₦airaland Forum

Affordable food, buses and ballots: Abiodun makes case for Ogun East








Femi Ogbonnikan








Governor Dapo Abiodun's latest initiatives to address the rising cost of living, expand mass transportation and improve community infrastructure in Ogun State provide fresh talking points in assessing his record and his ambition to represent Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

For a state whose economic importance is closely tied to commerce, industry, agriculture and its strategic proximity to Lagos, the challenge of governance goes beyond announcing ambitious projects. It requires policies that respond directly to the daily struggles of residents, particularly the rising cost of food, transportation expenses and the need for accessible roads.

Abiodun's proposed government-backed bulk food purchase scheme, planned expansion of the mass transit fleet and continuing investment in road construction are therefore significant not merely as individual interventions, but as part of the wider argument about the direction of Ogun State under his administration.

At a stakeholders' meeting with organised labour representatives from the Ijebu axis in Ijebu-Ode, the governor announced plans to introduce a bulk food purchase scheme through the proposed Gateway Trading Corporation.
The initiative is designed to enable the government to procure essential commodities in large quantities and make them available to residents at more affordable prices.

The proposal speaks directly to the economic pressures confronting households.
Across communities, food expenditure consumes a substantial share of family income, leaving workers and low-income earners with limited resources for transportation, education, healthcare and other necessities.
By leveraging bulk purchasing to negotiate better prices, the state government hopes to ease some of these pressures while encouraging competition in the open market. The potential value of the initiative lies in its practical impact. If properly implemented, transparently managed and supported by an efficient distribution network, the scheme could provide relief to households while strengthening the connection between public policy and the everyday concerns of citizens.
Its ultimate success, however, will depend on the affordability of the commodities, the reach of the distribution system and the consistency with which residents can access the benefits.
For Abiodun, the proposal offers an opportunity to demonstrate that governance must remain responsive to changing economic realities.
It also presents a potential model for how government can intervene in markets without losing sight of accountability, efficiency and the need to protect public resources.

The governor's promise to expand the mass transit fleet reinforces this emphasis on the cost of living. Transportation is a major component of household expenditure, particularly for workers who must travel daily to their places of employment.
More buses, if deployed along routes where demand is highest, could improve mobility, reduce commuting difficulties and ease some of the financial burden associated with daily movement.

The commitment followed concerns raised by organised labour over the need for more buses to serve workers and members of the public.
By responding to these demands, the administration is positioning public transportation as an important element of its broader welfare agenda rather than treating it solely as an infrastructure concern.
Yet, as the state moves towards another electoral cycle, the relevant test will be the extent to which the proposed expansion translates into more reliable services, wider route coverage and affordable fares.
Residents will reasonably expect measurable improvements, just as they will expect the food-price initiative to move from announcement to implementation.

Abiodun also used the engagement to address concerns relating to leave allowance and the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), issues that have remained important to organised labour. Labour leaders acknowledged the administration's record on salaries, allowances, promotions and the settlement of outstanding gratuities and pensions, while calling for a review of the contributory pension arrangement, the establishment of a Ministry of Labour Affairs and increased subventions to tertiary institutions.

These concerns underscore an important dimension of the governor's political calculation. Workers constitute a significant constituency whose assessment of government performance is shaped not only by major capital projects but also by the regularity of salary payments, retirement benefits, working conditions and the purchasing power of their earnings. The administration's engagement with labour therefore provides an opportunity to consolidate areas of progress while responding to unresolved issues.

For a governor seeking a transition to the Senate, the ability to maintain constructive relationships with organised labour could be an asset, although electoral support will ultimately depend on the wider electorate and its assessment of his record.

Education provides another element of the administration's case.
Abiodun described teachers as indispensable to the development of Ogun State, highlighting their role in academic instruction, character formation and the preparation of young people for responsible leadership. He disclosed that his administration had constructed and renovated about 1,600 classrooms, employed hundreds of teachers over seven years and introduced reforms intended to improve teaching and learning.
These interventions, alongside the achievements of Ogun students in academic competitions and assessments, offer evidence of investment in human capital.
Nevertheless, the lasting value of such investments must also be assessed through learning outcomes, classroom conditions, teacher motivation and equitable access to quality education across the state.

Beyond welfare policies, the ongoing reconstruction of Okenla Road in Ijebu-Ode provides a more immediate illustration of the administration's infrastructure programme in Ogun East. The state government has completed asphalt laying and compaction on a 535-metre stretch of the road, following surface preparation and the application of a prime coat. Although modest in length compared with major highway projects, the road is important to residents who depend on local connections for movement, trading and other economic activities. Improved road access can reduce travel difficulties, enhance safety and make it easier for businesses and households to connect with markets and essential services.

The project also illustrates a principle relevant to the governor's senatorial ambition: development must be visible not only in major urban centres or flagship projects but also in neighbourhoods and communities where the condition of local roads directly affects economic and social life. The broader challenge is to ensure that such interventions are sustained, geographically balanced and accompanied by adequate maintenance.

For Ogun East, where commercial activity, agriculture, industrial development and connections with neighbouring economic centres offer considerable opportunities, infrastructure and welfare policies can reinforce one another. Better roads facilitate trade; affordable transportation improves access to employment; and lower food costs can leave households with more resources for other needs. The effectiveness of governance lies partly in how well these different interventions work together.

This is the context in which Abiodun's ambition to represent Ogun East in the Senate should be examined. His supporters can reasonably point to the combination of infrastructure projects, engagement with organised labour, education interventions and proposed measures to address household expenses as elements of his governing record. They can also argue that experience at the state level could provide a foundation for legislative representation, particularly in matters involving federal infrastructure, budgetary allocations, economic development and collaboration between the state and federal governments.

However, a Senate seat is not simply an extension of the governor's office. Legislative representation requires a different set of responsibilities, including lawmaking, oversight, constituency engagement and the ability to influence national policy. Abiodun's case will therefore be stronger if his supporters explain not only what his administration has done in Ogun State but also how his experience would translate into effective representation for Ogun East.

The proposed food scheme must move from planning to delivery, the expansion of public transportation must produce dependable services, and road projects must be completed to appropriate standards. These are the practical benchmarks against which residents will judge the administration. Equally, unresolved concerns raised by workers and other stakeholders will require sustained attention. The endorsement of APC candidates by labour leaders at the meeting is politically significant, but it should not be mistaken for a substitute for wider public evaluation. In a competitive democracy, the credibility of any senatorial ambition rests on the strength of the candidate's record, the clarity of the agenda presented to voters and the confidence that the candidate can serve effectively in a different office.

This distinction between performance and populism is critical. In an election season, it is tempting to substitute announcements for achievements, and visibility for verifiable impact. Ogun State does not need a politics of populist gestures that excite the moment but evaporate thereafter. What residents require is measurable performance: how many households actually bought cheaper rice through Gateway Trading Corporation, how many additional buses are running daily on Ijebu-Ode to Sagamu and Abeokuta routes? What the average fare reduction is, and whether Okenla Road and similar community roads remain motorable after one rainy season? Populism promises much; performance proves much. The bulk food scheme must publish prices and locations, the mass transit expansion must publish schedules and fares, and road projects must be subjected to independent quality audits. That culture of evidence will do more for public trust than any endorsement.
If Abiodun wants his governorship to be a credible launchpad for the Senate, he must show that his administration prefers the harder work of delivery to the easier art of declaration. That is the difference voters in Ogun East will be watching.

Ultimately, Abiodun's strongest argument for Ogun East may lie in demonstrating that governance can connect economic relief with long-term development.
The proposed measures on food prices and transportation address immediate pressures, while investments in roads and education speak to the foundations of future growth. If these initiatives are implemented effectively and their benefits are felt across communities, they could strengthen the case his supporters intend to make ahead of 2027.

For the electorate, the central consideration should be whether the governor's experience, achievements and plans offer a credible basis for effective senatorial representation. For Abiodun, the challenge is to turn the promise of his state-level record into a convincing legislative agenda — one that prioritises the interests of Ogun East, advances its development needs and gives residents a clear basis on which to judge his ambition.










9gbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Ogun State Governor on Media

Ogun:The reality of Abiodun's social welfare and wellbeing beyond rhetoric

By Olaniyi Ajibola

One of the factors that stand the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun out among previous administrations in Ogun State is the lucidity of his development agenda, coined 'ISEYA', an all-encompassing concept that clearly depicts readiness and commitment, coupled with satisfactory knowledge of the art of governance.

Meanwhile, the most interesting and laudable thing about the administration is the simultaneous implementation of projects across those critical areas embedded in ISEYA mantra and across the 20 local governments of the state. Which has impressively changed the old order of political exclusion and deception.

Every resident and stakeholder can attest to the fact that Governor Dapo Abiodun has genuinely lived up to his promise in all sectors and continues to be fair to all strata of the social structure as a leader who knows his onions and possesses capacity to lead with utmost honesty, dedication and responsiveness without making noise

In this part of the world, where propaganda reins supreme above good governance, it is practically rare to see a leader with such magnitude of achievements in all sectors maintaining decorum and calmness like the Governor of Ogun State, who majorly focuses on the business of governance and assiduously working to entrench a legacy of unprecedented transformation in the political history of the Gateway state.

The same speed in which he has driven the infrastructural development across the state from the terrible state of accumulated deficit in 2019, so also he is changing the state of education sector, agriculture, and the conscious empowerment of the youths, who he considers as the engine room of the state and dependable future .

Another critical area as encapsulates by the ISEYA mantra is social welfare and wellbeing of the people in the state and visitors. The government of Prince Dapo Abiodun intentionally prioritises this aspect of governance, which includes the prompt payment of workers' salaries and pensions for the retirees as well as other emoluments as first -line-charge.

The administration of Governor Abiodun made history across the country as the first sub-national government to roll out palliatives support for public servants in the state to cushion the adverse economic effects of petrol subsidy removal. As it stands, the government has allocated the total of ₦987.185 million as palliative support for its workers between April and December 2026, which includes ₦327.31 million recently earmarked for the fourth quarter.

Of course, the intervention is a reflection of the administration’s recognition of the importance of workers’ welfare to productivity, effective public service delivery and the implementation of its development agenda in the area of social welfare and wellbeing.

Also, through Oko 'Owo' Irinse Dapo, the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun has disbursed billions of naira to market women and men for the purpose of strengthening the micro-economic layer of the state through small and medium scale enterprises and towards improving the standard of living of those individuals in the business.

Perhaps, the latest of the administration's special intervention in this regard is the approval of a welfare palliative of ₦50,000 each for the 3,050 members of the 2026 Batch C, Stream I of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) currently undergoing their orientation programme at the NYSC camp in Sagamu.

The government also donated 500 mattresses to the camp. The intervention, according to the Commissioner for Sports Development in the state, Wasiu Isiaka is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to ease the burden of prevailing economic challenges on young Nigerians and provide support for corps members serving in the state.

He said,'' The disbursement of the funds commenced on Monday, with each eligible corps member to receive ₦50,000 to help meet personal and other essential needs during the orientation period.

''The initiative underscores the state government’s recognition of the contributions of corps members to national development and its commitment to promoting their welfare, comfort and overall well-being throughout their service year.

"The government acknowledges that corps members, many of whom are away from their families and familiar environments, face various financial and personal demands as they settle into their new assignments. The additional financial support is intended to provide some relief and make their transition into the service year more manageable.

"Beyond the financial palliative, the state government has also approved the donation of 500 mattresses to the NYSC orientation camp in Sagamu to strengthen the camp’s capacity to accommodate corps members comfortably.

"The intervention comes amid an increase in the number of corps members deployed to Ogun State, making continuous investment in camp facilities and essential amenities necessary to sustain appropriate living conditions for participants.

"The provision of mattresses forms part of the government’s broader commitment to supporting the NYSC programme and ensuring that corps members have access to decent accommodation and a conducive environment during their orientation exercise.

"The Abiodun administration recognises the strategic role of the NYSC scheme in promoting national unity, cultural integration, leadership development and service to local communities. Corps members also contribute to critical sectors, including education, healthcare and community development, bringing their knowledge, skills and energy to bear on the development of their host communities.

"The state government, therefore, considers their welfare an important aspect of creating a supportive environment in which they can discharge their responsibilities effectively and have a rewarding service year.

"Ogun State will continue to explore measures to improve facilities at the orientation camp in response to changing needs and the growing number of corps members deployed to the state. The objective is to sustain appropriate standards of accommodation, comfort and general welfare while strengthening the state’s capacity to receive and support corps members during their orientation.

"The government also encourages corps members to embrace the values of discipline, patriotism, tolerance and selfless service, and to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the NYSC scheme to contribute meaningfully to their host communities and the country at large.

"The state government reiterates its commitment to initiatives that promote youth welfare, social inclusion and human capital development, recognising young people as important partners in building a more prosperous and inclusive society".

In the last 48 hours that the news have hit the airwaves and other news platforms, especially the social media, there has been huge applause across the country, commending Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration for the good gesture, considering the impacts the intervention would have on the general wellbeing of the corps members.

Obviously, many of the beneficiaries came from different states across the country, with many visiting the state for the first time. They must have been hearing about the Chief Marketer of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun before now, but fate has made them to have the taste of what makes Ogun state exceptionally essential among others, and that is responsible leadership.

To Prince Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State is a home for everyone, both residents and visitors alike, the same way it remains a comfort zone and a destination of choice for both indigenous and foreign investors, and that is the selling point the Governor continues to propagate in the global arena.

Welcome to Ogun State, the capital of Intellectualism, Industrialization, Religion and Social Welfare!

