I’m contesting Oyo governorship to bring private-sector expertise into public service – Agboola

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Mogaji Olusegun Agboola, has said he is seeking to become governor in 2027 to bring his experience and accomplishments in the private sector to bear on public administration.

Agboola stated this while speaking on the Morayo Show in Ibadan, where he said his decision to enter the governorship race was influenced by what he described as a “divine call” and his conviction that accomplished individuals should contribute directly to governance.

According to him, he decided to seek public office after years of demanding better governance from those in government without seeing the desired changes.

He said, “We need to bring our accomplishments to the public sector. We’re already doing it as private individuals through charity organisations. But the greatest good we can do is with those publics.

“We have been at their necks for many years now, and we see they’re not budging, they’re not listening to us. So we thought if we join the race, surely they’ll be forced to listen.”

The SDP candidate, who described himself as an Ibadan-born and bred indigene, said his upbringing and educational background had given him a firsthand understanding of the challenges confronting the state.

He said he attended primary school in Felele, Ibadan, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan for his first degree and later pursuing further studies, including abroad.

Agboola said his administration, if elected, would adopt a system-based approach to governance rather than what he called “pedestrian thinking”.

He argued that many government interventions merely treated the symptoms of problems without addressing their root causes.

“Most of what they do now is just put plaster on the problem and tell you we’ve done enough. Most of the time, the solution is systemic,” he said.

Using the education sector as an example, Agboola said improving school infrastructure alone would not solve the challenges in the sector without addressing issues involving teachers, learning materials and other components of the education system.

“Oyo State is the worst educationally developed state in the entire South-West. It never used to be so. Oyo State was one of the top three states that must have the highest marks to get any national knowledge,” he said.

He also criticised some road projects in the state, saying infrastructure development should be based on the nature and volume of traffic on particular roads rather than applying the same approach everywhere.

“That’s what we mean by pedestrian thinking. That if you actually think deeply, you will know what the real solution should be, not plasters on these problems,” he said.

On his proposed seven-point agenda, Agboola said strengthening local government administration would be one of his priorities.

He argued that sustainable development required empowering local authorities to identify the peculiar needs of their communities and work with the state government to address them.

Questioning the argument that local government autonomy could distract from state development, he said, “How can it be a distraction? There’s no state without the local government. Your state is made up of 33 local governments.”

He added, “The local government chairman there should be able to tell you, these are the problems of our people. These are the solutions we want to implement.”

Agboola also criticised the use of state funds for federal infrastructure, particularly the Ibadan airport, arguing that the state government should carefully assess the ownership and revenue implications before committing public resources.

“I’m still very upset about it. How can a sitting government take money that belongs to the development of the state, go to a federal infrastructure and start ploughing money you can never recoup there?” he asked.

He expressed concern about the condition of some public schools and inner-city roads in Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State, saying government should prioritise projects that directly improve residents’ quality of life.

“These are the kind of things we’re talking about when we say that really and truly the government should have their priorities right. They should know that their service is not showmanship but to serve the people,” he said.

Speaking on the internal disagreements that followed the recent change in the SDP governorship ticket in Oyo State, Agboola said disagreements were not unusual in political parties.

The SDP recently ratified the substitution of Michael Okunlade with Agboola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election at a substitution plenary in Ibadan.

Agboola said the party remained committed to providing an alternative political platform, stressing the importance of maintaining a multiparty political system.

“We can’t really have a one-party system. Let us be able to hear ourselves. Let’s have healthy debates and things that we want solutions of,” he said.

He also dismissed concerns about the party’s internal disagreements, saying, “There’s no party without their internal struggle.”

Defending the SDP’s internal processes, Agboola said, “In the case of SDP, SDP is the cleanest of all the parties. I’m telling you. Google it.”

Agboola also urged voters to take their civic responsibility seriously, arguing that the efforts made by politicians to secure votes showed that votes remained valuable.

“They tell you your vote doesn’t count. Yet, they’re coming to give you money to come and pass it for them. Just think again, that if it wasn’t valuable, would they be asking you for it?” he said.

He urged voters to look beyond election-day inducements and consider candidates’ capacity, plans and understanding of governance before casting their ballots.

“When you get to the polls, ask yourself, if I’m the director that needs to choose a leader, will I be happy to follow this one? Does this one know the road?” he said.