Targets Agriculture, Digital Economy, Healthcare, Roads, Education Within 100 Days

Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), was until recently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). He is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the August 15 Osun Governorship poll. He was in Lagos recently to interact with senior journalists on why he wants to govern Osun. SULIYAT TELLA reports.

Why are you running for the Osun Governorship?
I am running because I believe that I have what it takes to turn around the declining fortune of Osun State. The state has an estimated population of about five million citizens. We are blessed with vast human capital and abundant mineral resources — all tangible assets that can elevate our state to a new level of prosperity. To maximise these assets, Osun requires a focused, credible and knowledgeable manager with proven character and capacity. A leader who can confidently append his signature and stand by it.

I, Bola Oyebamiji, offer myself because I have the managerial competence and experience to reposition Osun State for greatness and deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. I have served as Commissioner for Finance, working directly with two governors, and I also served as Managing Director of the state’s investment arm, OSICOL. The records are there, and my antecedents are clear. I am that manager that Osun State needs to flourish. I became MD of OSICOL, now known as Omoluabi Holdings Limited, and the achievements are there for anyone to verify. From OSICOL, I was appointed Commissioner for Finance under former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and we delivered excellently. I also served our leader, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola as Finance Commissioner, also without blemish. Later, I was appointed Managing Director of NIWA, and in two years, we recorded unprecedented progress, and the results have never been matched since the establishment of NIWA.

These experiences give me confidence that with hard work, competence, and God’s grace, success will always follow. We are in this race to win, to serve, and to deliver value to our party and our people.

Some people say Govermor Adeleke is doing well, so, why do you believe Osun State needs a change in leadership at this point in time?
The facts speak for themselves. And 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 ₦2.6 billion. Today, the average monthly allocation to the state is about ₦16 billion without commensurate values to the state and her citizens.

In fact, there are allegations that the celebrated projects delivered by the current administration were awarded in secrecy to incompetent contractors while many of such projects have failed before commissioning.

To arrest the current drift in the state, I’m seeking the support of our people as we approach the August 15, 2026, governorship election in Osun State. I have spent 12 years in the topmost levels of government, working directly with tough, credible managers — two former governors. As Commissioner for Finance, you must thoroughly analyse, review, and recommend every financial decision. I understand government operations deeply. Among all the other candidates, I am the only one with these combinations of high-level experience, proven records, and capacity in both the private and public sectors. I have the experience. I have the records. I have the antecedents. And I am prepared to lead Osun State to a new era. I was shaped in a target-oriented industry: banking, which rewards performance and sanctions inefficiency. This philosophy has guided my professional and personal life for decades. I am committed to a fair reward system, helping everyone reach their potential without bias. My administration will be firmly rooted in fairness and equity. It will be a new dawn for our people. Our people can no longer sit and watch the enormous resources of the state being expended without equal value or meaningful improvement in their daily lives. Osun State cannot afford to be left behind in the current wave of reforms, development and economic transformation being championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. We must therefore seize this moment of national transformation and ensure that Osun State becomes an active participant and beneficiary of the Renewed Hope Agenda. This is why I believe Osun State deserves a change in leadership at this point in time.

This PROSPERITY agenda you’ve been talking about, can you walk us through it?
Our PROSPERITY Agenda has continued to gain widespread acceptance among the people of Osun. So far, we have taken our campaign to 24 local councils spread across seven federal constituencies in the state.

Our campaign train will cover the remaining six local councils across the two outstanding federal constituencies. 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.

Osun is historically the cradle of the Yoruba people and home to UNESCO World Heritage sites, one of which is the Osun-Osogbo sacred grove. Every town has unique cultural events that can be leveraged economically. We aim to restore Osun to a prominent position culturally and economically. Agriculture and its value chain will receive maximum attention. Osun has fertile land and a youthful population, and the market is growing. We will create the next generation of millionaires from agriculture. Public-private partnerships, particularly in agro-allied and ICT sectors, will be prioritised. MSMEs, especially women and youth-led businesses, will be supported with financing, training, and empowerment.

If you win, what specific programmes will your administration implement within the first 100 days?
By the Grace of God, once the good people of Osun hand me the mandate, we will, in line with our campaign promises, within our first one hundred days in office, 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.

Hold on! Are all these achievable within 100days?
Of course! That’s where experience and commitment to serve come in. I wasn’t even done yet. 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.

What makes you think you can defeat an incumbent? Mind you, the incumbent has been complaining about some underhand tactics by your party?
Election is about numbers. We have the numbers. Majority of those with the incumbent with whom they prosecuted the election in 2022, are now with us. During that time, with all the shenanigans, the difference in their votes and our own was just four percent. And those who joined us from their camp are about 50 percent. So, you do the arithmetic. Besides, he would not be the first incumbent to lose power in Osun. Our party, both at the national and state levels have demonstrated readiness to commit their time, energy, experience and resources towards ensuring the victory of our great party. With their support and that of the good people of Osun, we are confident that the APC will be returned to the seat of government in Osun. The people of Osun State are ready. The Osun APC is ready. Our campaign is ready.

Together, we will win. Together, we will rescue Osun State. Together, we will build a prosperous Osun State.

Tell us about the dimensions of the political violence in Osun State?
The truth is that, we are the victims, the governor is just playing victim to curry sympathy. In his mind, he knows the truth. Let me, therefore, seize this opportunity to reassure Osun people and Nigerians, through you, that both the APC and I are the real victims of the persistent political violence in Osun State. During the 2022 governorship election, more than 25 members of our party were murdered by members of the political party in power in Osun. In my own local council for example, the Chairman of Irewole Local Council, Honourable Remi Abass, was killed within the council secretariat, last year. Between 2023 to date, several of our members and other Osun citizens have been killed by agents of the government. Our party has also documented several other politically motivated attacks and killings, for which we continue to seek justice through the courts. Therefore, 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.

Furthermore, recent reports indicate 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 are crying foul while our members bear the scars of political violence.

To party members, supporters and people of Osun, what are your words of intent?
I appreciate the entire the APC and the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO) Movement. I humbly seek continued support for my party, the APC, and the agenda my candidacy represents. We mean well for the people of Osun State, and by the grace of God and the support of the people, we shall emerge victorious in the forthcoming governorship election come August 15, 2026. To our people in Osun, do not feel intimidated by noise from the governor. Remain peaceful and committed to our resolve to stop the irresponsible dancing in our dear state. We need a new face, a new leader that is business-minded and one that will not concentrate development in a particular section of the state. In the course of this journey, we have engaged with every segment of our society: our revered traditional rulers; private-sector operators; market men and women; students; artisans; civil servants; members of civil society organisations; religious leaders; professionals; youths and women. Across all these engagements, one message has been consistent and clear: the people of Osun State can no longer afford to endure another day of the current uninspiring administration in the state beyond November 27th, 2026. Let us therefore collectively send the government packing on Saturday, August 15, 2026, so that by November 27, 2026, a new dawn will emerge in Osun.