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

Nigeria is a good vehicle with bad driver, Nigeria needs driver like Atiku-Jackson Ojo

A security expert and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has described Nigeria as a good vehicle with a bad driver at the steering , adding that the renewed hope mantra of President Bola Tinubu-led administration is an epitome of hopelessness and total disappointment,adding that the best driver Nigeria needs now is Atiku Abubakar.

Ojo insisted that those who are supporting President Tinubu are individuals who are comfortable with poverty and insecurity, saying the over three years of the administration has been seriously turbulent and full of turmoil.

He urged Nigerians to be careful and conscious in the coming electoral circle not to repeat what he called the mistake of 2023 which many are regretting greatly now as a result of bad governance and maladministration with impunity.

The security expert alleged that the government Tinubu superintended in Lagos was characterised with lies and political propaganda claiming that Tinubu built Lagos in the area of infrastructural development and growth , he said the deficiency in his government as President has exposed him as someone who lacks requisite capacity to lead .

Ojo made case for Atiku Abubakar as the only panacea to Nigeria's socio-economic quagmire and present political lopsidedness considering his pedigree as the former Vice-president with laudable impacts in all strata of the nation's economy.

He also took a swipe at the Vice-presidential candidate of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) Rabiu Kwankwaso who he accused of working for President Bola Tinubu by his recent attack of former President Atiku Abubakar.

He stressed that the NDC Vice-presidential candidate is no longer relevant politically in Kano, his former stronghold and that the best for him and his Presidential candidate, Peter Obi is to support Atiku Abubakar if they are serious about changing the present government in power.

"Look at Kwankwaso, instead of him to face the government in power he is busy attacking Atiku Abubakar, definitely the man is tactically working for Tinubu without Obi's knowledge, it is so evident by his tactics.

"Meanwhile, this is an important period for Nigeria as we are preparing to sign another democratic contract with regards to who will pilot the affairs of this country for the next four years, and you know a day in governance matters a lot not to talk of 365 days in four places.

"You will agree with me that this present government is a disaster since it's day one in office when the President removed subsidy on petroleum products and hardship became the order of the day as every other calamity follows suit, including insecurity and lack of infrastructure.

"The much talked about renewed hope of President Tinubu only brought about hopelessness and era of hardship and insecurity, Nigeria in all sincerity has never been this disappointed with lack of health infrastructure, road infrastructure and humongous debt to say the least.

"In as much as I am not a member of any political party, however, I believe Atiku Abubakar is the only hope Nigeria has now, he was the best in his duty as the Vice-president of Nigeria . Despite being elected as the Governor of Adamawa State, he was brought in to stabilise the government of Obasanjo as more knowledgeable politician.

"Atiku as the head of the economic team in the government assembled the best brains to drive the macroeconomy and stimulated speedy growth. For instance, who can you compare with Ngozi Iwealla, in this government, what of Oby ekwezili, Nasir Elrufai, Nuhu Ribadu among others.

"Atiku helped Obasanjo to run the government during the first term without borrowing a dime, instead, their government worked assiduously and achieved debt forgiveness for Nigeria, unlike this Tinubu's government that is borrowing from left, right and centre.

"As a matter of fact, the reason why Obasanjo did not perform during his second term in office was because Atiku was not involved again because of his rejection of Obasanjo's third term agenda.So, Atiku remains the best driver we need now in this critical period of our political history to pilot the affairs of the country to an eldorado.


"Even Peter Obi of NDC has no better option now than to support Atiku Abubakar because no Nigerians will take their ticket seriously again, going by the present political reality and their dwindled political relevance and influence , so, the only solution now is Atiku Abubakar ".

Gateway Deep Seaport: How reality rattles opposition elements into confusion

By Olaniyi Ajibola

The late English Novelist and Essayist, George Orwell, best known globally for his powerful anti-utopian novel, "Animal Farm", in his brilliant description of political naivety wrapped in sheer pontification once said,''Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind".

Sincerely, the recent remarks credited to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) senatorial candidate for Ogun East, Alhaji Abdul-Hameed Omotayo, describing the widely celebrated $7bn deep seaport project in Ogun State, recently sealed in Paris in the presence of Nigeria's President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as 'broken promise' is not only bizarre to every sound mind, it profoundly exposes political emptiness.

The fact remains that it is either Alhaji Omotayo is not the type that listen to news and among those who consider reading newspapers as a waste of time but prefer to pick information from beer parlour conversations or decided to say something as a senatorial candidate of a political party not minding the substance of such commentary.

In any case, making such remarks in the face of present reality has a serious negative implication on an individual aspiring to become a lawmaker as well as the political platform he is representing. The Senate is fundamentally meant for individuals with sound mind and not for people who are quick to make comment in the absence of logic.

Strictly speaking, the Gateway Deep Seaport Investment represents a major milestone in the annals of the state and serves as a significant achievement in the quest for economic diversification through marine economy, which is presently at the front burner of global conversation on investment and growth beyond oil.

In the full glare of the global community, Ogun State Government and the renowned DP World MEA FZE signed Memoranda of Understanding towards the development of the Gateway Deep Seaport and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, with an inherent prospects of more than $7 billion in initial investment as well as carrying capacity of over 50,000 direct jobs.

It, therefore, utterly unthinkable that any sound mind in a sound body could describe an event in far away Paris, which had the president of a country in attendance, alongside Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho a 'broken promise' less than a month after the agreement was signed.

Apart from what a very elated Governor Dapo Abiodun said, President Tinubu's speech at the event should ordinarily make the worst pessimist to have a rethink and take a break for a moment. The President emphasised that the projects would address longstanding infrastructure and logistics constraints while creating an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce and access to African and global markets.

According to the president,''We are doing more than signing agreements; we are laying the foundation for a new chapter in Nigeria’s development,”

Deeper analysis of the projects reveals that it will feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, positioning it to handle larger vessels, decongest the Lagos port corridor and reduce costs and delays for importers and exporters.

The port will also be integrated with the proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, which is expected to support manufacturing, processing and export-oriented industries.

Tinubu said the zone would enable imported inputs to be converted into finished products and Nigerian raw materials to be processed for export, helping to expand the country’s non-oil export base.

“A port moves cargo; a port integrated with a special economic zone helps to build an economy,” he said.

The President said the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would provide a critical link between the port and industrial zone, Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and wider African markets.

He added that the emerging corridor would also connect with other strategic investments, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project, strengthening the relationship between maritime infrastructure, industry, energy and trade.

President Tinubu further described the investment as a practical expression of economic diversification and industrialisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda as he commended Ogun State Governor for securing the land, structuring the investment framework and reducing project risks for investors.

Meanwhile, as a clear evidence of seriousness and exigency of the projects, some days after the signing of the MOU in Paris, Governor Dapo Abiodun disclosed that construction work on the Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone would commence in November this year.

The governor said the groundbreaking ceremony for the project would take place in November, after which construction would commence immediately, with the port expected to be substantially completed within two and a half years.

“By November, we will perform the groundbreaking and the construction will start immediately. In two and a half years, that port will almost be completed 100 per cent,” Abiodun said.

The Governor, however, pointed out that the port project had remained largely unrealised for more than three decades despite its enormous potential, prompting his administration to revive it as part of its strategy to attract investment and accelerate economic development.

“Ogun State will become the marine capital of Africa, the marine hub of West Africa, meaning that the biggest ships in the world, when they are coming to Africa, will first come to Ogun Waterside.”

With all these verifiable evidence and unimpeachable facts about the reality and seriousness of the projects and the attendant prosperity for Ogun state and it's people, particularly the good people of Ogun Waterside, the host community, who are eagerly waiting for the projects to commence in earnest, the statement credited to the PDP candidate in their senatorial district is without doubt an anathema.

It is abundantly evident that Governor Dapo Abiodun is a visionary and pragmatic leader by all standards, his passion for development and growth is legendary and he has proved to all his naysayers that he is far more clear headed in politics and governance, so, why won't he get the massive supports of his people for further responsibility?

That Prince Dapo Abiodun has been able to reverse developmental stagnations in Ogun East, associated with past administrations in the state is enough evidence of better representation and preferred option for the people of the senatorial district, who are highly enlightened and politically conscious to appreciate development over rhetorics.

The Gateway agro-cargo airport is a pointer to Governor Dapo Abiodun's commitment to good governance and responsible leadership; the way and speed the project was achieved after twenty years of neglect is impressive and commendable even in the face of initial pessimism by the opposition elements out of confusion.

Point blankly, the Gateway deep seaport in Ogun Waterside is following the same pattern and attention after thirty years of neglect , the starting point optimally reflects significant advancement in the economy of Ogun state and it's status as the leading industrial hub in the West Africa sub-region as well as emerging marine economy giant in Africa's coastal corridor.

It is, indeed, pertinent for Alhaji Omotayo and his ilk on that one-legged political platform to quickly change their style and be more serious about issues of paramount interests to the people. They should know that it is not necessary to speak when there are no facts to substantiate claims and when commentary goes without logic.

Obviously, Governor Dapo Abiodun has evidently broken jinx in Ogun East and not promise, he has unprecedentedly reversed stagnations and revived developmental projects with rare speed and seriousness, and the Prince of Iperu is willing and ready to do more for the people of Ogun East.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

How Abiodun re-engineered Ogun East economy: A case for Senate ambition








Femi Ogbonnikan










When Governor Dapo Abiodun assumed office in 2019, Ogun State stood at a critical economic crossroads.
Lacking a comprehensive handover note and operating within an intensely competitive regional landscape neighbouring Nigeria's commercial nerve centre, Lagos, the administration faced deep-seated structural challenges.
Infrastructure deficits, uneven industrial distribution, and fragmented economic corridors threatened to bottleneck the state's immense potential.

Rather than adopting a piece-meal approach, the administration formulated a master plan anchored on the ISEYA development agenda — Infrastructure, Social welfare, Education, Youth empowerment, and Agriculture.
Over the years, this deliberate policy mix has catalyzed a profound macro-economic turnaround, shifting Ogun State from a peripheral commuter zone into a premier, self-sustaining industrial powerhouse with an economy crossing the milestone 16 trillion Naira threshold.

At the heart of this geographic and economic reconfiguration is Ogun East Senatorial District, a zone historically rich in human capital, agricultural output, and cultural heritage, but historically underserved by heavy industrial and logistical investments.
Under Governor Abiodun, Ogun East has experienced a paradigm shift, emerging as a central pillar in the state's broader economic architecture.

To appreciate the localized growth of Ogun East, one must first examine the sweeping economic re-engineering that has redefined Ogun State as a whole.
Through rigorous fiscal discipline, aggressive revenue automation, and a deliberate strategy to ease-of-doing-business, the state achieved remarkable feats.
By plugging leakages and expanding the tax net without overburdening citizens, Ogun dramatically improved its fiscal independence, ranking consistently among the top sub-nationals in Nigeria for domestic revenue mobilization.
Investors were met with a transparent land administration system, digitized business registration support, and a security architecture anchored on improved patrol, intelligence sharing, and community policing.
The result was an influx of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and domestic manufacturing expansion that placed Ogun as Nigeria's industrial capital.

Concurrently, an infrastructure revolution saw more than 1,700 kilometres of roads constructed, rehabilitated, or asphalted across the state.
This road revolution directly lowered production costs, reduced transit times, and linked rural agricultural belts directly to urban consumer markets.
While Ogun Central and Ogun West have historically dominated manufacturing, the Abiodun administration implemented a deliberate spatial economic strategy that opened up new industrial clusters, earning national recognition for infrastructure, housing delivery, ICT integration, and agricultural development.
Awards and national ratings now consistently place Ogun at the top for industrial growth, a testament to a governance model that prioritizes infrastructure as the foundation for human prosperity.

Ogun East Senatorial District — comprising vibrant communities across the Ijebu Ode, Remo North, Sagamu, Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Odogbolu, Ijebu North-East and Ogun Waterside axes — has undergone a sweeping structural transformation as a result. Historically functioning as a major agricultural and cultural hub, Ogun East has been systematically repositioned as a multi-modal logistics, aviation, and maritime frontier. Landmark transport projects have rewritten the commercial map of the region.
Key arteries such as the Ijebu-Ode–Epe Expressway transformed a once-notorious bottleneck into a smooth, multi-lane commercial highway that serves as a vital economic bypass connecting Ogun directly to the Lekki-Epe corridor in Lagos State, drastically cutting travel time and easing the movement of heavy cargo, professionals, and traders.
Internal township roads in Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and Ago-Iwoye have similarly been overhauled to stimulate local commerce and boost intra-state trade.
The Sagamu Interchange corridor, once a gridlock flashpoint, now functions as a seamless logistics node.

The true crown jewels of Ogun East's transformation are the Gateway International Airport (GIA) at Iperu-Remo and the multi-billion-dollar Gateway Deep Sea Port in Ogun Waterside.
Acting as dual growth engines, these mega-projects provide the structural infrastructure for a complete economic renaissance.
By linking agrarian belts directly to foreign markets, the agro-cargo airport drastically reduces post-harvest losses and opens direct export routes for local farmers, while transforming surrounding corridors into high-value real estate and warehousing hubs.
What was once agrarian land in Iperu-Remo is now a bustling aerotropolis, attracting hotels, logistics parks, and packaging industries. Farmers in Ijebu North and Remo who once lost 40 percent of produce to spoilage can now process and air-freight within hours.

