The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Oyo South, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, on Friday strengthened his grassroots engagement with traders by presenting a ₦50 million business grant to members of the Agbeni Amunigun Traders Association in Ibadan.
The empowerment package is expected to benefit traders across the market, which cuts across Ibadan North-West and Ibadan South-West Local Government Areas of Oyo State.
Oseni, who represents Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, also donated ₦5 million towards the completion of the association’s secretariat. He further pledged to install solar-powered streetlights within the market to improve security and make the business environment more conducive.
Speaking during an interactive meeting with the association’s leaders, executives and representatives of its 15 zones, the lawmaker described traders as key drivers of the local economy, saying they deserved continuous support to grow their businesses and improve their standard of living.
He also appealed to the traders to sustain their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing confidence that the economic reforms introduced by the administration would deliver lasting benefits for the country.
“The decisions taken by President Tinubu were difficult, but they were necessary. Today, fuel queues are gone, states and local governments receive higher allocations, and more resources are available for infrastructure, education, healthcare and other development projects, including the regular payment of salaries,” he said.
Oseni highlighted ongoing road rehabilitation projects, interventions in the health sector, agricultural support initiatives and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as some of the programmes making a difference under the current administration.
He noted that the student loan scheme had opened up access to higher education for many young Nigerians, while other economic reforms were laying a solid foundation for sustainable growth.
Looking ahead, Oseni promised that if elected to represent Oyo South in the Senate in 2027, he would facilitate an interest-free revolving loan scheme for traders. He said the programme would be jointly managed by the market leadership and a reputable microfinance bank to ensure genuine traders had access to affordable credit.
“I will continue to support policies and programmes that help small and medium-scale businesses thrive because traders remain the engine of our economy. My goal is to create opportunities that will help your businesses expand and improve the welfare of your families,” he said, assuring the association that the requests presented to him would receive prompt attention.
Earlier, the Babaloja of the market, Alhaji Abdul-Latifu Abdulganiyu; the Baale, Alhaji Muniru Oladayo; the General Chairman of the market, Alhaji Nureni Lawal; the Iyaloja’s representative, Alhaja Basirat Owolanwa; and the youth representative, Alhaji Adeyinka Basiru, praised Oseni for his consistent support for traders and other community-based empowerment programmes.
The market leaders unanimously endorsed his senatorial ambition and pledged to mobilise support for his 2027 bid, saying his record of empowerment, constituency projects and community development had earned him the confidence of the people.
