A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Dotun Babayemi, has called on state governors to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ec onomic reforms translate into real benefits for citizens at the grassroots level.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Babayemi said the Federal Government under Tinubu had done “exceptionally well” in stabilising the economy through key reforms, but stressed that “the missing link is at the state and local government level.”
According to him, President Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy and unify the foreign exchange system has increased federal allocations to states and local councils, yet the people are yet to feel the full impact.
“The President has done his part. He has ensured that FAAC allocations to states and local governments have tripled. What we expect now is for governors to let that money reach the people. There’s still a disconnection between the grassroots and the government,” Babayemi said.
He explained that during former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administration, Osun received about ₦192 billion in four years, compared to “nearly a trillion naira” received by the current administration within three years.
“With that kind of funding, the people’s lives should have improved significantly. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The Federal Government has empowered the states; now, the governors must empower the people,” he added.
Babayemi noted that his engagement tours across Osun’s 30 local governments and 332 wards revealed that many citizens were unaware of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
> “Even some of our party members didn’t fully understand the agenda. We went around sensitising them about what the President is doing for Nigerians. In several wards, farmers told us they’ve started feeling the impact, especially those in cocoa farming. They said God has answered their prayers through President Tinubu,” he stated.
He, however, criticised the Osun State Government under Governor Ademola Adeleke, alleging that governance had been replaced by “entertainment.”
“Governance is a serious business, not entertainment. What has been happening over the last three years in Osun is entertainment. The governor has been entertaining instead of governing. Osun deserves a governor, not an entertainer,” Babayemi said.
On his vision for Osun, the APC stalwart said his focus would be on transforming the state into the economic hub of the South-West, driven by agriculture, youth empowerment, and infrastructure.
“Our plan is to build agrobusiness hubs, revive the farm settlements, and ensure motorable roads so that farmers can get their produce to the markets. We will create ICT hubs and promote the policy of ‘one youth, one skill’ to empower young people with vocational and technological training,” he explained.
Addressing internal party unity, Babayemi said all 13 APC governorship aspirants in Osun had agreed to work together before and after the party primaries.
“We’ve agreed that whoever emerges from the primary will enjoy full support from the rest. There will be no defection or rancour. Our goal is to reclaim Osun in 2026 and deliver at least one million votes for the 2027 presidential election,” he concluded.
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