Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Chairman and Sole Administrator of Pacesetter Transport Services, PTS, Hon. Dikko Salami, has donated a support fund to the 32 members of the Oyo State Youth Parliament as part of efforts to strengthen youth engagement and mobilize support for Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential ambition, Bimbo Adekanmbi’s gubernatorial ambition, as well as other Allied Peoples Movement, APM, candidates.
The donation was disclosed to online publishers on Tuesday during a meeting with the Speaker of the Oyo State Youth Parliament, Rt. Hon. Oyekola Marvellous Oluwatobi, and other members of the parliament at the PTS headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
According to Hon. Dikko, Investment in Youths is investment in Oyo’s future.
The chairman said the support fund is aimed at fostering strategic partnerships that will advance youth development, promote civic participation, and enable the parliament to implement impactful programmes for young people across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State.
He added that the initiative is also part of a broader political mobilisation to ensure continuity of good governance in Oyo State and at the national level.
Hon. Dikko said: “The support is to strengthen institutional collaboration with the Youth Parliament and to ensure that young people remain central to governance. Governor Seyi Makinde has shown unprecedented commitment to youth inclusion, and we must sustain that legacy.
“The move was also to rally support for Governor Makinde who is contesting for presidency, as well as for APM Governorship candidate, Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi, and other APM candidates ahead of the forthcoming elections.
“By supporting Governor Makinde at the national level and voting all APM candidates, our youths will continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy. Continuity is key if we want policies that empower young people to survive and thrive.”
The PTS Chairman however commended Governor Makinde for creating platforms that have made the Oyo State Youth Parliament more functional and relevant, noting that the administration’s investments in education, transport, health, agriculture, and infrastructure have directly benefited young people.
He urged the Youth Parliament to serve as a bridge between government and young people, and to use the support to drive advocacy, skill acquisition, and community projects.
Some online publishers at the meeting also lauded Hon. Dikko for engaging the media and youth structures early ahead of 2027, noting that such collaboration would help in sensitizing the public on policy direction and candidates’ track records.
They maintained that the Chairman remained the only office holder in the Makinde’s administration that is accessible to youths despite not contesting for any elective post, adding that the meeting is the latest in a series of political engagements as the party begins early groundwork for 2027.