Simultaneously, the Gateway Deep Sea Port — developed in partnership with global port operators alongside the Blue Marine Special Economic Zone — positions Ogun East as Nigeria's primary maritime gateway. Featuring deep-draft berths capable of handling ocean-going vessels, the seaport bypasses traditional bottlenecks along the Lagos port corridor, cutting freight tariffs and supply chain delays for domestic manufacturers.
Governor Abiodun’s approval of the J4-Gao Road and the Federal Government's approval of a four-kilometre bridge linking Ogun Waterside to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are strategic enablers for this port.
With groundbreaking scheduled for November 2026 and completion by 2030, the port and the co-located Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project will alter the economic profile of the entire district.
Together, these multi-modal investments integrate air, maritime, and overland logistics into a unified commercial network, accelerating export-led industrialization, generating over 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, and cementing Ogun East as a critical transit and trade powerhouse for West Africa.

This macro-level expansion has been carefully balanced with human capital development, social infrastructure, and grassroots upliftment, the essential deliverables that make economic growth meaningful.
Additionally, housing developments across Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and other urban centres have provided decent, low-cost shelter for middle- and low-income families, stimulating the local construction value chain and empowering local artisans and suppliers.
Public primary and secondary schools across the senatorial district have benefited from massive rehabilitation, comprehensive curriculum support, and digital learning integration, while primary healthcare centres have been upgraded to guarantee maternal and child health access at the grassroots level. Furthermore, strategic public-private partnerships (PPP) have served as a force multiplier for the state's treasury, enabling large-scale capital projects without plunging the sub-national government into unsustainable debt profiles.
By cultivating investor confidence through transparent procurement processes and dedicated security frameworks, the administration has successfully attracted both domestic conglomerates and international investors to set up regional headquarters and production facilities within Ogun East.

Agriculture and youth empowerment remain crucial cornerstones of this regional strategy, particularly across the Ijebu and Remo agrarian belts.
Recognizing that the average age of traditional farmers is high, the Abiodun administration revolutionized youth involvement in the sector through the Anchor Borrowers' Programme and tech-driven farming initiatives.
By organizing young farmers into clusters, providing land clearing, high-yield seedlings, fertilizers, and guaranteed offtake markets, the state turned farming into a lucrative enterprise. Cassava to ethanol, rice clusters in Eggua, and fish farming in Waterside are now youth-driven businesses, not subsistence activities.

Beyond agriculture, youth in Ogun East have benefited from continuous digital skills acquisition programmes, tech hub partnerships, and seed capital provision for micro, small, and medium enterprises, channeling youthful energy into productive economic ventures.
The Gbemiga Abiodun Education Support Programme, now expanded from 831 to 1,277 beneficiaries across all nine local government areas in Ogun East for the 2026/2027 session, illustrates this shift from welfare to wealth creation.
Beyond scholarships, 83 technical college students receive N150,000 tools to start practice, 20 graduates receive up to N250,000 start-up capital with mentorship, and 30 tertiary beneficiaries are trained in software development, data analytics, cybersecurity and UI/UX. Improvements in literacy rates, school enrollment figures, and maternal health retention metrics reflect this holistic approach.

Moreover, the state's dedication to prompt payment of workers' salaries and pension reforms has injected steady liquidity into local markets, fostering vibrant consumer demand across Sagamu, Ijebu Ode, and surrounding towns.
The recent clearing of N3.503 billion severance to 1,042 former local government office holders and the cumulative N157.9 billion pension commitment since 2019, including N5.83 billion fresh release for gratuity and additional pension benefits, have restored dignity to those who served.
When retirees and grassroots politicians are paid, markets in Ijebu Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ibiade come alive.

The transformation of Ogun State and the striking renaissance of Ogun East under Governor Dapo Abiodun offer a masterclass in strategic governance.
By replacing ad-hoc policymaking with a rigorous, data-driven master plan, the administration has successfully dismantled long-standing economic bottlenecks.
Ogun East is no longer defined merely by its rich history and agricultural heritage; it stands today as a modern logistics, industrial, and aviation hub that significantly boosts Nigeria's overall trade capacity. As these foundational projects mature, the state's multi-trillion-naira economy is well-positioned for resilient, long-term prosperity that will benefit generations to come.

In the final reckoning, governance is not about projects commissioned, but about people empowered and geography transformed. Governor Abiodun has taken Ogun East from the periphery of industrial attention to the centre of Nigeria's maritime and aviation future. He has taken its youths from the anxiety of unemployment to the confidence of owning tools, start-ups, and digital skills. He has taken its elders from the pain of unpaid entitlements to the dignity of a N157.9 billion pension redemption. He has taken its farmers from the frustration of post-harvest waste to the promise of an agro-cargo runway and a deep sea port that will carry their produce to the world.

If Ogun East needs a voice in the Senate, it needs not a novice who will learn the language of development, but a master who has already written it in concrete, in cargo planes, in deep-water berths, in classrooms and in bank alerts. To send Dapo Abiodun to the Senate is to institutionalize the ISEYA philosophy at the national level, to ensure that Ogun East's renaissance is not a passing phase but a permanent pillar of Nigeria's economic greatness. This is more than ambition; it is continuity of a prosperity agenda that has already crossed the N16 trillion threshold and is now ready to sail from Ogun Waterside to the world.









Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Ogun State Governor on Media

Abiodun: The Trailblazer of Ogun East






Femi Ogbonnikan









In Ogun State, the conversation about representation is shifting from mere political slogans to verifiable evidence of human capital development and a sustained commitment to the welfare of the people.
For a state that prides itself as Nigeria's industrial capital and a pacesetter in education, the true test of leadership lies not in promises made on campaign podiums, but in deliberate investments that secure dignity, opportunity, and a future for its citizens.
It is within this context that the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has built a compelling case for higher national service, with a record that speaks directly to the core mandate of senatorial representation: protecting people, unlocking prosperity, and giving a voice to the vulnerable.

To represent Ogun Senatorial District at the National Assembly is to be entrusted with the responsibility of translating local needs into federal action, and Governor Abiodun's record over the last seven years provides the most credible evidence that he understands this assignment. Governor Abiodun's most defining statement on human capital has been his approach to the welfare of workers, retirees, and grassroots political actors, those often forgotten once their service years are over.
On Tuesday at the Oba's Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, former political office-holders in Ogun State's 20 local government councils and LCDAs, who served between 2016 and 2024, openly described as unprecedented the clearing of N3.503 billion in outstanding severance allowances owed to 1,042 former chairmen, vice-chairmen, secretaries, supervisors, special advisers and councillors. As Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade clarified, the payment of N3,503,489,479.56 was made after rigorous verification and reconciliation by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the State Audit Department and the Local Government Service Commission, with 526 beneficiaries from the 2016-2019 tenure and 516 from the 2020-2024 tenure.

The process was seamless, transparent and paid directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts. Beneficiary Hon. Emiola Ghazal, former Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, captured the mood when he said, "This is unprecedented in Ogun State.
We never believed a government could take responsibility for entitlements owed by its predecessor despite what the predecessor put the governor through. The governor is truly a promise keeper, a leader with the milk of human kindness."
This single act has restored confidence in public service at the grassroots, healed a wound of political betrayal, and signaled that legitimate labour will not be abandoned for politics. For a Senator, who will be called upon to defend local government autonomy, to legislate on grassroots governance, and to protect political inclusion, this credential is invaluable.
It shows a man who does not see grassroots politicians as disposable.
That same philosophy underpins the state's pension revolution, perhaps the most consistent human capital protection policy in Ogun's recent history. On October 8, the government announced that its total commitment to pension-related payments since May 29, 2019 has reached N157.9 billion, following a fresh release of N5.83 billion approved at the September 24, 2026 Joint Accounts Allocation Committee meeting. Head of Service (HoS), Mr Olanrewaju Saka broke it down: N4,906,950,967.98 for gratuity to Local Government pensioners who retired in 2022 and SUBEB retirees of 2021, and N918,596,179.16 for Additional Pension Benefits under the Contributory Pension Scheme. Since January 2026 alone, N4.12 billion has been paid in Additional Pension Benefits. The cumulative N157.9 billion includes N29,116,988,743.64 gratuity to 7,390 beneficiaries, N105,391,736,016.69 pension to 16,420 beneficiaries, N7,782,738,878.42 CPS deductions for 29,883 workers between July 2025 and August 2026, N3,332,112,713.71 Accrued Pension Rights to 2,567 persons, N5,041,139,048.90 arrears of CPS deductions, N1,347,359,839.24 Returns on Investment, N584,850,736.98 death benefits and other payments for 160 families, and N1,321,790,502.25 in palliatives, with approximately N4 billion in Additional Pension Benefits to 709 beneficiaries.
To put it in context, the state has consistently paid over N45.5 billion in gratuity to Local Government and SUBEB retirees alone since 2019. For a senator, whose primary duty is to sponsor people-centred laws and protect the sanctity of earned entitlements at the national level, this is not just an administrative record; it is a legislative template. It proves that Governor Abiodun understands that human capital is not expendable and that a worker who gave thirty-five years deserves dignity, not despair. This is the kind of compassion and fiscal discipline Ogun needs in the Senate to argue for pension reforms, contributory pension safeguards, and social protection bills.But welfare without future opportunity is incomplete, and this is where his youth and education architecture becomes his strongest credential for the Senate.
On October 9, 2026, the fourth edition of the Gbemiga Abiodun Education Support Programme expanded from 831 beneficiaries in 2025/2026 to 1,277 beneficiaries in 2026/2027, covering 336 primary pupils, 584 secondary students, 83 technical college students and 274 tertiary students across all nine local government areas in Ogun East Senatorial District.
The programme, established in memory of his late son whose desire to help others continues to inspire the family, attracted over 3,000 online applications with more than 1,500 from Ogun East indigenes. Beyond the N99.1 million disbursed last year, the new cycle introduces two critical human capital layers that align with national development priorities and the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. First, 80 Senior Secondary School Three students are being supported through a UTME and SSCE Support Programme with JAMB registration and LearnOn WhatsApp revision platform and sustained engagement involving parents, ensuring transition, not just enrolment. Second, the technical college category introduced in 2025, where each beneficiary receives N150,000 for basic training equipment and is already undertaking paid assignments and improving livelihoods, will now be scaled into a full entrepreneurship pipeline. Twenty graduating technical and tertiary beneficiaries with viable business ideas will receive business development training, mentorship and start-up support of up to N250,000 each.
Additionally, 30 tertiary beneficiaries will be trained in high-demand digital skills: digital marketing, software development, data analytics, cybersecurity and UI/UX design. As Commissioner Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu noted, this moves the programme from scholarship to employability.
Programme Coordinator Reverend Bola Oyeledun emphasized its broadened access, while Lamisa Abiodun urged technical beneficiaries to take vocational education seriously for sustainable livelihoods. For Ogun Senatorial District representation, this is exactly the kind of thinking needed in the National Assembly, laws and interventions that connect education to enterprise and enterprise to employment, ensuring no child's potential is limited by the financial circumstances of their family.

These human investments are being matched with physical infrastructure that will create the jobs those skilled youths will fill. At the APC stakeholders' engagement in Ibiade, headquarters of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, Governor Abiodun approved the construction of the J4-Gao Road, a strategic corridor neglected for decades, to open up Ogun Waterside for investment. He also disclosed that the Federal Government had approved a four-kilometre bridge linking the local government to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. These roads are not just asphalt; they are enablers for the two transformative projects he announced: the Gateway Deep Sea Port, whose groundbreaking is scheduled for November 2026 with completion by 2030, and the Liquefied Natural Gas project. Both will position Ogun Waterside as an energy, maritime and logistics hub, complement Ogun's growing industrial base within the Lagos-Ogun economic corridor, and generate over 50,000 direct jobs across logistics, transportation, construction, hospitality, services, manufacturing and other sectors, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's full support. He rightly noted that Ogun Waterside, with 126 polling units and about 62,000 registered voters, has been neglected for too long and that these projects will change its economic fortunes. His charge to youths to acquire skills to take advantage of these opportunities directly links his infrastructure vision to his education and digital skills programme.

What emerges is a coherent human capital ecosystem. A government that pays pensioners, settles severance, funds scholarships, buys tools for technicians, incubates start-ups, trains coders, builds roads and negotiates a deep sea port is not doing scattered philanthropy. It is executing a deliberate strategy to keep people in school, keep skills in the state, and keep hope alive. That is the essence of senatorial representation: to be a bridge between federal power and local need.
In the final analysis, Ogun does not need a Senator who will go to Abuja to learn on the job. Ogun needs a Senator who has already governed a complex state, balanced its books, paid its debts, educated its children, empowered its women and artisans, and attracted the kind of multibillion-dollar investments that will define the next fifty years.
Governor Dapo Abiodun has done all of these without noise, without abandoning inherited liabilities, and without leaving any legitimate obligation unpaid. He has transformed personal pain into public purpose through the Gbemiga Abiodun Education Programme, transformed bureaucratic neglect into a N157.9 billion pension commitment that restored dignity to 16,420 retirees, transformed grassroots cynicism into confidence with a N3.5 billion severance payment, and transformed a forgotten riverine axis into Nigeria's next maritime frontier. If representation is about character, competence and compassion, then his record is not just a campaign document; it is a covenant with the people. It is proof that leadership is not measured by titles held, but by lives touched, by obligations honoured, and by futures secured. For Ogun Senatorial District, the choice is clear: send a promise keeper to the Senate, and the promises of prosperity, dignity and inclusive growth will finally have a keeper in the chamber where Nigeria's future is legislated, where budgets are passed, and where the destiny of a generation is decided. In Abuja, Ogun needs not a learner, but a leader. In Dapo Abiodun, it has a proven builder of people, prosperity and ports, ready to translate executive experience into senatorial impact.









Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Ogun State Governor on Media





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Ogun: When Gov. Abiodun reciprocates diligence, meritorious service

By Olaniyi Ajibola

While many have argued rather erroneously about the character of the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as being ideologically elitist, considering his background and social exposure, the reality of the governor's personality in close assessment is that of strong sensitivity to the course of humanity as well as compassion.

