Traders and artisans across Oyo Central Senatorial District have called for improved access to business financing and market infrastructure as political candidates intensify engagements ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
The demands were presented at a gathering of market associations in Oyo State, where the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) senatorial candidate for Oyo Central, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, pledged ₦50 million in financial empowerment for traders and market women.
Ajadi said the proposed assistance was intended to strengthen small businesses and improve livelihoods, alongside plans to support youth employment through legislative initiatives.
He explained that his decision to enter politics was influenced by a desire to expand his philanthropic activities through public representation and policies addressing economic challenges.
“I am a philanthropist, but I want empowerment to reach more people,” Ajadi stated.
The candidate also encouraged greater political participation among young people, urging market women to motivate their children to become involved in governance.
Speaking on behalf of traders, the Babaloja-General of Oyo State, Alhaji Yekini Abass Oladapo, popularly known as YK Abass, appealed for accessible financial assistance to help market operators expand their businesses.
Another market leader, Alhaji Mogaji Salaudeen Kamorudeen, called for solar-powered lighting in markets to support longer trading hours and improve commercial activities.
The President of the Ibadan Joint Traders Association, Alhaji Dauda Abiodun Oladepo, expressed support for APM candidates, saying members of the association intended to participate actively in the electoral process.
Similar declarations came from Stella Modupe Olabode of the Oyo State Artisans and Traders’ Network and Khadijat Ojolowo Sanusi of the Oyo State Food Canteen Association.
Meanwhile, Egbeda Local Government Chairman and Oyo State ALGON Chairman, Sikiru Oyedele Sanda, said Ajadi’s campaign committee planned to engage traders across all 11 local government areas within the senatorial district.
Sanda, who also serves as the campaign’s director-general, maintained that electoral participation should provide opportunities for citizens to communicate their economic concerns to political leaders.
He additionally commended Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration over workers’ welfare, pension payments and security, while praising the governor’s approach to political cooperation.
The gathering highlighted concerns among small-scale business operators over limited financing and inadequate market facilities.
Although Ajadi announced a ₦50 million empowerment commitment, the report did not specify when the funds would be distributed, the number of intended beneficiaries or the eligibility requirements.
For the traders, the discussions placed business support, infrastructure and economic opportunities at the centre of their engagement with candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
