Adekunle Akinlade, governorship aspirant of Ogun State on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that he would break the jinx of targeted but not realised N10 billion monthly internally-generated revenue by the past and present administrations, if elected as governor.
Akinlade, an ex-senior special assistant to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, a House of Representatives member between 2015 and 2019, and governorship candidate of Allied People’s Movement (APM) in 2019, added that he would deploy needed state’s resources immediately he was sworn in to ensure that 500,000 youths are gainfully employed.
Unveiling his 6-point agenda which borders on much-needed security, agriculture, healthcare, social justice, urban renewal and strategic revenue generation at the formal declaration for governorship on the platform of the APC in 2023 general elections in Abeokuta on Tuesday, Akinlade stated that he staged a comeback to wrest governorship power from the incumbent governor of the State, Dapo Abiodun.
Recall that Akinlade left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Allied People’s Movement (APM) in the run-off to the 2019 governorship election, contested against the APC’s Dapo Abiodun but lost to him and defected back to the APC last year to now contest against him in APC primary election for governorship aspirants holding on Thursday across the Country.
Speaking on misapplication of both natural and human resources for which Ogun State is endowed with, Akinlade pledged to make good use of the resources to strategically generate revenue, create job opportunities, provide effective security, good agricultural practice, agro-processing and agribusiness as well as healthcare, social justice and urban renewal.
He said, “Our dear State is well endowed both in human and natural resources to break the N10 billion per month revenue generation ceiling. The present challenge is the inability of relevant authorities to differentiate between income and revenue.
“I have always opined that sales of landed properties or other state assets are income while, revenue on the other hand are collectibles that are derived from fees, rates, fines, taxes, charges, and levies.
“The standard global practice to grow your IGR is that you deliberately and consciously institutionalize the process of creating robust private sector-driven revenue sources and encouraging the people to improve their means of livelihood, only then, can a government legitimately grow a sustainable IGR base.
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“Voluntary compliance is the most efficient and cost effective form of revenue collection but, the people must first see that the government is disciplined, accountable, and serious in the management of its resources..
“Upon assumption of office, we shall deploy all resources at our disposal to get at least 500,000 indigenes of the State gainfully employed through our carefully planned agro value chain development schemes, hand-craft skill acquisition, and ICT direct service initiatives.
“We shall establish a Pond-Concept Tax platform that enables every employed individual (self or otherwise) to meet their tax obligations conveniently. Unemployed taxable adults shall be encouraged to enrol in our proposed private sector-driven cottage industry All Hands Engaged Scheme.”
On Eduaction, Akinlade said, “What we will do differently is to enumerate every young adult between the ages of 18 and 35 across the State and enrol them n our ‘All Hands Engaged Scheme’ which will enable them acquire the requisite skills needed for industrial development in the State.
“While being trained, they shall receive stipends from a special funds that will be created specifically for that purpose. The special funds shall be funded by companies and industries through their Corporate Social Responsibilities and relevant global entrepreneurial entities.”
Meanwhile, there are strong indications in Ogun State at present that the quartet of Adekunle Akinlade, Bisi Otegbeye, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf and Owodunni Opayemi, all the Ogun State APC governorship aspirants may have teamed up against incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun ahead of Thursday primaries.
The political gang-up against Governor Dapo Abiodun’s re-election dated back to last week when all the four governorship aspirants petitioned Adamu Abdullahi, the National Chairman of the APC, over non-release of elected delegates nomination forms and alleged possible manipulation of the APC governorship primaries in the state.
BusinessDay reports that two other APC aspirants, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf and Biyi Otegbeye were also at the declaration for governorship held in Abeokuta on Tuesday by Adekunle Akinlade where they appealed on behalf of the four aspirants to the party members “to vote for any of them in the APC primaries, except Governor Abiodun.”