Strictly speaking, the moral finesse of the Governor made many of his political antagonists to have a wrong perception about the degree of humanity in him, his political strength and intellectual prowess, thinking his urbane nature was tantamount to cowardice and intellectual laziness.

He, however, proved these pessimists outrightly wrong by courageously striking a balance between politics and governance in the most appropriate proportion, with rare creativity , humility and empathy. He completely changed the era of deception and chicanery that characterised the other administrations before him and places high premium on purposeful leadership.

His political philosophy intrinsically differs from majority of his contemporaries in power, it is really amazing how the Governor handles pubic affairs in the same way a rational entrepreneur handles his business with every attention and concentration.

Of course, the Governor's attention is on every segment of state's issues and all sectors without sentiment and predilection. True to his earlier promise not to discriminate against any part of the state or people in the course of discharging his statutory obligations.

The Governor has demonstrated his deep knowledge and understanding about labour relations and tenets of productivity, as he continually expressed his respectful regard for workers as the the engine room of government and the blood that flows in the vein of every successful administration as well as retirees who have diligently served the state meritoriously.

Unlike others, Prince Dapo Abiodun neither victimises nor intimidates the pubic servants under any circumstances, he has democratically collaborated with the workers and engaged them periodically through their representatives, resulting to peaceful atmosphere and symbiotic relationship between the government and the workforce.

There is no doubt that one of the reasons for friction and unrest between the labour and any government is irregular payment of salaries and pensions, coupled with lack of incentives for motivation and delayed promotions and career progression, in which the Governor adequately addressed from day one in office, which automatically stopped incessant strike and resultant tension in the service.

Governor Abiodun's administration considers the retirees in the state as noble citizens of high repute, who have meritoriously served the state diligently and deserve to be honoured and care for in return. Since the Governor came into the saddle, no retirees have been left to suffer in any form.

To corroborate this assertion, the government on Wednesday announced that it has committed ₦157.9 billion to pension-related payments since May 29, 2019, following the recent release of an additional ₦5.83 billion for gratuity and Additional Pension Benefits to retirees.

The latest release, approved at the September 24, 2026 meeting of the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC), is part of the administration’s efforts to clear outstanding retirement obligations and improve the welfare of senior citizens who have patriotically served the state.

The government , through the Head of Service, Mr Olanrewaju Saka, said ₦4,906,950,967.98 of the funds would be used to pay gratuity to Local Government pensioners who retired in 2022 and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) retirees who retired in 2021.

According to him, the remaining ₦918,596,179.16, was earmarked for Additional Pension Benefits to eligible retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

He added that the latest intervention reflected Governor Dapo Abiodun’s commitment to progressively addressing outstanding retirement obligations and ensuring that retirees who served the state meritoriously were treated with dignity, saying the administration had released ₦4.12 billion in Additional Pension Benefits to CPS retirees since the beginning of 2026.

In his analysis, he submitted that,'' '₦29,116,988,743.64 had been paid as gratuity to 7,390 beneficiaries, while ₦105,391,736,016.69 had been spent on pension payments to 16,420 beneficiaries.

''The state also committed ₦7,782,738,878.42 to CPS deductions for 29,883 beneficiaries between July 2025 and August 2026.

''Other components of the expenditure included ₦3,332,112,713.71 for Accrued Pension Rights (APR) to 2,567 beneficiaries; ₦5,041,139,048.90 for arrears of CPS deductions; and ₦1,347,359,839.24 in Returns on Investment (ROI).

''₦584,850,736.98 was spent on death benefits and other payments for 160 beneficiaries, while ₦1,321,790,502.25 was provided as palliatives.Additional Pension Benefits paid to 709 beneficiaries amounted to approximately ₦4 billion during the period under review".

The Head of Service, however, clarified that the ₦45.5 billion figure represented the broader amount committed to gratuity payments for Local Government and SUBEB retirees since 2019, while the ₦157.9 billion represented the total commitment across all pension-related categories during the period.

The government did not stop at making these payments, it also reassured the senior citizens of it's commitment to their welfare, describing it as one of the priorities of government and sincerely pledged prompt payment of their retirement benefits as and when due in line with available resources.

This is indeed exemplary, every serious government must considers the wellbeing and welfare of its senior citizens as priority, despite their present status and strength. The government, by so doing is in away encouraging workers in active service to do more and contribute their best to the state's productivity. Well-done Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

Dapo Abiodun: The Trajectory of Ogun's Chief Marketer

By Olaniyi Ajibola


The pattern and frequency of developmental drive of present administration in Ogun State, headed by Prince Dapo Abiodun, is undoubtedly a new order of leadership that have elicited wide applause within and around the world, reinforcing the optimism of better future in the state and Nigeria at large.

Leveraging the strategic geographical location of the state as well as it's several natural endowments, both material and human, Governor Dapo Abiodun, would forever be remembered for his creativity and commitment in leadership, as he continues to unlock the potential of Ogun State with so much energy and strong conviction.

Describing himself as the Chief Marketer of the state, the Governor has not left anyone in doubt that he understands the principles of Market Demand and Marketing Demand, making him the most economic sensitive Governor the state has ever produced since it's creation, and unarguably the greatest achiever, in the face of his capacity for resuscitation and reinvention.

Let's start with the manner Governor Abiodun transformed the dream of having a befitting agro -cargo airport in Ogun State into reality within the space of three years, after twenty years that the the idea was conceived and remained on paper perpetually, as both the initiator and successive administration looked away.

It is the same approach successive administrations in the state have adopted in the maintenance of roads at the border communities between Ogun and Lagos States, the corridor that is densely populated with many vocal citizens, but abandoned since 2003 and became an albatross for the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun upon assumption of office in 2019.

The Governor did not give excuses, he rather moved in promptly and started construction and reconstruction of various deplorable roads in the area, bringing immediate succour to residents who commended his efforts and the political will to ameliorate their sufferings of many years.

The Lagos-Abeokuta expressway is another example, the road that remained a serious nightmare for many Nigerians who ply the axis daily for business or as residents. Despite being a federal road, Governor Abiodun took it upon himself to reconstruct the road after over twenty years and his efforts eventually paid off in 2024 after previous resistance from the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

The completion and commissioning of 250-bed Gateway Medical Centre of Excellence, located at Oke-mosan, Abeokuta, after being abandoned by the immediate past administration is another pointer to the fact that the present administration in Ogun State is moving consistently with required zeal and energy to change the old order of insensitivity and deception through genuine and intentional interventions to strengthen the socioeconomic landscape of the state.

Then comes the newest and arguably the most economically viable move made by Governor Dapo Abiodun in the course of marketing the state to the rest of the world.

Governor Abiodun, in the presence of President Bola Tinubu, recently signed memorandum of understanding of over $7bn in initial investment with global port and logistics giant, DP World, in Paris, France, for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, with capacity to produce 50,000 direct jobs.

It is instructive to note that President Tinubu, while reeling out the prospects of the project and it's inherent economic values to Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole particularly commended Governor Dapo Abiodun, for his efforts in securing the land for the project as well as structuring the investment framework and reducing project risks for investors.

That is a clear -cut testament of the marketing strategy Governor Dapo Abiodun has adopted in the course of marketing the state to investors around the world, and the project, according to the Governor during his remarks have been conceived and remained on paper for over three decades, denying the good people of Ogun State the opportunities of such great investments.

In the same vein, a high-powered delegation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) visited the Governor on Wednesday for the sole purpose of opening discussions on the revival of the long-delayed Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project in Ogun Waterside, which is along the state's coastline where the $7bn Gateway Deep Sea Port is billed to be located.

While receiving the officials of NNPCL, the Governor said the renewed interest in the LNG project would further strengthen Ogun’s emergence as a major industrial and energy hub.

“Last Wednesday, we signed an MoU on the Deep Sea Port, and today we have the NNPC team here discussing the activation of the LNG plant,” Abiodun said.

"They have come to discuss with us the LNG plant that was originally designed and called OKLNG, which was meant to be situated on our coastline. Now, they have brought the project back to life.

“They will pay for land in the Economic Zone, and we will be giving them all the cooperation that this project deserves. We will give them all the assistance and guarantees,” he said.

In his remarks, Governor Abiodun disclosed that the project could generate substantial employment and multiplier effects, citing the NNPC facility in Bonny, Rivers State, where he said about 14,000 people are employed.

He added that the Ogun facility could supply gas to industries within the economic zone as well as businesses and communities across Ogun and the wider South-West.

Meanwhile , according to State House's account,'' The renewed push for OKLNG adds an important energy dimension to the coastal investment corridor being developed around Ogun Waterside. The Federal Government had, at the Paris signing ceremony, identified the OK LNG project as part of the broader strategic corridor linking maritime infrastructure, industry, energy and trade".

Speaking further on the OK LNG project, the NNPC Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Adedapo Segun, said the company was undertaking a comprehensive review of the challenges that stalled the project in the past, with the objective of finding lasting solutions and resuscitating it.

“We are here to engage with the government of Ogun State on the project we are looking to site along the coastline of the state''. Also speaking, NNPC Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Mr Lekan Ogunleye, disclosed that the company would require approximately 1,728 hectares for the LNG plants, utilities, storage facilities and associated infrastructure.

He said the project would also require about 2.5 kilometres of dedicated Atlantic frontage to support marine traffic and safety requirements for up to three LNG jetties.

Ogunleye congratulated the people of Ogun State on the proposed project, saying its successful implementation would have a significant impact on the economic fortunes of the state.

This is obviously a great feat attained by the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun. The Governor, in truth and indeed has proven to be a leader with requisite mental capacity, acumen and fidelity for genuine transformation.

He is truly the Ogun's Chief Marketer for a reason!

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

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Nigerians' present condition akin to that of Israelites under pharaoh-Jackson Ojo

A security expert and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has likened the present situation in Nigeria to what the Israelites were subjected to in exile under the draconian rule of king pharaoh of Egypt.

He added that the economic hardship in Nigeria under president Bola Tinubu has risen to it's crescendo and requires urgent redemption before it is too late as nothing according to him is working any longer under the present administration in Nigeria.

Ojo alluded to his personal travails on his journey from Rivers State to Cross Rivers, recalling that he took him four hours to navigate deplorable roads around Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers en route Calabar, faulting the essence of Lagos-Calabar coastal road while the old LAGOS-Calabar East - West road remains practically impassable.

The security expert vociferously canvassed for the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress,ADC, former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar as the only solution out of the present quagmire in Nigeria .

He described Atiku as a leader with passion and vision who understands the tenets of democratic governance and possesses requisite experience and understanding of Nigeria's economy and the security architecture.

Ojo insisted that the ADC's presidential candidate would return Nigeria to the path of democratic governance , honour and prosperity if elected, alleging that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration is oppressive and inhumane in all ramifications.

''This present Government of Bola Tinubu is akin to that of king Pharaoh of Egypt and Herold of ancient Rome, while the condition of Nigerians is exactly like that of Israelites, so pathetic and highly unbearable.

"Nothing is working under this administration, Nigerians continue to ply roads that have become death traps daily,road travels are not safe while air travels are not affordable, electricity is not available while generator is not affordable and for those who has generators petrol is unaffordable. We have Minister of water yet Nigerians are the one sinking their boreholes to get water, we have Minister of agriculture who have never produced a tuber of yam since he resumed office.Children are scared of schools for fear of safety and protection, farmers are afraid of going to farms for fear of becoming a victim of kidnappers, food insecurity is raring its ugly head into the national security.

"I am now calling on Nigerians to quickly make up their minds and chase this ineffective and underperforming government out of power for us to be liberated from the shackles of oppression and suppression of Tinubu's administration.

''Sincerely, there is no any alternative for now than Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, our former Vice-president, who was the engine room of Obasanjo's government as the head of the economic team which performed wonderfully well between 1999 and 2007'', he said

Gateway Deep Sea Port: Abiodun's revolution of marine economy in Ogun

By Olaniyi Ajibola

The monoculture economy of Nigeria for decades, which solely dependent on oil revenues that account for the majority of foreign exchange earnings and government income have been a great concerns for patriotic Nigerians and development experts alike. The frustration of fluctuating global oil prices and environmental hazard further necessitated the urgent need for diversification.

There were several options for consideration in the quest for diversification in Nigeria, some of the options include agriculture and solid minerals, considering the vast expanse of arable land across Nigeria as well as large deposit of solid state minerals. However , there has been a strong narrative by marine and blue economy experts about the comparative advantage of marine economy in Nigeria, as a strong alternative to the black gold.

The Bola Tinubu's administration eventually took the bull by the horns and created a ministry of Marine and Blue Economy upon assumption of office in 2023, as a viable alternative and broad concept that encompasses the sustainable use of ocean and aquatic resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and environmental health.

The Minister in charge of the Ministry , Adegboyega Oyetola, at the 2025 World Maritime Day Celebration held in Lagos emphasised the vast potential of the blue economy globally. He said that the ocean produces up to 80 per cent of the earth’s oxygen, supports billions of livelihoods, and carries over 80 per cent of global trade.

As the Federal Government succeeded in these efforts of unlocking sustainable economic growth through blue economy, a subnational government in Ogun State was also thinking in the same direction and assiduously working round the clock to develop it's marine economy for the purpose of improving its internally generated revenue, supporting it's industrial capacity as the leading industrial hub in West Africa corridor and also to provide thousands of direct and indirect jobs for it's teeming youths.

The Governor of the State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who prides himself as the Chief Marketer of the state have been at the forefront of developing the marine economy of the state to the point of viability and sustainability, going around the world to speak to investors and experts about the inherent potential of the state in the area of marine and blue economy.

