African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, has said his immediate priority as governor would be to re-inflate the economy of the state by patronising contractors resident in the state, prompt paying workers’ salaries, among others.
This is just as Lanlehin, who represented Oyo South senatorial district between 2011 and 2015, vowed to abolish the security levy imposed on churches, mosques and businesses in the state by the current government of Governor Abiola Ajimobi if he is elected governor next year.
He spoke earlier this week while featuring on an interview programme on Fresh FM, a privately owned radio station monitored in Ibadan.
Lanlehin said it was the sacred duty of government to secure the lives and property of the citizens in the state, adding that government ought not to impose security tax on the citizens and their businesses but should have looked elsewhere for funds to assist in security issues.
According to him, the parlous state of the economy of the state brought about by a “contract-driven government” has already squeezed enough from the citizens whom he said do not deserve additional burden.
Lanlehin said as governor of the state, he would look for money from other sources to deal with security issues, just as he queried what was being done with the “monthly huge security votes.”
He promised to open up the books on security votes under him as governor, just as he added that he would factor his own security votes in the appropriation bill of the state.
He also promised to de-centralise abattoir system by allowing local government councils with space and capacity to run their modern abattoirs equipped and fit for purpose in the 21st century.