The Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Comrade Sikiru Bayo Titilola-Sodo, has unveiled a comprehensive tourism development plan aimed at growing the state’s economy, reducing its dependence on monthly federal allocations and expanding business opportunities for residents.
Titilola-Sodo, a former labour leader, disclosed the plan while speaking with journalists in Ibadan on Saturday, outlining measures his administration would adopt to reposition tourism as a major contributor to the state’s internally generated revenue and employment opportunities.
He said his administration, if elected, would deliberately provide funding for the tourism sector, establish clear Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements, develop a legal framework to support the industry and entrust the management of the sector to trained professionals.
According to him, several tourism attractions across Oyo State have remained largely underdeveloped despite their economic potential. He specifically mentioned the Idere Hills in Ibarapa, the suspended lake in Ado-Awaye and various tourist attractions across Oke-Ogun as sites that have suffered years of neglect.
Titilola-Sodo maintained that with proper investment and effective management, the attractions could become major sources of revenue for the state while creating employment and business opportunities for residents.
“We shall deliberately fund the tourism sector to deepen the economy of Oyo State,” Titilola-Sodo said.
“Tourism is not a side project; it is an industry capable of creating real jobs for our youth and raising our internal revenue. Our administration will give it the financial support it needs.”
Addressing the challenge of inadequate accommodation around major tourist attractions, the AA candidate promised to establish a clear PPP model that would encourage private investors to develop hotels, resorts and rest areas close to tourist destinations.
Under the proposed arrangement, he said the government would concentrate on providing essential infrastructure, including good access roads, adequate security, electricity and proper land documentation, while private investors would be responsible for constructing and managing hotels and other hospitality facilities.
“Government has no business running hotels directly, but it must create the right environment for private capital,” he explained.
“We will encourage PPP arrangements so visitors have comfortable places to stay. People shouldn’t just visit our sites for two hours and leave; they need to stay overnight, spend money in local communities, and want to return.”
Titilola-Sodo also identified policy instability and bureaucratic bottlenecks as challenges that could discourage investment in the tourism sector.
To address these concerns, he pledged to work with the Oyo State House of Assembly to enact a comprehensive tourism law that would provide a clear legal and regulatory framework for the industry.
He said the proposed legislation would protect investors, regulate tourism operators and provide policy continuity across successive administrations, thereby creating a more predictable environment for long-term investment.
The AA candidate further promised to professionalise the management of the state’s tourism sector by placing its daily administration, promotion and policy development in the hands of trained tourism professionals rather than political appointees.
“We will work directly with specialists and key stakeholders in the industry to handle the sector,” he said.
“Square pegs will no longer sit in round holes. The practitioners who understand international standards and market realities will take charge of our state’s tourism board.”
Titilola-Sodo said the proposed tourism development strategy would be implemented with a view to achieving balanced economic development across the five major geographical areas of the state—Ibadan, Oke-Ogun, Ogbomoso, Oyo and Ibarapa.
He explained that the plan would link rural heritage and tourism sites with urban hospitality markets, creating business hubs around tourist destinations and enabling communities outside the major cities to benefit directly from tourism.
According to him, the initiative would create employment opportunities for rural residents, stimulate local businesses and help reduce the movement of young people from rural communities into urban centres in search of jobs.
The AA candidate’s proposal therefore places tourism at the centre of his broader economic strategy for Oyo State, with emphasis on government investment, private-sector participation, legal protection, professional management and the development of infrastructure around the state’s tourism assets.
