The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has promised to grant local government autonomy from his first day in office if elected governor in the 2027 governorship election.
Alli also pledged to make Oyo State one of Nigeria’s three largest state economies, raise its internally generated revenue (IGR) to N150 billion annually without imposing additional financial burdens on residents and businesses, and establish a N10 billion youth development fund.
He made the promises on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, while unveiling his governorship manifesto, tagged My Pact, to stakeholders in Ibadan, the state capital.
Explaining the manifesto to representatives of community development associations, professional bodies, artisans, traders, political groups, labour leaders and other stakeholders, Alli said his development agenda was built around seven pillars under the acronym Oyo AHEAD.
The pillars, according to him, cover local government autonomy, advancement of infrastructure, health reform, education and employment, agriculture and export, digital economy, and security.
He said the agenda was designed to transform the state’s economy, improve public service delivery and ensure that residents felt the impact of government across the state.
Presenting the economic rationale behind his manifesto, Alli described Oyo as a state with enormous economic potential, given its landmass, population and agricultural resources.
He noted that despite having 33 local government areas, 351 wards and an estimated population of eight million, the state generated less than N100 billion in IGR in the previous year, while neighbouring Ogun State generated nearly three times that amount.
He also cited statistics indicating that about 3.8 million residents of Oyo State live in poverty, arguing that the situation could be reversed through appropriate economic policies and support for businesses and productive activities.
“Our first target on the way is N150 billion a year of our own revenue, and the market woman will pay no more than she pays today,” he said.
Alli said his administration would pursue a development model in which improved electricity supply would attract industries, create employment and increase household incomes, while the resulting economic activities would strengthen the state’s capacity to provide essential services.
He promised that every ward in the state would have a functional clinic, a school that delivers quality education and accessible roads.
On infrastructure, the APC candidate pledged to complete ongoing road projects and construct access roads to farming communities to ease the movement of people and agricultural produce.
He also promised that every newly constructed road would carry a 20-year warranty.
On electricity, Alli said he would fully constitute the Oyo State electricity regulator to facilitate power generation and distribution, particularly to industrial and agricultural corridors.
He further promised to audit and replace faulty transformers every six months to prevent communities from remaining without electricity for extended periods.
The governorship candidate also pledged to restore potable water supply in 100 communities and connect at least 100 rural communities to electricity for the first time.
He said his administration would increase the number of state-owned buses and modernise the Pacesetter Transport Company to improve public transportation.
On housing, Alli promised to collaborate with the Federal Government and private investors to provide affordable homes for low- and middle-income earners, including teachers, nurses, young couples and other working families.
He added that his government would reduce the time and cost of obtaining building approvals and expand existing housing schemes.
On healthcare, the APC candidate promised to establish general hospitals in the six local government areas in the state that currently do not have one.
He also pledged to recruit more doctors and other healthcare professionals, noting that 10 hospitals in the state reportedly had no medical doctor.
According to him, vacancies in health facilities, including primary healthcare centres, would be filled as they arose.
Alli further promised free health insurance for infants, pregnant women and residents aged 70 and above, while targeting an increase in the number of people enrolled in the state’s health insurance scheme from 271,000 to 500,000 within his first two years in office.
In the education sector, he pledged to reduce classroom population to 30 pupils, recruit additional teachers, construct more school facilities and establish skills acquisition centres in every geopolitical zone of the state.
He also promised to introduce an apprenticeship law to strengthen vocational training and employment opportunities.
On investment and job creation, Alli said his administration would establish industrial parks, revive the Oluyole Free Trade Zone and create a guarantee fund to enable small businesses access loans.
He reiterated his plan to establish a N10 billion Oyo Youth Fund and build a digital hub in each of the state’s five geopolitical zones.
For agriculture, he promised to revive farm settlements, provide insurance coverage for 10,000 farmers and establish an Oyo Export Council produce board to support farmers and improve access to markets.
Alli also pledged to overhaul the state’s security architecture to strengthen the protection of lives and property.
He assured civil servants that salaries and other entitlements would be paid as and when due, while promising to provide them with adequate working tools and improved working environments to enhance productivity.
