By Clifford Ndujihe & Juliet Umeh The All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the August 15 Osun State election, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, AMBO, in this interview speaks on his chances, allegations of political violence, his plans to stabilise the state’s finances, expand revenue through technology, reduce government spending, implement local government autonomy, and deliver on his administration’s prosperity agenda, if elected. On why he is running I am a credible alternative to the current administration in Osun State. I served as the Commissioner for Finance under the administrations of Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Adegboyega Oyetola. Before then, I served as the Managing Director of the Osun Investment Company Limited, now known as Omoluabi Holdings Limited. To properly situate why Osun deserves a better deal at this time, the last allocation received by the APC administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) stood at approximately N2.6 billion. Today, the average monthly allocation to the state is about ¦ 16 billion without commensurate values to the state and her citizens. In fact, few of the infrastructure projects delivered by the current administration were awarded in secrecy to incompetent contractors while many of such projects have failed before commissioning. I am contesting to arrest the current drift in the state. Our Prosperity Agenda has continued to gain widespread acceptance among the people of Osun. So far, we have taken our campaign to all the 30 local government areas of the state. As a party, our firm belief is that the primary responsibility of any government, as provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the security and welfare of its citizens. Consequently, our Prosperity Agenda is built on seven key pillars: P – Poverty Alleviation, Workers’ Welfare, and Job Creation; R – Responsive, Accountable, and Transparent Governance; O – Opportunities for Economic Growth, Support Programmes for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs), and Youth and Women Empowerment; S – Security, Safety, and Social Protection; P – Productive Agriculture Through Public-Private Partnerships and Rural Development; E – Education, Skills Development, and Targeted Investment in Healthcare Delivery; and R – Renewed Investment in Infrastructure to Drive Inclusive Growth, Culture, and Tourism. In line with our campaign promises, within our first 100 days in office, we will undertake a comprehensive review of all outstanding entitlements owed to active and retired workers and commence immediate payment. We are equally committed to ensuring that the Dagbolu Dry Port becomes fully operational. In addition to these, through strategic partnerships, we will commence the training and empowerment of not fewer than 10,000 young people in information and communication technology. We will also institutionalise monthly meetings of the State Security Council involving security agencies, traditional rulers, and local government leaders. Furthermore, we will launch pilot off-grid renewable energy projects in selected public institutions and rural communities. Similarly, we will conduct a comprehensive fiscal sustainability review covering state revenue, expenditure, and debt obligations. We will also undertake a state-wide infrastructure audit to identify priority economic roads and other critical infrastructure needs. These, among others, are the initiatives that we consider essential within our first one hundred days in office. We want to reassure Osun people and Nigerians that both the APC and I have been victims of the persistent political violence in Osun State. During the 2022 governorship election, more than 25 members of our party were allegedly murdered by members of the political party in power in Osun. In my own local government area for example, the Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Remi Abass, was killed within the council secretariat. Our party has also documented several other politically-motivated attacks and killings, for which we continue to seek justice through the courts. The ongoing political violence in the state has all the signs of the government in power on it. Just recently, the Inspector-General of Police visited Osun State and publicly raised allegations concerning individuals accused of criminal activities being housed within the Government House. Reports also emerged a few days ago concerning the arrest of a suspected criminal within the private residence of the Secretary to the State Government in Osogbo. Furthermore, reports on Sunday night indicated that some of our members were attacked in Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke. As an opposition party, these are some of the experiences of members of our party. Ironically, it is the Accord party and the government of Adeleke that would cry foul whil
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