The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has deliberately put his campaign promises before journalists, urging the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to hold him accountable for their implementation if he becomes governor in 2027.
Adeola made the declaration on Friday during his courtesy and familiarisation visit to the Ogun State Council of the NUJ at the Iwe Iroyin Press Centre, Abeokuta, where he presented his proposed development blueprint for the state.
Rather than treating the engagement as an ordinary political courtesy visit, the APC candidate said he chose to present a prepared document before journalists because he wanted his promises formally recorded and subjected to public scrutiny.
“You are the custodians of public memory. Whether you call me a senator or one day governor, you will be the ones who ask me in one year, in two years, what happened to the promises you made in Abeokuta?” Adeola told the journalists.
He described the document as a “covenant, a plan and intent” and said he was presenting it to the media so that journalists could return to the promises and demand explanations on their implementation.
Adeola said his proposed development agenda, tagged ITESIWAJU, was developed over approximately two years after studying the challenges confronting Ogun State.
He said it contained nine cardinal pillars of development and six catalysts of institutional reform, covering infrastructure, tourism and culture, education and human capital development, security and law enforcement, health and wellbeing, women and youth empowerment and poverty alleviation, agricultural transformation and food security, job creation and industrialisation, and urban, environmental and physical development.
The APC candidate also pledged that his administration would sustain and increase its support for the NUJ if elected, dismissing reports that he had brought consultants to take over the union’s responsibilities.
“The information that Yayi has brought in consultants to take up NUJ Ogun State’s job is a blatant lie,” he said, describing the NUJ as a partner in progress.
Adeola said he expected the relationship between his administration and journalists to be one in which the media would not merely report government activities but would also monitor its promises and performance.
On infrastructure, he proposed an Ogun State Bus Mass Transit programme with interconnected terminals linking major locations including Abeokuta, Ilaro, Sagamu, Ijebu and Lagos.
He also proposed collaboration with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to establish commuter rail connectivity between Abeokuta, Lagos and Ogun’s industrial corridor.
Another proposed initiative, “Ogun Ride”, would provide a state-backed mobility platform for cars, tricycles and motorcycles, with operators expected to have access to health insurance, vehicle financing and cooperative arrangements.
Adeola said infrastructure development under his proposed administration would extend beyond roads to housing, rail, water transportation, digital connectivity and new town development.
On tourism and culture, he identified Abeokuta’s history, Egungun festivals, Ogun Waterside and other cultural assets as opportunities for expanding the state’s visitor economy.
He proposed developing the creative economy around film, fashion, music and Adire, alongside flagship events and a digital tourism portal.
Adeola commended Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration for its intervention at Olumo Rock, saying he would build on existing achievements rather than discard them.
In education, he promised expanded classroom and learning infrastructure, greater attention to technical and vocational training and efforts to improve the global competitiveness of graduates from Ogun’s tertiary institutions.
He also proposed introducing Artificial Intelligence into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools.
On security, Adeola proposed an Ogun State Security Trust Fund through which government, industries and other stakeholders would contribute to security funding.
He said his proposal was informed partly by his stated experience with the Lagos State Security Trust Fund and argued that Ogun’s large industrial base should play a greater role in financing security.
In healthcare, he proposed expanding facilities in underserved communities, universalising the state health insurance scheme with a target of two million enrollees and increasing investment in doctors, nurses and community health workers.
He also claimed to have facilitated the construction of more than 100 primary healthcare centres in the state.
For women, youths and poverty alleviation, Adeola proposed establishing mega vocational centres across Ogun’s four divisions where residents could receive training in tailoring, catering and other trades.
He said the training would last between six months and one year and would be geared towards helping beneficiaries establish businesses or gain employment.
On agriculture, he proposed increased mechanisation, farmer financing, climate-smart farming, agricultural processing and an agro-industrial park.
He also proposed what he called a Commodity and Exchange Commission to create an organised market and offtake mechanism for agricultural produce.
According to him, government would be able to buy produce from farmers, process it and facilitate access to markets, including export markets, thereby reducing post-harvest losses and enabling farmers to return to production.
Adeola claimed to have distributed more than 40 tractors and other agricultural equipment to farmers in Ogun State.
On industrialisation and employment, he questioned whether Ogun was receiving sufficient economic benefits from its industrial base, arguing that some companies operating factories in the state maintain their headquarters in Lagos, where some executive-level tax revenues accrue.
He said his administration would seek to change the pattern and ensure that Ogun derives greater value from industries operating within its territory.
He also proposed greater employment opportunities for qualified Ogun residents in industries operating in the state, saying the objective was to reduce unemployment and encourage people to live, work and pay taxes in Ogun.
On mining, Adeola said the state should derive greater economic value from its mineral resources and promised to pursue greater state involvement in mining-related opportunities.
“I will be the chief miner of the state. I will fight for every mining certificate in the state,” he said.
He further proposed the development of new towns across Ogun, saying planned settlements would help accommodate population growth while preserving older communities and family heritage.
Adeola said his broader objective was to make Ogun a state where residents could live and work without having to depend heavily on Lagos for employment and accommodation.
Earlier, the Ogun NUJ Chairman, Comrade Akinwale Olanrewaju, appreciated Adeola for the visit and called for his intervention in the state-owned broadcasting stations, which he described as being in a critical condition.
Olanrewaju also conferred on Adeola the title of Ogun NUJ Golden Jubilee Ambassador as the union prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary from October 26 to November 1, 2026.
The anniversary has the theme, “Truth, Trust and the Press – Protecting Democratic Choice and Rebuilding Public Confidence in Journalism.”
Adeola’s delegation included the APC deputy governorship candidate, Alhaja Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa-Balogun; Director-General of the APC Campaign Council, Senator Lekan Mustapha; former Speakers of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Titi Oseni-Shodunke and Hon. Tunji Egbetokun; and APC Ogun West senatorial candidate, Hon. Jimoh Ojugbele.
With the promises now placed on record before the state’s journalists, Adeola’s challenge to the NUJ was clear: document the commitments, monitor their implementation and, if he eventually occupies the Oke-Mosan Government House, return to the promises made at Iwe Iroyin and demand answers.
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