The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, paid a familiarization visit to the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the Iwe Iroyin Press Centre in Abeokuta on Friday.
Speaking during the visit, Senator Adeola stated that his mission was to present his vision and campaign manifesto to the media ahead of the upcoming 2027 governorship election, describing his blueprint as a formal covenant to hold him accountable.
Highlighting his extensive legislative and public finance experience, the Ogun West lawmaker noted his roles as former Chairman of the Lagos State House Committee on Finance, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, and the Senate Committee on Finance, as well as his current position as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Positioning Ogun State as a strategic crossroad into ECOWAS and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) markets, Adeola outlined a development agenda built on nine cardinal pillars: Infrastructure, Tourism and Creative Arts, Education, Security, Healthcare, Women/Youth Empowerment, Agriculture, Industrialization, and Urban Renewal.
Key infrastructural and transportation promises include establishing the Ogun State Bus Mass Transit Program along major corridors, extending commuter rail links from Lagos to Abeokuta, and launching “OgunRide,” a platform offering driver benefits and formalizing commercial transportation operators.
On youth and social development, the APC candidate pledged to train 100,000 young people in digital skills by 2031, establish a Youth Enterprise Hub with satellite locations, construct multipurpose sports centers across all senatorial districts, and launch the “Ilera D’ero” health insurance scheme targeting two million enrollees.
Adeola also cited major developments in the state’s energy sector, specifically pointing to commercial oil production at Eba Island in Ogun Waterside and ongoing exploration at Tongeji Island as central features of a planned 200-kilometer Coastal Energy Corridor anchored by the Olokola Deep Seaport.
To drive his agenda, the candidate detailed six key institutional reforms: Revenue Mobilization, Justice Sector Reform, Legislation Reform, Civil Service Reform, Assets Optimization, and full implementation of Local Government Autonomy.
Under fiscal reforms, Adeola committed to deploying a Single Window Revenue Collection System aimed at achieving a 40 percent increase in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and a three-to-fivefold expansion in land revenue by 2031, without imposing new taxes.
He concluded his address by assuring journalists of his administration’s commitment to media freedom, full compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, regular press briefings, and prioritizing the welfare of media practitioners across the state.