Before now and exactly on October 11, 2024, Governor Dapo Abiodun played host to Minister Oyetola for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Inland Dry Port (IDP) in Ewekoro, Ogun State. This project represents a key milestone in enhancing Nigeria’s logistics and supply chain infrastructure. Oyetola expressed heartfelt appreciation to Governor Dapo Abiodun for his visionary leadership, saying the initiative is set to transform the nation’s economic and industrial landscape and also create thousands of jobs.

The Governor in his remarks at the event said the IDP is in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and would be instrumental in reducing congestion at traditional seaports. By improving the efficiency of Nigeria’s logistics network, he added that it would enhance the country’s global competitiveness.

Meanwhile, the Governor refuses to rest on his oars in his aggressive move to substantially transform the marine potential of the state into prosperity, as another history was made on Thursday when Ogun State Government and DP World MEA FZE signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, with projection of more than $7 billion in initial investment and over 50,000 direct jobs.

President Bola Tinubu, being visibly impressed by the courageous efforts of the Governor and his team physically witnessed the signing in Paris, France, alongside the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.

These agreements are very significant to Ogun State and indeed Nigeria at large. It was a multiple agreements involving the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, DP World, financial advisers and other private-sector partners in a major investment framework aimed at easing trade bottlenecks, strengthening logistics and expanding Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capacity.

President Tinubu in his speech said the two projects would address longstanding infrastructure and logistics constraints while creating an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce and access to African and global markets.

“We are doing more than signing agreements; we are laying the foundation for a new chapter in Nigeria’s development".

The Deep Sea Port, which is being located in Ogun Water side, according to it's formative concept will feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, positioning it to handle larger vessels, decongest the Lagos port corridor and reduce costs and delays for importers and exporters.

The port will be integrated with the proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, which is expected to support manufacturing, processing and export-oriented industries.

In addition to that, the President disclosed that the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would provide a critical link between the port and industrial zone, Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and wider African markets.

He explained that the emerging corridor would also connect with other strategic investments, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project, strengthening the relationship between maritime infrastructure, industry, energy and trade.

The president described the investment as a practical expression of economic diversification and industrialisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda, commending Prince Dapo Abiodun for his resilience and commitment in securing the land, structuring the investment framework and reducing project risks for investors.

Governor Dapo Abiodun in his remarks recalled the journey from stagnation of over three decades, lauding President Tinubu for his leadership role towards reviving the age-long deep seaport vision for the Ogun coastline , as he described the signing of the agreements as a defining moment in the economic history of the gateway State.

As the Governor rightly observed, the development remains a part of the multimodal infrastructure network as conceptualised by his administration, which consists of air transport, water and land, forming a logistic chain of industrial significance in the West Africa corridor.

Sincerely, the visionary capacity of Governor Dapo Abiodun is top notch, it intrinsically reflects responsive and responsible leadership and governance, rooted in courage and doggedness. The successful signing of the multiple agreements for the gateway deep seaports was in line with the manner in which the Governor succeeded in building the Gateway agro-cargo airport.

Difficult as it appears on paper and in narration, considering the limited resources available to government and attendant technical complexity, the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has been able to successfully implement it's multimodal infrastructure network without noise and with precision, in tandem with global best practice.

The Governor has succeeded in opening the industrial potential of Ogun State to the global community, with it's comparative advantage of location, favourable policies that strengthen ease of doing business as well as peaceful environment as greatest selling point.

More importantly is the epoch-making feats of breaking the jinx of stagnation in the economic history of Ogun State. The Governor started with turning the idea of building a cargo airport into reality after two decades and also the deep seaports of over thirty years long-standing into fruition to the admiration of all.

Congratulations to Governor Dapo Abiodun for making significant history as a visionary leader with exceptional developmental drive, congratulations to the people of Ogun State for this turnaround in the state's economy and thank you Mr President for standing with the gateway State always.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications.

2027: Nigerians will obey President Tinubu by voting him out-Jackson Ojo

A security expert and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has said that the earlier declaration by President Bola Tinubu in the lead up to the 2023 elections would be followed by Nigerians and thereby vote him out of power, since he has failed woefully to provide stable power as promised.

Ojo said the confidence in which the president called for his removal if he fails to provide stable power as president would also be adopted by Nigerians in 2027 to vote him out and replace him with more prepared and more brilliant person to continue from 2027.

He argued that the presidential race of 2027 is between Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, adding that the level of hunger in the land and the menace of insecurity have greatly changed the minds of majority of Nigerians against Tinubu, leaving them with options between Obi and Atiku.

The security expert, however, made case for Atiku Abubakar, adding that the former Vice-president would make a better helmsman than Obi, based on his wealth of experience and competence he has convincingly displayed over time, especially in his capacity as the vice-president under Obasanjo.

He explained that Obasanjo impressive performance in his first term in office was as a result of Atiku's deep involvement and creativity as the Chairman of economic council, which achieved the introduction of GSM for all Nigerians among other laudable feats.

Ojo opined that inability of Tinubu's administration to provide power and ensure functionality of three refineries that have become moribund exposed the regime as very irresponsible and practically inefficient, hence, the need for immediate change.

"Do you think Nigerians would not obey their president in 2027? Since the man himself has personally declared that he should be voted out if he fails to provide electricity as president, and now that what he has given Nigeria is darkness, Nigerians have the right to vote him out.

"You know ethnicity plays a major role in politics, since Tinubu's administration has failed to revive our three moribund refineries and Nigeria now solely relied on Dangote as our saviour in the supply of petroleum products, obviously everyone knows where the pendulum will swing.

"Although the tree gentlemen as leading contestants are all political giants in their own rights, however, being a political giants would not determine who wins the 2027 elections, it is about pedigree and displayed capacity and competence.

"Atiku has convincingly displayed over the years that he possesses the requisite capacity and acumen to govern Nigeria without blemish and turn around the fortunes of this nation, you remember he has advised us to sell the refineries and change the old system in the oil industry but nobody listens .

"Unlike this present administration of Tinubu with his lopsided economic policies that have created more economic predicament than prosperity, Atiku will govern with experience and capacity to the greatest happiness of Nigerians '', he said.

One Trust Fund: The Architecture of Abiodun's Education Revolution







Femi Ogbonnikan










The enactment of the Ogun State Education and Skills Trust Fund Law by the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun marks the most definitive strategic pivot in the administration’s effort to institutionalise human capital development and sustainable education financing in the Gateway State.

Far beyond a routine legislative act or political victory, the law represents the capstone of a deliberate, multi-layered policy architecture. Since 2019, the Abiodun administration has fundamentally rejected the traditional bureaucratic approach that treats education merely as a social service line item subject to fiscal leftover.
Instead, it has re-engineered education into the primary structural engine driving economic growth for Nigeria's largest industrial hub.


​At its core, the Education and Skills Trust Fund directly addresses the most fundamental structural flaw in public education financing across Nigeria: an acute over-dependence on annual budgetary cycles and volatile state allocation revenue.
Under traditional public sector arrangements, educational capital projects, teacher training schemes, and vocational programmes remain perpetually vulnerable to fiscal shortfalls, oil price shocks, and shifting political priorities.

By establishing a dedicated, statutory Trust Fund, Ogun State creates a ring-fenced, legally protected revenue stream operating outside the constraints, delays, and unpredictability of yearly legislative appropriations.
This mechanism guarantees multi-year financial continuity for complex, capital-intensive educational programmes, insulates long-term school infrastructure initiatives from political transitions, and provides the legal certainty required to attract long-term private capital, international donor financing, and social impact investment.

Ultimately, the law represents a decisive shift from ad-hoc executive interventions, emergency bailouts, and sporadic bursary distributions toward institutional permanence and structural self-sustainability.

​The most transformative and economically urgent aspect of the Trust Fund Law is its public-private co-investment model. For decades, Ogun State has grappled with a striking development paradox.
The state hosts the highest concentration of industrial estates, manufacturing plants, and processing clusters in Nigeria—spanning the sprawling corridors of Agbara, Sagamu, Ota, Ijebu-Ode, and the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone.
Yet, despite this industrial density, local youths have faced high underemployment and structural job exclusion due to a severe, persistent skills mismatch. Industrialists have historically imported technical labor from neighboring regions or abroad, while local graduates lacked the practical certifications required to operate modern automated machinery.

​The Trust Fund confronts this disconnect by creating a formal legal bridge between academia and industry. It encourages structured participation, technical co-design, and co-funding from private sector enterprises and industrial leaders, who serve as the ultimate end-users of the state's workforce. Under this statutory framework, manufacturers and corporate entities are no longer passive recipients of labour or mere corporate social responsibility donors.
Instead, they become active co-architects of the state’s technical curriculum.

Industry captains can co-design course modules, co-fund advanced technical training centers, install factory-grade machinery in local technical colleges, and co-certify graduating students.
By ensuring that what is taught in technical classrooms matches the precise operational needs of factory floors, Ogun State is adapting the core principles of Germany’s famed dual vocational training system and Singapore’s world-class polytechnic framework to a sub-national Nigerian context.

​Beyond reforming the formal primary, secondary, and tertiary educational tiers, the law introduces an unprecedented mechanism for economic inclusion through the formalisation and modernisation of informal vocational training and traditional apprenticeships.
For generations, the informal apprenticeship network—commonly known as the Igba-Boy or artisan learning system—has served as the single largest absorber of young talent in Ogun State.
It is this informal ecosystem that produces the state's mechanics, welders, fabricators, electricians, fashion designers, and building contractors.

However, because this vast sector operated entirely outside government support, standardized assessment, or formal quality assurance, its practitioners were routinely denied access to formal commercial loans, corporate procurement contracts, and higher-tier employment opportunities.

​The Trust Fund Law integrates this non-formal sector into a modernized, regulated educational framework by establishing a bridge between raw artisan capability and standardized Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) certifications.
Under the new regime, an apprentice training in an informal workshop in Sango-Ota, Ifo, or Ijebu-Ode can now undergo standardized proficiency assessments, earn nationally recognized trade certifications, and gain direct placement pathways into industrial clusters and formal corporate supply chains.
This structural uplift instantly enhances informal sector productivity, raises household earning capacity, and elevates the dignity and commercial value of skilled blue-collar labour.

​To prevent the misallocation of funds, the law establishes a clear, targeted statutory mandate that prioritizes high-impact educational investments.
This includes continuous professional development, technological literacy training, and specialized pedagogy mastery for primary and secondary educators; sustainable funding for merit-based scholarships, STEM bursaries, and targeted financial aid for indigent students across tertiary institutions; the modernization, equipping, and operational expansion of technical colleges and vocational centers statewide; and dedicated maintenance reserves to ensure physical and digital learning assets do not fall into disrepair.
This explicit mandate addresses a chronic historic flaw in public infrastructure management by legally tying a portion of the fund to the upkeep of existing classrooms and equipment, ensuring that public investments remain functional for generations.

​To fully grasp the magnitude of the Trust Fund Law, it must be evaluated as the logical evolution of a coherent, data-driven policy trajectory initiated when Governor Dapo Abiodun took office in 2019.
Upon assumption of office, the administration’s first major action in the education sector was the outright abolition of hidden levies previously imposed on public primary and secondary school students. While public education was nominally free, these fragmented levies had created covert financial barriers, driving steady dropouts among low-income households.

The immediate policy removal triggered a surge in public school enrolment and attendance.
This access initiative was reinforced at the tertiary level through the EDUCASH scheme—disbursing over N3.5 billion to more than 150,000 vulnerable indigent students across primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions to insulate families from macroeconomic shocks—alongside the systematic reinstatement of bursary payments to Ogun State indigenes studying in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

​Simultaneously, the administration initiated a targeted physical infrastructure recovery plan. Utilising a decentralized, ward-based intervention model, the state rehabilitated 236 primary schools—ensuring at least one modernized primary learning facility per political ward—while undertaking extensive structural overhauls of historic secondary institutions, including St. John’s Anglican Primary School in Ota, Methodist High School in Abeokuta, Iganmode Grammar School in Ota, and Remo Secondary School in Sagamu.

This physical renewal culminated in advanced technological initiatives, such as the N1 billion, 900-seater AI-powered digital classroom complex at Remo Secondary School, equipped with robotics laboratories, interactive smart boards, and modernized science facilities.
To resolve acute staffing shortages, the government established the Ogun State Teaching Experience Acquisition Channel (OG-TEACH), recruiting 5,000 teaching interns and systematically transitioning top performers into permanent civil service roles. Furthermore, through the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), over 850 STEM educators received continuous training in advanced Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) and Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI) techniques, supported by personal technology hardware to elevate classroom delivery.

​Underpinning these physical and fiscal investments is a digital governance architecture designed to bring accountability to school administration.
The deployment of a centralised Education Management Information System (EMIS) assigns a unique digital Learners Identification Number (LIN) to every student, enabling real-time tracking of enrolment, attendance, academic progression, and facility needs statewide.
This is paired with OgunLEARN, an AI-powered Learning Enhancement and Academic Resource Network that distributes standardized, high-quality lesson plans and digital learning content to teachers across all urban and rural public schools.
Digital inclusion centres and fully equipped ICT hubs in rural and suburban institutions—such as Lisabi Grammar School and Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro—ensure uniform instructional quality regardless of geographic location.

The Trust Fund Law serves as the statutory anchor for this digital and physical framework, ensuring these technological systems remain funded and operational across successive administrative tenures.

​While the legislative passage of the Education and Skills Trust Fund is a significant milestone, its historical legacy will be determined entirely by operational execution.
Enacting legislation creates possibilities; disciplined implementation converts those possibilities into lasting societal transformation.

