Deep Seaport serving as a long-term maritime gateway.
“This is revenue we must prepare for responsibly. It must be governed transparently, and it must visibly rebuild the coastal communities that have waited longest for development,” he said.
Adeola promised to revitalise the state health insurance scheme, “Ilera D’ero”, with a target of enrolling two million residents.
He also pledged investments in hospitals and primary healthcare facilities, alongside improved welfare and support for doctors, nurses and community health workers.
On education, he promised expanded technical and vocational training, recruitment and training of qualified teachers, and the rehabilitation of classrooms and other learning infrastructure.
On security, Adeola proposed increased funding for the Ogun State Security Trust Fund, a Cybersecurity and Security Operations Centre and a Residents Identity Management Agency.
He said the measures would strengthen the technological and identification systems supporting security operations in the state.
The APC candidate also promised to relaunch the Ogun State Waste Management Agency and introduce licensed private operators for door-to-door waste collection.
He proposed waste-to-energy plants, recycling hubs and increased street sweeping on major highways under what he called the Clean Ogun Initiative.
Adeola said his administration would also work towards ending open defecation across the state by 2031, while rehabilitating slums, improving water and sanitation and enforcing physical planning regulations.
The former federal legislator said his administration would introduce a Single Window Revenue Collection System integrating PAYE, taxes, fees and levies across government.
He said the system would target a 40 per cent increase in internally generated revenue and a three-to-fivefold increase in land revenue by 2031.
Adeola, however, commended the incumbent administration for the state’s reported revenue growth between 2021 and 2024.
“That is a genuine achievement, and one the incumbent administration deserves full credit for. My task is not to start from zero, it is to take that momentum and push it further,” he said.
He also pledged reforms in the justice sector, legislation and the civil service, including improved training, welfare and remuneration for government workers.
On state assets, he proposed an audit and valuation of underutilised public assets, industrial parks and public lands, with responsible commercialisation to fund development.
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