The Oyo State governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, has pledged that workers and pensioners in the state will receive their payments promptly if elected governor in 2027.
Adekanmbi made the promise on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during an interactive session with journalists and media analysts in Oyo State.
He assured civil servants and pensioners that his administration would make timely payment of salaries and pensions a priority, promising that no worker’s salary or pension would be delayed.
“As far as I am governor of Oyo State, no worker’s salary or pension will be delayed by a single day,” Adekanmbi declared.
The APM candidate said his confidence was based on his experience in managing public finances and his understanding of financial systems.
Adekanmbi, a trained banker and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), said he played a key role in the management of Oyo State’s finances during his time in government.
He recalled that during the 2015–2016 economic recession, when many states struggled to meet their salary obligations, the Federal Government released Paris Club bailout funds to states, with a directive that at least 40 percent be used for payment of salaries.
According to him, Oyo State went beyond the Federal Government’s requirement, committing 80 per cent of the first tranche to salariesand 100 percent of the subsequent tranche.
Adekanmbi further claimed that the administration he served did not leave salary arrears owed to workers in the core civil service when it left office.
“By the time we left government, we did not owe a single kobo of salary arrears in the core civil service,” he said.
He also highlighted the automated salary payment system introduced during his tenure, saying the reform was designed to eliminate delays between government approval of salaries and actual payment into workers’ bank accounts.
“Before, salaries took up to three weeks after the Governor signed. I created the Treasury Single Account pool and automated salary processing so it hits accounts immediately upon approval,” he said.
Adekanmbi said his experience in financial administration had equipped him with the capacity to build systems capable of ensuring sustainable and timely payment of workers’ salaries.
He disclosed that from June 2015 to June 2016, before commissioners were appointed, he was responsible for the state’s financial administration as Special Adviser on Finance, with financial files from ministries and contracts passing through his desk.
The APM candidate said his professional background included working as a banker and vice-president at a top financial firm, as well as building financial systems for major local authorities in Europe.
He therefore urged Oyo voters to assess governorship candidates based on competence, character, experience and verifiable records rather than political sentiments.
Adekanmbi said his commitment to prompt payment of salaries and pensions would form part of his broader agenda to strengthen public financial management and improve workers’ welfare if elected governor.
Adekanmbi also outlined key elements of his blueprint for Oyo State, promising to strengthen local government autonomy through transparent financial management, public auditing and the open publication of council budgets, expenditures and contract awards.
On infrastructure, he described the Ibadan Circular Road as a vital regional asset that must be completed, while stressing that residents affected by the project must receive prompt and adequate compensation.
He said his recent engagement with affected communities would help address concerns over displacement and corridor setbacks.
Adekanmbi further pledged a data-driven approach to social welfare, including the use of existing social register data to better target vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities and out-of-school children.
He emphasised policy continuity, saying his administration would improve existing programmes rather than discard them.