To ensure the Fund achieves its objectives, the administration must commit to three non-negotiable operational principles. First, the constitution of the Trust Fund Board must strictly prioritize professional expertise and fiduciary integrity over political expediency, drawing leaders from education finance, private sector industrial bodies, corporate governance, and human capital development to maintain institutional credibility and secure sustained corporate co-investment.

Second, to build trust among corporate contributors and international donor partners, the Fund must maintain high standards of financial openness through the mandatory quarterly publication of all financial inflows, corporate contributions, state allocations, and project-level expenditures, validated by independent external audits.

Third, the administration must shift its evaluation metrics from traditional public sector inputs to concrete output and economic impact indicators, such as the percentage of Trust Fund-certified TVET graduates directly hired by industrial entities in Ogun's economic zones, the number of informal apprenticeship workshops converted into certified small businesses, and quantifiable pedagogical growth in STEM literacy and standardized test performance.


​If Ogun State executes this framework with discipline, it will create a national benchmark for sub-national education financing across West Africa, demonstrating how strategic legislation can merge policy continuity, corporate industrial demand, and innovative capital deployment into a self-sustaining educational model.

The Education and Skills Trust Fund Law is ultimately more than an institutional achievement; it is a long-term commitment to human potential. It reflects the core philosophy of Governor Dapo Abiodun's ISEYA framework—building infrastructure, yes, but more importantly, building the skilled, empowered people who will sustain that infrastructure for generations to come.






Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to the Ogun State Governor

Healing Wounds, Elevating Capacity: Abiodun’s Strategic Path to the Red Chamber







Femi Ogbonnikan








As campaigns for the general elections kick into full swing across Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun has launched a series of strategic, high-level moves to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to foster internal unity, restore trust, and entrench party cohesion.

This critical political development, which signals a shift from competitive primaries to collaborative general election execution, follows the formal inauguration of the state campaign council, a broad-based organ established to initiate and coordinate grassroots mobilisation across all 22 Local Government Areas of the state.

In politics, shifting power dynamics, intense primary contests, and competing personal ambitions inevitably generate friction, resentment, and disagreement.
This is a universal reality, not peculiar to Ogun APC.
What distinguishes mature political organisations from fragile ones is not the absence of disagreement, but the institutional capacity for peaceful post-primary reconciliation.
The rule of the game, therefore, is not conflict, but settlement, inclusion, and forward movement.

With opposition parties actively attempting to leverage internal rifts through emotive campaigns, propaganda, and opportunistic alliances, entering this high-stakes election with a divided house is a vulnerability the ruling party cannot afford to tolerate.
The stakes are simply too high. Ogun State is Nigeria's industrial capital, its second-largest economy, and a critical swing state in national politics.
A fractured APC in Ogun would not only jeopardise the party's electoral fortunes but also risk reversing the economic gains of the last seven years. By launching the campaign council while simultaneously extending a firm olive branch to dissatisfied party members, the Governor is seeking to consolidate broad-based support for a decisive, resounding victory at the polls.

Speaking during a high-level parley with APC leaders, community elders, youth mobilisers, women leaders, and key political stakeholders in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area, Governor Abiodun made it abundantly clear that genuine reconciliation must not be passive, cosmetic, or superficial. According to him, the era of token appeasement is over.
He ordered the immediate establishment of dedicated reconciliation committees at the ward, local government, and state levels to address grievances directly, document complaints, propose restitution where necessary, and commit to personal oversight and full execution of their final recommendations.

The Governor emphasised that these committees would not be constituted as mere political window-dressing. Their membership will draw from respected party elders, neutral mediators, and grassroots organisers who understand the peculiar dynamics of each locality. This ward-to-state architecture ensures that no grievance is too small to be heard and no stakeholder is too distant to be reached. Reintegrating members who lost out in recent primary elections is central to the party's strategy, as bringing previously alienated factions back into the fold transforms divided voting centres into unified strongholds that the opposition cannot breach. In practical terms, it means ensuring that a ward chairman who felt sidelined in Abeokuta North feels as valued as a youth leader in Ijebu-Ode, and that a former aspirant in Ogun West sees a clear pathway to relevance and reward within the party structure.

Crucially, this drive for reconciliation is inextricably linked to the broader political chessboard of the 2027 elections, particularly Governor Abiodun's own ambition to represent the people of Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
The political context is important. Following his endorsement by critical stakeholders — including over 100 councillors across the nine local government areas of Ogun East, market women associations, youth coalitions, and senior party elders like former Deputy Governor Segun Adesegun — Abiodun secured the APC senatorial ticket in a definitive primary victory earlier this year, polling over 75,000 votes. The victory was not just numerical; it was symbolic, representing a vote of confidence from the grassroots of his home zone.

However, securing the ticket was only the first step. The ensuing political friction, notably with the incumbent Senator Gbenga Daniel and his loyalists, as well as other aspirants who felt short-changed by the primary process, underscored the urgency and sensitivity of the ongoing reconciliation efforts.
In a district as politically sophisticated as Ogun East, with its nine local governments and its proud history of producing national leaders, unity cannot be decreed; it must be negotiated and earned.

By actively reaching out to aggrieved factions and insisting on an all-inclusive political framework, Governor Abiodun is not merely acting as a statesman; he is strategically securing his own electoral base with political maturity. He recognises that to translate his gubernatorial successes into federal legislative influence, his home senatorial district must be completely united behind his candidacy.
The message from the Ijebu-Ode parley was clear and unambiguous: personal ambitions must align with party supremacy, and an undivided Ogun East is non-negotiable for his smooth transition to the Red Chamber. There can be no Red Chamber bid without a truly united home base.

While internal reconciliation provides the organisational foundation for political victory, the campaign council's primary public narrative must be anchored on the administration's historic economic achievements.
Elections are ultimately won not on sentiments, but on substance, and the Abiodun administration has substance in abundance.

Under Governor Abiodun's stewardship, Ogun State has undergone an extraordinary macroeconomic transformation, expanding from a ₦3.5 trillion economy at the inception of his tenure in 2019 to a monumental ₦17 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This nearly five-fold expansion, which solidifies Ogun State's position as the second-largest economy in Nigeria and its undisputed premier industrial capital, is the direct outcome of targeted, visionary governance structured around the administration's ISEYA developmental framework, spanning Infrastructure, Social Welfare, Education, Youth Empowerment, and Agriculture.

A ₦17 trillion economy is not an abstract statistic.
It reflects a thriving economic environment where Internally Generated Revenue surged from ₦52 billion in 2020 to nearly ₦200 billion annually, enabling the state government to finance transformative infrastructure projects without over-burdening its citizens with excessive taxes. It means more factories operating, more jobs created, more businesses formalised, and more prosperity circulating within local communities.

To deliver a sweeping electoral victory for all APC candidates — including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party's governorship candidate Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), his running mate Alhaja Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun, and candidates across the Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly — the campaign council must relentlessly sell these verifiable performance indicators to the electorate. The strategy is not to engage in emotional mudslinging, but to present a data-driven scorecard.

The party's campaign canvassers must emphasise the physical, day-to-day manifestations of this ₦17 trillion economy, which include over 1,500 kilometres of strategic road networks constructed or rehabilitated across all three senatorial districts. Key projects like the Ijebu-Ode-Epe toll road, which has opened up the entire Ogun East corridor to Lagos, the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway, the Denro-Ishasi-Akute road that has transformed border communities, and vital border-community access corridors connecting Ogun directly to Lagos commercial markets have drastically reduced travel times, lowered transportation costs, reduced post-harvest losses for farmers, and facilitated seamless intra-state commerce.

Furthermore, flagship legacy projects like the Gateway International Airport (GIA) at Iperu-Remo have successfully positioned Ogun State as an aviation, logistics, and agricultural export hub for the entire West African sub-region.
By driving industrialisation around the aerotropolis, creating thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities for youths, artisans, and professionals, and attracting multi-billion-dollar foreign direct investments from companies seeking proximity to an international cargo hub, the airport stands as a testament to strategic, long-term economic planning rather than short-term political projects.

Comprehensive ease-of-doing-business reforms, including digitised land administration, streamlined business registration processes, and investor aftercare services, have established Ogun as Nigeria's most attractive destination for manufacturing and agro-processing conglomerates.
This has converted industrial growth into real economic opportunities, wealth creation, and improved living standards for households across the state's twenty-two local government areas.

In addition to industrial infrastructure, the campaign council must highlight the administration's human capital investments, particularly in the social welfare, healthcare, and education sectors.
The continuous renovation of primary healthcare centres across all 236 political wards, ensuring at least one functional PHC per ward, the construction of affordable housing estates in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Kobape, and Ilaro, as well as state-wide agricultural empowerment programmes providing land, inputs, and credit facilities to over 10,000 smallholder farmers, have directly bolstered rural economies and enhanced food security across the state.

It is precisely this track record of infrastructural and economic development that forms the strongest justification for Governor Abiodun's elevation to the Senate.
The argument for his senatorial ambition is not rooted in a mere desire for political continuity or personal aggrandisement, but in the critical need to attract federal support for the foundations he has already built at the sub-national level. As a Senator representing Ogun East, Abiodun would be uniquely positioned to push for federal legislative frameworks that support state-level industrialisation, secure federal funding for the complete operationalisation and concessioning of the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport, and champion policies that enhance ease-of-doing-business at the national level.

His wealth of executive experience, having successfully managed and exponentially grown the complexities of Nigeria's industrial capital for seven years, equips him with the requisite gravitas, technical understanding, and national network to influence national economic policy from the Red Chamber.
The councillors and stakeholders who endorsed him correctly argued that a leader who could engineer a ₦17 trillion economy at the sub-national level is exactly the kind of technocratic mind required at the National Assembly to help shape federal laws that drive national economic recovery, fiscal federalism, and industrial decentralisation. Consequently, electing him to the Senate is not a reward, but a strategic deployment of tested capacity to secure better federal dividends for the people of Ogun East and Ogun State at large.

Speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Campaign Council, Governor Abiodun cautioned against political complacency, reminding party leaders, ward executives, and field operatives that modern elections are no longer decided by past reputations or the sheer crowd size at political rallies. Nostalgia does not win elections. Victory demands scientific, deliberate, and intentional preparation, meticulous organisation, data-driven voter contact, polling-unit vigilance, and continuous, empathetic engagement with the electorate.
The directive issued to the newly inaugurated council is unambiguous: every candidate, local leader, ward executive, and grassroots canvasser must take this tangible record of economic growth, developmental service, and the clear vision for federal representation directly to the doorstep of every voter in every ward.

Ultimately, Governor Dapo Abiodun's proactive reconciliation drive, coupled with an unmatched ₦17 trillion economic scorecard and a compelling case for federal legislative representation, provides the Ogun State APC with an unbeatable electoral narrative. By healing internal political wounds, prioritising inclusive party governance, and resolving primary fallouts with sincerity, the party has successfully insulated its grassroots structures against opposition incursions. This newly forged internal cohesion ensures that the APC approaches the upcoming general elections not as a fragmented coalition of competing interests, but as a unified, formidable, and disciplined political force across all the 22 local government areas.








Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to the Ogun State Governor

Ogun 2027 and Gov. Abiodun's gospel of scientific mobilization, consultation

By Olaniyi Ajibola

The remarks of Governor Dapo Abiodun during the inauguration of the State Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections on Thursday, clearly indicated the degree of preparedness of the ruling party in the state, to sustain power at that sub-national and even win convincingly the presidential election to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Governor was explicit and assertive; his years of experience in political arithmetic and mobilization have sharpened and broaden his thoughts on electoral process and paths to victory, especially in a very sensitive political environment like Ogun State with highly sophisticated electorate.

As a leader of impeccable pedigree, Governor Abiodun understands the dynamics of power and it's intricacies, he recognises the fundamental value of unity and cohesion as well as deeper and constant communication at the grassroots for intrinsic engagement.

There is no doubt that all politics is local, the choices make by voters and the successes recorded by politicians at every election solely predicate on how well political players address immediate and everyday neighborhood and community concerns beyond the euphoria of rallies and campaign jingles.

The Governor was very selective in his choice of words and equally direct in his message, he spoke eloquently as a politician and assertively as a leader who is saddled with the responsibility of leading his party to landslide victory. He expressed so much readiness to sustain what he vehemently fought for in 2019 and wanted every member of the party to follow suit.

Though, the political atmosphere appears less volatile and dicey as it was during Abiodun's struggle for power in 2019 and 2023, due to the landmark achievements of his administration in all strata of the state's economy and human development, however, politicians like Dapo Abiodun don't fall for complacency in any form, always on guard in all seasons.

That level of mental alertness and political consciousness is really expected of a good leader who knows his onions and possesses the capacity to lead from the front with courage. Sincerely, the dual task of sustaining political power at the centre and in the state is enormous, but clearly surmountable with the strength of character of leaders like Governor Dapo Abiodun, former Governor Olusegun Osoba and the gubernatorial candidate of APC in the state, Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly called Yayi.

Moreso, the body language and responses of members of the campaign council at the venue reflected total commitment and readiness to hit the ground running and secure victory for the party in the forthcoming general elections without blemish.

The Cultural Centre, Kuto, venue of the event was full of enthusiasm and fascination from every participant, there was an evidence of consensus on the need for unity of purpose, proper coordination, massive mobilization and conscientization, as well as robust engagement at the grassroots, in the way the Governor conceptualised it.

"Let consultations and campaign begin now, elections were not won merely through political reputation or the size of rallies, but through scientific, deliberate and intentional preparation, organisation, vigilance and sustained engagement with the electorate.

