The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has promised to deploy the state’s expected 13 per cent oil derivation revenue to develop its coastal communities, while pledging direct allocation to the 20 local government areas if elected governor in 2027.
Adeola made the promises on Friday when he unveiled his governance blueprint, tagged “Governance That Works For Everyone,” during a visit to the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists at the Iwe-Iroyin Press Centre, Abeokuta. He also donated N60m and a bus to the union.
The senator, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said the commencement of commercial oil drilling at Eba Island in Ogun Waterside had put the state on the path to becoming an oil-producing state and qualifying for the constitutional derivation fund.
Adeola said, “In January 2026, commercial oil drilling commenced at Eba Island in Ogun Waterside, putting Ogun State firmly on the path to becoming an oil-producing state and positioning us for entitlement to the 13 per cent constitutional derivation fund.”
He said the expected oil revenue should be managed transparently and directed towards communities in the coastal areas that had suffered years of neglect.
According to the APC candidate, the oil development should also be viewed as part of a wider 200-kilometre Coastal Energy Corridor stretching from the Benin Republic border to Ondo State.
He added that frontier exploration was progressing around Tongeji Island in Ipokia, while the proposed Olokola Deep Seaport could further improve the economic prospects of the state.
Adeola also promised to improve transportation across the state through the introduction of a bus mass transit programme connecting Abeokuta with Sango-Ota and Sagamu.
He said his administration would also pursue collaboration with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to establish a rail connection between Abeokuta and Lagos.
Another proposal, OgunRide, would provide a state-backed platform for vehicles and drivers, with provisions for health insurance and cooperative funding arrangements.
On revenue generation, Adeola said Ogun’s revenue recorded a 33 per cent compound annual growth rate between 2021 and 2024, while internally generated revenue almost doubled during the period.
He promised to introduce a Single Window Revenue Collection System, which he said could increase the state’s internally generated revenue by 40 per cent without imposing new taxes.
Adeola also pledged to ensure direct allocation to the 20 local government areas in line with the 2024 Supreme Court judgment.
On accountability and access to government information, he promised that his administration would fully comply with the Freedom of Information Act and maintain regular engagements with journalists.
He said, “The media would be treated as partners in governance rather than adversaries.”
Earlier, the Ogun NUJ Chairman, Akinwale Olanrewaju, commended Adeola for his interventions in the union, particularly the provision of a solar-powered borehole at the Iwe-Iroyin premises.
Olanrewaju said the borehole had become an important source of drinking water for residents around the area.
He said, “We have an acre of land allocated since 1987. Senator Yayi gave us water, and water is life. When development begins there, we won’t need to buy water.”
The NUJ chairman, however, appealed to Adeola to support the reconstruction of the union’s secretariat and assist in securing and developing its one-acre parcel of land reportedly allocated to the union since 1987 for an NUJ Estate.
He also called for urgent intervention in the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation and Ogun State Television.
“We beg you to declare a state of emergency on OGBC and OGTV, our own state media,” Olanrewaju said.
The NUJ chairman said the union had executed 26 projects, including free Wi-Fi, a 12kVA solar power system, 10 solar street lights donated by Senator Shuaib Salisu, refurbishment of the secretariat and a bus donated by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
He added that the union was planning legacy projects to mark its 50th anniversary, including a digital newsroom and games arena scheduled for October 26 to November 1, 2026.
Adeola’s visit ended with his decoration by the Ogun NUJ as its Golden Jubilee Ambassador.
His visit and the unveiling of the governance blueprint come ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, for which he is the APC candidate.I can also make the headline sharper and more Punch-like, while keeping the same factual angle.
