Yayi: Claims I’m from Ekiti are nonsense

Senator Solomon Adeola, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, has rejected claims that he is from Ekiti State. He called those making these claims jesters.

Adeola, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, spoke to newsmen in Lagos about his governorship ambition on Monday. He stated that he is a true son of Ogun State, saying that both his father and mother are from there.

"My father is from Ogun State, my mother is from Ogun State. I am from Ogun State. Those who claim I am from Ekiti are jesters," he said.

Adeola, who is popularly known as Yayi, also denied claims that his father was buried in Ekiti. He clarified that his late father was buried in the house he built on Ogunsola Street in Alaguntan, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos.

"My father was not buried in Ekiti; my father was buried in the house he built at Ogunsola Street at Alaguntan in Alimosho," he said.

He described the claims as mere political tricks that would not work. "They are just playing politics with the ridiculous claims and they will not succeed," he stated.

Adeola emphasized that his drive for the governorship is not for personal gain but a desire to serve and develop Ogun State. "My ambition to be the governor of this state is not based on personal interest or plan to enrich myself or to be in that exalted office to be called governor, but based on passion to serve. Passion to serve the people of Ogun," he said.

He shared that his path to getting the Ogun governorship ticket has been challenging. Adeola recalled that his first attempt to return home from Lagos to contest faced a lot of obstacles, forcing him to go back to Lagos West, where he won a senatorial seat.

His second attempt to take over from former Governor Ibikunle Amosun also met resistance, taking him back to the Senate. He said it was on the third attempt that God answered his prayers by securing the Ogun West ticket and then the governorship ticket.

With 24 years of experience in the legislature, eight years in the Lagos State House of Assembly, four years in the House of Representatives, and 12 years in the Senate, Adeola believes he is ready to govern Ogun State. He said Ogun needs stability and continuity now.

"I strongly feel that the next person in line must come to consolidate on the gains we have made in the last seven and a half years as a state," Adeola said. He praised Governor Dapo Abiodun for laying a solid foundation for economic growth.

"Under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun, Ogun has done extremely well, and that I can testify to," he said. Adeola explained that governance involves both visible and invisible aspects. The visible includes roads, schools, and hospitals, while the invisible includes economic foundations that support these visible projects.

He mentioned the $7 billion deep seaport project set to begin next month and the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport as significant investments. Other projects include a proposed dairy farm in Ilaro with 5,000 cows and a polymer manufacturing company.

Adeola pointed out that Ogun is Nigeria’s most industrialized state under Abiodun, with its Internally Generated Revenue growing from less than N100 billion to about N300 billion annually. He added that Ogun is close to becoming an oil-producing state with exploration activities at Tongeji Island in Ogun West and the signing of the OK Gas project at Ewa.

"All of this coming together, they are the unseen. For me, I would say that Dapo Abiodun has laid a very solid foundation for the economic development of our state," he said.

He acknowledged the public’s worries about roads but noted that over 65 percent of roads in Ogun are federal roads. He said getting refunds for state intervention is often tough. He promised to focus on key roads that would boost economic growth and improve travel within the state.

Adeola also mentioned that he aims for continuity, noting that his rise would mean the first time power would pass from a friendly outgoing governor to a friendly incoming governor. "I have promised continuity to the people of Ogun State, and this is the first time we are attempting as a state to have a transfer of power from a friendly outgoing governor to a friendly incoming governor," he said.

He explained that his plan is based on nine pillars under his ITESIWAJU slogan, which means governance that works for everyone. He outlined these pillars: Infrastructure, Tourism and Culture, Education and Environment, Security and Law Enforcement, Inclusive Health and Well-being, Women and Youth Development, Agriculture, Job Creation and Industrialisation, and Urban Renewal and Fiscal Planning.

He clarified that continuity does not mean blindly following the past administration. "ITESIWAJU doesn’t mean that I want to take everything that this administration is doing. Rather, areas that I need to continue, I will continue, and areas I need to improve upon, I will improve upon. Also, areas I need to change, I will change completely," he said.

Adeola pointed out that Ogun West has never had a governor since the state was created 50 years ago. He said it would be fair for Ogun people to support his governorship bid since he is from Ogun West. He believes that with his experience, he can move the state forward.