"Our campaign must be based on ideas, achievements and a credible vision. We must reach every Local Government Area, ward, polling unit and community. Unity is not the absence of differences. It is the wisdom to ensure that our differences do not become greater than our common cause".

According to the late Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill,'' Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts". Despite the conspicuous and huge achievements of the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun in the last seven years, he still insisted on constant communication about these great projects at the grassroots to prevent misinformation.

The Governor is confident of his performance in infrastructure, education, agriculture, healthcare, security, investment promotion and social intervention, industrialization and human capital development, urging members of the party to continue talking about these legacies in all communities across the state.

He specifically mentioned the Gateway International Airport as central to the state’s vision of developing an integrated aviation, agriculture, industrial and logistics hub, while other interventions had contributed to improving the business environment and positioning Ogun as a leading industrial and investment destination.

“These are not abstract promises. They are visible on our roads, in our schools and hospitals, in our agricultural communities and in businesses expanding across our state.

“Good work that is not effectively explained may be misunderstood, while falsehood repeated without challenge may begin to appear credible''.

The Governor further emphasized the need for clarity of purpose and united front, that the campaign council must as a matter of duty work as one coordinated political machinery, with leaders providing direction, committees translating strategy into action and grassroots structures sustaining engagement with voters.

Knowing the inherent danger of fragmentation and factionalism, Governor Abiodun strongly advised members of the council to eschew indiscipline and sabotage as result of parochial and selfish tendencies, saying that priority should be placed on prompt reporting and early identification of challenges and resolution of emerging issues.

In the same vein, the governorship candidate, Solomon Adeola called for an inclusive grassroots campaign, as he charged party members across the state to regard the 2027 election as a collective responsibility and assured those whose names were not included in the campaign council that they remained part of the party’s mobilisation structure.

He stressed that the campaign council was established to provide coordination and direction, rather than to exclude other members of the party, urging all APC members to remain active in their wards and local government areas.

Adeola called for sustained consultations and grassroots engagement, urging party members to take the party’s message to communities and work collectively for all APC candidates, from the presidential election to the governorship and legislative contests.

Obviously, the time for action has come, this is the time members of the ruling APC in Ogun State have been patiently waiting for to again showcase their mettle and dexterity in political mobilization and consultation. Let the action begins immediately.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

2027: Atiku's ambition on point, Nigeria should give him chance to change present anomaly -Jackson Ojo


A security expert and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has declared that the persistent contestation of former Vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for the position of Nigeria's President is not a reflection of over-ambition, rather a product of consistency and patriotism.

He insisted that the rationale behind Atiku's consistency to become Nigeria's President was a clear conviction he has in his capacity to change the ugly situation of present day Nigeria and turn around the nation's economy for good.

Ojo likened Atiku's ambition to that of the 16th American President, Abraham Lincoln, who he described as an epitome of failures as he contested to become elected officer in the US severally and lost and as well lost his job, his wife and his nervous system.

The security expert added that while both Tinubu and Atiku are revered political giants and strategists in Nigeria, Tinubu has been tested and failed woefully, while Atiku is yet to be tested and have been dishing out convincing policy statements as against what Tinubu gave Nigeria that is presently causing serious economic predicament.

He also urged opposition leaders like Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amechi, Adewole Adebayo and the rest to rally round Atiku and give him necessary help to emerge as the next president of Nigeria, adding that the former Vice-president has so much to offer.

"It is highly illogical to describe Atiku's ambition as over-ambition, he has shown clear consistency and conviction to change the failure of the past and the present. That was the exact spirit of the former American President, Abraham Lincoln, who contested severally and lost many times until 1860 when he eventually won and turned out to be one of the best American Presidents in history.

"This is exactly how it will work out for Atiku too, Nigeria must give him a chance to change the present economic quagmire plaguing Nigeria, Nigeria has not had it so bad since independence, the Tinubu's policies have seriously battered our economy.

"Every strata of the nation's economy has collapsed, from manufacturing to aviation to agriculture and many others, nothing is no longer working, Nigeria urgently needs an experienced politician like Atiku to reverse this ugly trend.

"That is why I am calling on opposition leaders like Peter Obi and others to rally round Atiku and make him the next President. Someone like Peter Obi should be in Atiku's camp. Someone like him would make the best Secretary to the Government of the Federation, unlike the present incumbent of the office who is completely colourless,

"Nigerians can no longer cope with this failure of Tinubu's administration, the only solution staring us in the face now is Atiku. We must close ranks irrespective of our religion and region and chase out this ineptitude government of share arrogance and incompetence", Ojo said.

APC: Yilwatda entrenches greater discipline, decency in party administration-Sir Nzenye Elijah

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Sir .Chief Alexander Nzenye Elijah has applauded the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, on what he described as rare decency and discipline in party administration and management.

He explained that the structure and arrangement Yilwatda has brought into
the party administration in the short time have changed the image of the party positively and give hope of stronger and more organised political party.

Elijah added that both the ambience and the staff working at the headquarters of the party clearly made a statement of renewed hope and functional party system.

He said,'' My recent visit to our party secretariat in Abuja has given me a picture of the inclusive leadership the National Chairman has provided within a short period of time and how disciplined he is as a leader of a governing party.

"My first observation was the way the secretariat was nearly and orderly arranged as well as how the staff decently conduct themselves. The Private Personal Secretary to the Chairman, Comrade Jubrin Kamga Bancir left a very indelible impression of a thorough bred administrator in the way he humbly and professionally received me without seeing me before.

" I really appreciate this new development in our party and I am very optimistic that this feat will also transform into more achievements for our party now and in the nearest future ".

On the performance of President Bola Tinubu, the APC chieftain insisted that the president is working assiduously to turn around the fortunes of the country through well cut out reforms that are futuristic and workable.

He stressed that every reform anywhere in the world always brings about temporary hardship, saying the tough economic situation will soon turn to prosperity.

"The salient question to ask is whether this present economic situation was caused by the present administration or inherited and the honest answer is that it was inherited .

"The best analogy is when a tenant has spent eight years in an apartment with a lot of damage done to the apartment before leaving and handing over to another tenant who promised his people sumptuous breakfast, launch and dinner immediately he occupies the new apartment not knowing the level of damage done to the kitchen and the cooking equipment.

"Unfortunately, he couldn't make any meal immediately for his people and started a comprehensive repair to put the kitchen and cooking implements in good condition to provide for his people.

"This exactly captures the situation President Tinubu found himself at the inception of his administration, instead of making complaints, he courageously hit the ground running and started a futuristic reforms in all sectors of the economy to completely fix Nigeria .

" I can assure all Nigerians that the temporary hardship that came with the reforms is fastly coming to an end with better days ahead. It is on that premise that we must all work together to return President Tinubu to complete his two terms of eight years and change Nigeria to a land of abundance and prosperity".

Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi: Personality Beyond Pettiness

By Olaniyi Ajibola

It is incontrovertibly correct that the inroads of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi into the Ogun State political landscape in the past years significantly marked a paradigm shift in the political history of the Gateway State. The speed, the spread as well as the intensity of his mobilization and consultation go beyond the usual political experience, it is indeed an activation of uncommon political movement.

That the man, Yayi, is popular among the people of the state is an understatement, his name has permanently entrenched in the consciousness of the people in the state. The preponderant opinions among the critical political stakeholders in the state is in his favour and every individual that matters considers him the best for the job of leading the state in the capacity of a Governor comes 2027.

Yayi's antecedents in Lagos remain his selling point in Ogun State, this is the man that dominated the epicentre of Lagos politics , Alimosho, like a colossus and left an indelible impacts among the people without blemish, making him one of the most relevant politicians in Lagos despite the fierce competition for space in the city of aquatic splendor.

It has been the same pattern of political engagement in his home state of Ogun long before his election to the red chamber to represent the good people of Ogun West Senatorial District in 2023. The hostile and dicey political environment between 2011 and 2019 did not deter him from active participation in the politics of his home state, he returned with greater energy and unassailable tenacity.

Since 2023 when he was elected as one of the three Senators representing Ogun State in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Olamilekan Adeola has continued to be a leading voice in the hallowed chamber. His contributions to array of debates during plenary sessions are greatly impressive and always logical.

As the Chairman of appropriations, Senator Yayi has brought his deep knowledge of accounting and dynamic skills in national economy to bear in budget presentation and consideration at the Senate, making debates on fiscal governance to be more intellectually driven and robust.

Back at home, he has proven to the people of his senatorial district and indeed the entire state that representative democracy encompasses clear understanding of the political sociology as well as demographic aspirations of particular geographical location. The quality of representation provided by Yayi in Ogun West in the last three years evidently revealed that he possesses satisfactory knowledge about governance even beyond expectations.

Yayi has many things going for him in the political space. First is his character, which many have convincingly adjudged to be innately genuine, also, his firmness and resilience, which are fundamentally essential for a good and successful leader, another is his compassion and capacity to sustain relationships and reward loyalty.

Those qualities Senator Olamilekan Adeola possesses make it easier for him to form a political movement of that magnitude and strength across Ogun state and the very reason why his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) unanimously endorsed him as a consensus candidate for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

However, despite the huge endorsement and massive supports from members and leaders in APC, the party still went ahead to democratically make the contest evidently competitive by slating a primary for May 2026, where the Senator polled a total of 304, 055 votes, defeating his main challenger, one Abayomi Hunye, who 'gallantly' scored zero.

In the words of Malcolm Stevenson Forbes,'' Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat". The victory of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi was abundantly glaring since the beginning of the contest, if not for the democratic procedure and ethos , majority of the party members would have preferred straight selection without any rigour of election.

Expectedly, the emergence of Yayi as the gubernatorial candidate of the APC has totally changed the political atmosphere in Ogun State across party lines, ethnicity and regions. The degree of enthusiasm among the people is profoundly unimaginable and totally unparalleled. It systemically changed the primordial political culture of the people.

It is against this backdrop that the narratives of some disgruntled elements in the state about indigeneship of Yayi is fallaciously laughable and completely illogical. It speaks volume of mental capacity of some individuals parading themselves as politicians and leaders alike.

That anybody could come up with this level of thinking is very unfortunate and a clear-cut indication that we still have some unscrupulous individuals among us who have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. It became more worrisome when majority of these people are from the Ogun West Senatorial District.

Many of these people have watched helplessly in the last decades how the zone have been perpetually suppressed and oppressed as far as the leadership of the State is concerned since 1976 and were comfortable with such injustice and embarrassing subjugation of their people.

To them, it is better for the zone to continue playing second fiddle and continually remains on the bench in the power sharing in Ogun State than Yayi emerging as Governor from the senatorial district. What an unforgivable pettiness at play!

Unfortunately for these petty individuals with their cowardice collaborators, the personality of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi is far beyond this level of pettiness, he is a man with great conviction and strong determination. With his civilised mindset and broad world view, he is not perturbed by this type of mundane narrative, he remains focused and committed to the great future ahead of the people of Ogun State, and that is what matters most.

In conclusion, the candidacy of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi has achieved something significantly historic and greatly impactful in the political landscape of Ogun State. It has unified and united all political interests and tendencies and brought critical political stakeholders on the same page. This is highly unprecedented and greatly commendable.

Point blankly and from all indications, the gubernatorial election in Ogun State will be a coronation of sorts for Yayi, the people are earnestly waiting for him to take the mantle of leadership from where his political compatriot and eminent ally, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, stops in May 29, 2027.

Sincerely, Yayi is Beyond Pettiness (BP) fawon enemies !

Ajibola writes from Olopo Compound, Ibese, Yewa North Local Government.

Every Nigerian must support Atiku on restoration of subsidy-Jackson Ojo

A leading security expert in Nigeria and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has declared that based on the failure of the removal of subsidy to better the lives of ordinary Nigerians but instead continued to worsen their economic condition, the restoration of subsidy by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains the best option.

He, therefore, called on every Nigerian to rally support for Atiku and elect him as president in 2027 to change the present economic quagmire caused by removal of subsidy without human face, arguing that the Bola Tinubu -led administration did not get the implementation of subsidy removal correctly .

The security expert said contrary to the expectations of some discerning Nigerians of prosperity and infrastructural advancement after removal of subsidy, the proceeds from the removal did not get down to the common Nigerians but remain among the few political elite.

Ojo stressed that the most essential petroleum product for the poor Nigerians is kerosene but the removal of subsidy rather than making the product cheaply available to the people ironically make it more expensive and scarce.

He opined that the method Atiku proposed by increasing local production through building of new refineries and stopping importation to galvanise the market against fluctuations in the global market remains the most realistic.

"Though the trio of Tinubu, Obi and Atiku agreed to remove subsidy during 2023 presidential campaign, the lopsided way in which the government of Tinubu has carried out the removal defies responsive and responsible governance, the approach was without human face , hence, the decision of Atiku to restore the subsidy with logical economic policy that will boost local production without global effect of fluctuation.

"People like us supported the idea of subsidy removal after calculating the total of school fees Nigerian students pay from primary one to the university annually and realised that the amount is far less that what we were paying as subsidy every year in Nigeria and we concluded that the removal of subsidy would bring about free education and improvement in infrastructure.

"Unfortunately, and in total contrast to our expectations, three years after removal of subsidy, there are still no free education for our students nor infrastructure and with terrible level of insecurity.

"Obviously, the implementation of subsidy removal policy by this administration is a total charade and antithetical to the interests of Nigerians, the only option is what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has proposed .

"After all, every advanced economies of the world pay subsidies to make life better for their citizens, especially the oil producing giants like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the rest, including United States of America, so, Nigeria must not be an exception", he said .

