…Promises rehabilitation of 330 inner roads in 100 days
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Olooye Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke, has said that he will not, for any reason whatsoever, step down for any candidate ahead of the 2027 elections, boasting that he is the best candidate to govern the state.
He made the declaration during an interview on Fresh FM 105.9’s Political Circuit in Ibadan on Saturday, where he unveiled his nine-point SOLUTIONS agenda, encompassing security, organic agriculture, livelihood and job creation, urban renewal, healthcare and education, industrialisation and infrastructure, teachers’ welfare, technology, and socio-economic development.
Reacting to a rumour that he was not really serious about the contest, and that he would step down for one of the major governorship candidates before the election, the Fellow of the Chartered Accounts of Nigeria said, “If you listened to my interview on the BBC, I said it. I am ready to welcome people to work with me, but I am not stepping down for anybody. Adegboyega Adegoke is not stepping down for anybody,” he declared.
To revamp the moribund industrial hub of the state, the candidate said he had identified 64 moribund industries for possible revival, while promising to pursue gas supply to Ibadan through NIPCO, optimise the dry port established by the Federal Government around Moniya/Ijaye and develop a 5,000-hectare cocoa project in Oluyole.
On local government autonomy, Adegoke said that he would ensure transparent council budgets and improve accountability. Yo him, local government chairmen should be able to execute projects that will impact the lives of the grassroots people.
He also promised to pay monthly stipends to the aged of 75 years and above, arguing that the programme could be funded by cutting wasteful expenditure. The aged constitute just about 1% of the total population of the state, he stressed.
The agricultural economy graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University said that his experience at Deloitte and Schlumberger, alongside 35 years of managing industrial relations involving NUPENG and PENGASSAN, had put him on a steady and solid pedestal for governance.
He also cited his philanthropic interventions, including N20m for the rehabilitation of an agricultural farm at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and scholarships for outstanding agriculture and physics students at LAUTECH, saying that he would replicate such gestures more abundantly if he becomes the governor of the state.
All in all, Mr Solutions said that his campaign would focus on issues and practical solutions rather than personal attacks on opponents.
