The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State, Olooye Adegboyega Adegoke, has promised to construct a rail line from Moniya to Saki to aid easy transportation of farm produce from Oke-Ogun to Ibadan and other areas of the South-West geopolitical zone.
Adegoke stated this on Wednesday while featuring on the ‘Good Morning Show’ programme on Arise News Television in Lagos.
In a statement issued by the Adegoke Campaign Media Team on Thursday, he said the rail line, to be constructed from Moniya in Ibadan to Saki, would ease the transportation of farm produce to markets across the region.
The ADC candidate explained that the proposed project, which is a Standard Single Gauge Rail Line of about 100 kilometres, would cost the state US$3 million per kilometre.
The statement quoted Adegoke as saying, ‘I am going to build a Standard Single Gauge Rail Line at circa US$3M per Kilometer for economic viability and feasibility we don’t need a Standard Double Gauge Rail Line which cost circa US$6M to US$6.9M per Kilometer.
‘It will be in three phases of Moniya to Iseyin; Iseyin to Okeho; and Okeho to Saki. Projects like these attract development partners and agencies. So, the entire burden will not be on the Oyo State government alone. Similar thing is being done with the ongoing Muritala Mohammed International Airport reconstruction in Lagos’.
He said the rail line project was becoming necessary and would be a top priority for his government because Oke-Ogun was the food basket of Oyo State, noting that the easy transportation of farm produce from the area to the market would be a win-win situation for farmers and the urban populace in Ibadan and other states, who were the major consumers.
Adegoke, a graduate of Agricultural Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said he would do everything possible to assist farmers in the state when he assumed power in 2027.
Speaking on his economic blueprint, the ADC governorship candidate stated that it was embedded in his political slogan, ‘SOLUTIONS 2027’, which comprised security of lives and property; organic development of agriculture; let there be jobs; urban renewal of major cities; and turning around of the health and education sectors.
Others are industrial revolution and infrastructure development; on-the-job training for teachers and special schemes/status for them; and the deployment of new technologies in every area of government business, in addition to socio-economic development.
Speaking on his candidature, Adegoke maintained that he was the best among the candidates of the three popular parties, without any blemishes, noting that the APM candidate was an extension of the current government, going by their slogan of Omituntun 3.0, while the issue of godfatherism was hanging on the neck of the APC candidate.
According to him, ‘out of the three popular candidates of the three major parties the APM, APC and ADC, I’m the beautiful bride, not tainted with no God Father but God Almighty is my father’.