From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Teslim Folarin, has promised to leverage on the opportunities in agriculture to boost the economy of the state, if elected as governor.
He made the promise at a town hall meeting, which featured question and answer session, organised by Fresh FM in Ibadan, ahead of the March 11 governorship poll in the state.
According to him, he has identified three crops – cassava, mango, and cashew, as the area of agriculture that the state has comparative advantage for mass production for local consumption and exportation.
Folarin stated: “For us to take full advantage of the state, we must grow the economy using agriculture and tertiary education. We have started on how to build a sophisticated valued system that will guarantee security and exportation in the state.”
He also promised to ensure accountability and change at the local level in the state, so that the people at the grassroots could enjoy more dividends of democracy.
He contended that the local government system has suffered neglect and has not been rightly positioned to strive for development from the grassroots level.
Folarin made it known that he understands the issues facing the various sectors in the state, and he knows what to do to address the challenges.
“There has been no strategy for the state government to grow their economy. The population has increased and wrongly prioritized other sectors. There are going to be a lot of regeneration projects. We will make sure that whatever is planned is adhered to.”
Folarin, who also answered questions on some national issues, stated that Nigeria needs restructuring to overcome myriad of socio-economic and political challenges besetting the progress of the country. He was optimistic that it is only the presidential candidate for the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that can make the restructuring possible.
His words: “Without restructuring, it will be difficult to achieve anything at all levels. We need to restructure the country. Asiwaju Tinubu knows that for the country to unite, unless things still won’t work. “
Folarin enjoined the people of Oyo State and Nigeria to vote for all the candidates of APC during the general elections for a glorious future for the country.