By Adeyinka Adeniran
In a bid to improve education standards in Oyo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has pledged to restore school governing boards, reduce class sizes to 30 pupils and provide free education from primary to junior secondary school if elected governor in 2027.
Alli made the pledges on Thursday while responding to questions from stakeholders at a dialogue organised by the Oyo Leadership Initiative, themed “Redefining Leadership and Governance in Oyo State,” held at Thikadol Event Centre, Ring Road, Ibadan.
He said his administration would prioritise teacher training, improve school infrastructure, provide instructional materials and ensure the safety of pupils and students across the state.
“We will ensure that the atmosphere is teaching and learning-friendly. We will put in place good infrastructure. Payment of running grants would be returned to primary and secondary schools.
“We will ensure our schools are safe and have instructional materials in schools,” he said.
The APC candidate also promised to strengthen the management of tertiary institutions by making their governing councils functional, criticising the involvement of a consultant in running the institutions.
“It won’t be like the governing councils of our tertiary institutions in Oyo State, which are not functional. In our tertiary institutions, it is a consultant that is running them, and the consultant takes 10 per cent from what the students are paying. A consultant that probably does not know how to govern a school.
“We would make the governing councils in our tertiary institutions functional,” Alli said.
On teachers’ welfare, he pledged prompt payment of salaries and allowances, special incentives for teachers serving in remote areas and the establishment of information and communication technology centres for secondary school students across the three senatorial districts.
“This would improve our learning system, and we will make education free from primary school to junior secondary school,” he said.
Beyond education, Alli promised to grant local governments autonomy and ensure accountability, arguing that their failure to function effectively had affected service delivery across the state.
“Most of the problems we have emanate from the local governments not functioning.
“Local governments are supposed to run with the state on the economy, security, infrastructure and education, but that is not the case in Oyo,” he said.
On healthcare, he promised free services for infants, babies, older people and pregnant women, as well as functional primary healthcare centres in each of the state’s 351 wards.
He said his administration would conduct a census of residents to improve planning for education, healthcare and the economy.
Alli also pledged to revitalise the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), introduce mechanised farming and improve access roads to farms to reduce transportation costs and the prices of agricultural produce.
On security, he said his administration would establish a neighbourhood watch system and deploy technology to strengthen surveillance, with solar farms and modular grids providing electricity for security equipment.
Addressing concerns over the Ibadan Circular Road, Alli said the original plan was for a 150-metre corridor, comprising 75 metres on each side, and promised to review the expansion to 500 metres if elected.
He also pledged to respect traditional institutions and collaborate with traditional rulers on grassroots development.
Earlier, the convener of the Oyo Leadership Initiative (OLI), Chief Abiola Ali, said the group was established in November 2025 to promote good leadership and governance in the state.
Ali said the initiative had 103 members and was open to professionals from different fields who wished to contribute to Oyo State’s development.
He described Alli as the most suitable among the governorship candidates, citing his integrity, experience and leadership qualities.
Those present at the event included the Oyo APC chairman, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo; the party’s secretary, Alhaji Fatai Adesina; the state APC woman leader, Dr Felicia Opatunde; and the Director-General of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), Asiwaju Yemi Aderibigbe.
Others were the campaign organisation’s Director of Mobilisation, Oloye Sina Alabi; Director of Public Affairs, Bolaji Tunji; APC House of Representatives candidate for Ibadan North-West/South-West Federal Constituency, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo; and the campaign organisation’s Deputy Director-General, Chief Sola Ogunbode.
