Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, YAYI, has pledged to establish a new-towns authority and a wealth-creation ministry if elected governor of Ogun State in 2027.
The All Progressives Congress candidate outlined the proposals during an interactive session with the Remo Collectives in Sagamu at the weekend. The Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, attended the gathering alongside other traditional rulers and community representatives.
Adeola said the proposed authority would develop new settlements with modern infrastructure while existing towns would be developed and their historical legacies preserved. He also promised to revitalise the state's road maintenance, environmental protection and waste management agencies, according to The Sun's account of his remarks.
The proposed wealth-creation ministry would support skills training and empowerment for young people and women as part of his job-creation programme. Adeola presented the proposals under his nine-pillar ITESIWAJU agenda. They are election pledges, rather than institutions already established or services already delivered.
The reported proposals do not specify a budget, an implementation timetable or how the new authority's responsibilities would fit alongside existing development bodies.
Ogun already has a Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. The state's official directory describes it as the apex body for physical planning, responsible for policy formulation and the coordination of physical development across the state.
The directory identifies three specialised agencies operating alongside the ministry. The Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority processes and issues building approvals and planning permits. The Building Production Management Authority regulates construction practices and standards on building sites.
The Slum Regeneration Authority handles the renewal, upgrading and recovery of blighted or informal settlements. The ministry says its statutory functions derive from the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2022.
Its framework also includes 2025 regulations covering layouts and land subdivision, planning permits, building production management and slum regeneration, alongside a state building code. The Bureau of Urban and Physical Planning became a ministry in November 2012. It adopted its current name in February 2020, replacing the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning.
Separately, the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation describes its mandate as developing residential, commercial and industrial property hubs and new cities. The corporation says its work includes planned housing and mixed-use developments, land-use planning and infrastructure direction.
At the Sagamu session, the Remo Collectives raised access to land documentation among its concerns, Remo TV reported. The group also sought improved facilities at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, a fair distribution of federal projects and the establishment of federal tertiary institutions.
The Akarigbo called attention to road and security needs, including the Ode-Remo and Ita-Merin roads. He urged Adeola to give residents' safety adequate attention. Adeola said he would work to improve the teaching hospital and make it more functional.
The Collectives' president, Alhaji Tayo Rabiu, welcomed the senator and outlined the group's work in education, healthcare, youth empowerment and community development. The organisation said it was willing to collaborate with political leaders and other stakeholders on development across Remo Division and Ogun State.
Archive portrait: Kaizenify,13 July2016, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA4.0. Original650 ×433pixels, resized for display. This is not a photograph of the Sagamu session.
