All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has unveiled his 2027 policy agenda, reiterating his commitment to granting local governments full autonomy from his first day in office if elected.
He also pledged to establish a ₦10 billion youth fund, raise the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) to ₦150 billion annually without imposing additional burdens on residents and businesses, and position Oyo among Nigeria’s three leading state economies.
Alli made the commitments on Tuesday in Ibadan while unveiling his manifesto, tagged “My Pact,” before representatives of community development associations, professional bodies, artisans, traders, labour unions, politicians and other stakeholders.
His Oyo AHEAD framework centres on local government autonomy, infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment, agriculture, digital development and security.
The APC governorship candidate said the programme was designed to transform Oyo’s economy and improve public service delivery across the state’s 33 local government areas and 351 wards.
“Oyo State is the largest piece of land in southern Nigeria. We have 351 wards in 33 councils, and about eight million people. A state like ours should be feeding the South West and selling to the world,” he said.
He said his administration would target ₦150 billion in annual internally generated revenue, while ensuring that market women and businesses did not pay more than they currently do.
Available revenue data show that Oyo’s IGR stood at ₦65.29 billion in 2024, according to figures attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, while Ogun recorded ₦194.93 billion.
Infrastructure, power and housing
Under infrastructure, Alli promised to complete ongoing road projects and construct farm-to-market roads to ease the movement of people and agricultural produce.
He said new roads built by his administration would carry a 20-year warranty.
On electricity, the APC candidate pledged to fully constitute the state electricity regulator and develop power generation capacity for dedicated supply to industrial and agricultural corridors.
“Faulty transformers will be audited and replaced every six months so that no street sits in darkness for a year,” he said.
Alli also promised to restore potable water in 100 communities and connect at least 100 rural communities to electricity for the first time.
He pledged to increase the number of buses operated by Pacesetter Transport Company and modernise the state-owned transport outfit.
On housing, he said his administration would work with the Federal Government and private investors to provide affordable homes for teachers, nurses, young couples and other working families.
He also promised to reduce the time and cost of obtaining building approvals and expand housing schemes for low- and middle-income earners.
Six new general hospitals
In healthcare, Alli promised to construct a general hospital in each of the six local government areas that currently lack one.
He said additional doctors and health workers would be recruited to address shortages, noting that 10 hospitals currently have no medical doctor.
The candidate also pledged to fill vacancies in the health sector as they arise, including at primary healthcare centres.
He promised free health insurance for infants, pregnant women and residents aged 70 and above, with a target of increasing health insurance enrolment from about 271,000 to 500,000 within his first two years in office.
Education, jobs and youth fund
On education, Alli promised to reduce classroom sizes to a maximum of 30 pupils, recruit more teachers and provide additional school infrastructure.
He also pledged to establish skills centres across the state’s zones and introduce an apprenticeship law.
For economic development, he promised to establish industrial parks, revive the Oluyole Free Trade Zone and create a guarantee fund to enable small businesses access credit.
A ₦10 billion Oyo Youth Fund would also be established to support young people, while digital hubs would be developed across the state’s five geopolitical zones.
Agriculture and security
Alli promised to revive farm settlements, insure 10,000 farmers and establish an Oyo Export Council and produce board to support farmers and facilitate access to markets.
On security, he pledged to overhaul the state’s security architecture to strengthen the protection of lives and property.
He also promised prompt payment of salaries and other entitlements to civil servants, as well as improved working tools and environments to boost productivity.
Local government autonomy has been a recurring feature of Alli’s campaign, with the APC candidate previously pledging full financial and administrative autonomy for the 33 councils if elected.
His newly unveiled manifesto expands that pledge into a broader economic and governance programme covering infrastructure, health, education, jobs, agriculture, digital development and security.