Gov. Abiodun and his efficacious political instrument of mobilization

By Olaniyi Ajibola

The capacity of a politician to effectively mobilise people and resources to achieve a certain political goal stands him out in any political setting. This does not come in a vacuum, it is indeed a product of deep knowledge of political sociology, critical thinking as well as pedigree.

Of course, while few Nigerians may have not heard much about Governor Dapo Abiodun before 2019, especially those who are not too politically conscious, his move and deeds in the last seven years as the Governor of Ogun State and a notable political figure in Nigeria, within the fold of the progressive party have made him a cynosure of all eyes.

It is an undisputable fact that it takes a high degree of smartness, courage and being excellently calculative to make wave in the political terrain of Ogun State, considering the strength of character of political players and their sophistication. It is , therefore, noteworthy that a man as quiet and urbane as Prince Dapo Abiodun could make such political impacts within a short period of time and still pushing with so much energy and influence.

The trajectory of his political journey since the aborted third republic in the early 1990s till the dawn of the fourth republic in 1999 is truly examplary and instructive, teaching the necessary virtues of consistency, perseverance and clarity of purpose, and worthy of emulation by inspiring public office holders .

Perhaps, the innate acumen to aggregate interests and mobilise the people in every political struggle gives a special identity to Prince Dapo Abiodun and affords him the political strength to weather many political storms and came out undeterred and unhurt with significant success.

Meanwhile, despite his enviable achievements as a Governor of a leading state in Nigeria and a prominent personality in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Dapo Abiodun continues to advance with precision and step up his capacity for mobilization locally and at the national level, making him one of the most sought after politicians in Nigeria.

The recent event where the Governor welcomed former ward leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) from Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Ijebu North-East and Odogbolu Local Government Areas of Ogun East Senatorial District into the APC was the smartest move any leader could make in this current political season.

Without the common brigandage and act of suppression of the past against the opposition parties, Governor Dapo Abiodun, has strategically and tactically sent opposition parties into political oblivion in the state, and make the APC the only party of choice among the electorate.

Speaking at a meeting with the defectors in Abeokuta on Wednesday evening, Governor Abiodun, who described the APC as the party to beat in Ogun State, said he found it difficult to understand why people continued to remain in opposition parties despite their repeated electoral defeats.

“We don’t make noise, we don’t drink whisky or Hennessy; we work to ensure the continuous development of the state.
Those of you who are still with the Peoples Democratic Party, I find it difficult to understand why you are still there. In 2019, they lost; in 2023, they lost again. What are you still doing there?

“Even in Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Waterside, where you had the highest political office holder in the state in the National Assembly at that time, Hon. Adegbesan, who was a former member of the State Assembly, they still lost. So, what are you doing in the PDP? What does ADC have to offer you?” he asked.

These remarks of the Governor clearly reflect confidence and conviction, he spoke confidently about the consistent electoral success of his party and what his administration has been able to achieve in all sectors that continued to attract the people into the fold of the progressive party.

He then reiterated the commitment of his administration in prioritising the completion of projects abandoned by previous administrations, noting that such projects were funded with taxpayers’ money and should not be allowed to waste.

“This is the first government that has completed abandoned projects from previous administrations. Doing that is part of my vow because they were not embarked upon with anybody’s father’s money; they were funded with our taxes. So, we have to finish them.

“Even though we were not the ones that started the hospital and the Buhari Estate, we finished them. Somebody may build a hospital like he is building a house, but a building is not a house. You can build a building and it might not be a home. You can build four walls without a roof on it. It is when it is properly completed that you can finally start to receive the praise you deserve".

This is the type of commitment and display of responsiveness that continued to make Prince Dapo Abiodun popular among the electorate in Ogun State, he has been very intentional in his social contract agreement with the people and never for once reneges on his promise to right the wrong of the past without noise and acrimony.

As a responsible leader, Prince Dapo Abiodun, believes he has inherited both the assets and liabilities left behind by the previous administrations in the state and determines to change the ugly trend of the past till his last day in the office as Governor.

As a great mobilizer he has become in the Nigeria's political landscape, Governor Dapo Abiodun remains the golden fish that cannot hide anywhere in the ocean, as another national assignment came calling when President Bola Tinubu appointed him as the Director of Fundraising for the APC's presidential campaign for 2027.

This appointment further confirms President Tinubu's capacity for talent hunting. Sincerely, the Governor is a juggernaut in human and resources mobilization, his speed and accuracy of action is top notch and his team spirit speaks volume of his leadership skill.

Obviously, President Tinubu must have been very impressed with the success of the APC's National Convention, where Governor Dapo Abiodun held sway as the Chairman of Venue & Accommodation sub-committe, as he brought his social exposure and classical taste to bear in all the arrangements.

He is now saddled with the responsibility of coordinating all efforts to mobilise financial resources and support toward making the APC presidential campaign of 2027 a huge success. There is no doubt that the Governor is more than capable to deliver beyond expectations in this regard.

In the words of American Researcher and Virologist, Jonas Salk, '' The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more". This is without doubt the case of the Ogun State helmsman, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON.

May God almighty continue to grant your Excellency the requisite good health and sound mind to serve your country and the people the more in different capacities ahead. Congratulations, sir.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications.

POLICY OPINION

SUBSIDY IS NOT COMPASSION

Why Nigeria Must Not Reverse President Tinubu's Petroleum Sector Reform

By Dr Kazeem Olayimika Salaam (ALABAJA), PhD, FCCA

APC Chieftain and Kwara South Senatorial Aspirant
22 August 2026

Nigeria should answer hardship with targeted relief and transparent public spending - not by reopening an open-ended price subsidy that rewards consumption, invites arbitrage and converts every oil-price shock into a budget crisis.


Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s promise to restore petrol subsidy if elected, is not an economic rescue plan; it is a dangerous retreat into the very fiscal disorder that brought Nigeria dangerously close to insolvency. HE Atiku Abubakar cannot credibly promise Nigerians in 2022 that he would abolish the subsidy within his first 100 days in office, only to return in 2026 and present its restoration as economic salvation.

That contradiction is not statesmanship, but a reckless political opportunism that Nigerians must not ignore. Atiku’s proposal would reopen an opaque, corruption-prone and socially regressive expenditure regime that consumed trillions of naira, rewarded privileged consumers and subsidy intermediaries, encouraged smuggling, weakened the Federation Account and deprived states and local governments of resources for salaries, pensions, roads, schools and healthcare. No doubt, Nigerians are genuinely hurting, but their hardship must never be exploited as campaign currency or used to resurrect a ruinous policy.

I therefore reject this proposal unequivocally. Yes, compassion demands targeted support for vulnerable citizens, but not another blank cheque for an inequitable subsidy system that previously drained the national treasury.

Public policy must be judged by outcomes, incidence and opportunity cost. The central question is not whether government should protect citizens; it must. The question is whether every litre of petrol consumed - including by high-income motorists, large fleets, smugglers and commercial intermediaries - should attract the same public support as the transport needs of a low-income worker, farmer or student. The answer, in both economics and social justice, is no.


Compassion must pass a fiscal test
The arithmetic is simple. If the market or supply cost per litre is Pm, the controlled pump price is Pc and the subsidised volume is Q, then the fiscal cost is S = (Pm - Pc) x Q. Calling the intervention a crude-oil discount, a refinery support mechanism or a capped price arrangement does not erase the cost. If the Federation sells crude below market value, the difference is forgone public revenue - an implicit subsidy and a tax expenditure by another name. It must still be appropriated, measured, disclosed and audited.


This is especially dangerous in a country with volatile oil prices, exchange-rate exposure and weak revenue mobilisation. A universal price subsidy is an uncapped contingent liability: the bill rises when international prices or the exchange rate moves against us, even when the National Assembly has not voted for better schools, hospitals or security. Broad fuel subsidies weaken fiscal resilience by converting price shocks into budget shocks.


History has already rendered its verdict
Nigeria introduced petrol subsidy in 1977 as a temporary response to an oil-price shock. Temporary relief gradually hardened into a permanent entitlement, surviving repeated reform attempts and reversals, including the politically traumatic episode of 2012. The Petroleum Industry Act 2021 eventually established a market-oriented downstream framework and contemplated the end of subsidy by June 2023. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's declaration on 29 May 2023 therefore did not invent the reform; it supplied the political will that successive administrations had postponed.


The historical bill is sobering. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative reported that the country spent N13.7 trillion on fuel subsidies between 2005 and 2021. NNPC data then showed an additional N4.39 trillion spent in 2022 alone - about 32 per cent of the entire preceding 17-year nominal total in a single year. That 2022 charge was roughly one-quarter of the N17.126 trillion federal budget originally approved for the year. NNPC remitted no funds to the Federation Account in 2022, leaving federal, state and local governments with a deep revenue hole while deficits and borrowing expanded.


It would be analytically careless to blame every weakness of the Nigerian economy on fuel subsidy alone. Oil theft, low production, monetary financing, insecurity, weak productivity and poor expenditure quality also mattered. But the subsidy clearly amplified the fiscal deterioration: it diverted oil revenue before it reached the treasury, obscured the true cost of consumption, crowded out productive expenditure and rewarded cross-border arbitrage. A policy need not be the only cause of a crisis to be an important and avoidable cause.



A subsidy that favours the better-off
The distributional evidence is equally decisive. IMF analysis found that the richest income quintile typically captured about six times as much fuel-subsidy benefit as the poorest quintile. That is because wealthier households own more vehicles and consume more petrol directly. Poor households suffer indirectly through transport and food prices, but that is precisely why they should be protected directly rather than through a leaky nationwide discount on every litre.
In an IMF simulation based on Nigerian household data, targeted transfers of about N239 billion - 0.13 per cent of 2021 GDP - could offset the estimated increase in the poverty headcount from removing subsidy, at a fraction of the fiscal resources consumed by the subsidy. The policy lesson is scientific and humane: target the person, not the product. Support the vulnerable household, the commuter, the farmer and the small enterprise; do not subsidise litres without knowing who ultimately captures the benefit.



Atiku's accountability question is valid; his prescription is not
Alhaji Atiku asks: where did the savings go? Every public-finance professional should welcome that demand for accountability. Citizens are entitled to a transparent reconciliation of the counterfactual subsidy bill, actual Federation revenue, NNPC deductions, debt-service pressures and the uses of additional federal, state and local resources. But a demand for better accounts cannot logically justify restoring the expenditure whose opacity created the problem. Where public expenditure controls are deficient, the appropriate response is not to reinstate a distortionary fiscal liability, but to strengthen the control environment, reconcile the accounts and enforce audit accountability.


Moreover, 'savings' are not always a cash balance sitting in one account. They may appear as higher distributable revenue, avoided borrowing, reduced arrears or fiscal space used to meet wages, debt service and capital commitments. The Federal Ministry of Finance estimates N15.827 trillion in subsidy savings for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025. Its supporting schedule allocates N5.007 trillion to the Federal Government, N6.525 trillion to the states, N3.876 trillion to local governments and N419 billion to other statutory recipients. These estimates should remain subject to independent reconciliation, audit and regular publication. Transparency strengthens the reform; reversal destroys it.
Alhaji Atiku's latest attempt to distinguish a new, capped support system tied to domestic refining from the old subsidy does not solve the core problem. A below-market crude allocation still transfers value from the Federation to selected oil refiners. Unless the discount, volume, beneficiaries, consumer pass-through, fiscal ceiling, audit trail and sunset date are disclosed in advance, the old risks of capture and opacity simply return in a new accounting wrapper.
The FAAC dividend is real - and it belongs at the grassroots


President Tinubu's argument that subsidy removal helped finance the much larger allocations now reaching all 36 states and the 774 local governments is supported by the fiscal record. The technically correct term is Federation Account allocation, not a discretionary federal gift: these are constitutionally shared revenues belonging to the three tiers. Before reform, petrol subsidy was effectively a first-line drain on petroleum receipts before the remainder could reach that common pool. Removing the drain allowed more revenue to be shared, while tax administration, oil-sector receipts and foreign-exchange reforms also expanded the nominal naira value of the pool.
Official FAAC measure
2023
2025
Change

Net FAAC distributed
N10.846tn
N21.897tn
+102%

States' receipts
N4.179tn
N8.934tn
+114%

Local-government receipts
N2.601tn
N5.351tn
+106%

Source: Federal Ministry of Finance underlying fiscal analysis. Nominal naira values; percentages calculated from published totals.


The annual data are striking. Net FAAC distribution rose from N10.846 trillion in 2023 to N21.897 trillion in 2025. Over the same period, the states' aggregate receipts increased from N4.179 trillion to N8.934 trillion, while local-government receipts rose from N2.601 trillion to N5.351 trillion. The Ministry further calculates that, against the pre-removal monthly run-rate, states received about N9.17 trillion in additional allocations and local governments about N6.66 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025. Of the estimated subsidy savings alone, states and local governments together received N10.401 trillion - roughly 65.7 per cent. That is fiscal federalism in hard numbers.


Scientific honesty requires two qualifications. First, these are nominal figures: inflation reduces their real purchasing power. Second, the full rise cannot be attributed to subsidy removal alone because revenue mobilisation and exchange-rate changes also contributed. Even with those caveats, the direction and scale are undeniable. The World Bank independently recorded gross FAAC revenue rising from N17.078 trillion in 2023 to N37.443 trillion in 2025 and observed increased capital spending by subnational governments.


The economic justification is straightforward. States and councils are closer to the services that determine daily welfare: primary healthcare, basic education, rural roads, water, sanitation, agricultural extension, local security support and the payment of teachers, health workers and pensioners. When additional revenue clears salary and pension arrears, it stabilises household consumption. When it builds feeder roads, clinics, classrooms, markets and water systems, it lowers transaction costs, raises farm-gate income, strengthens human capital and creates a local multiplier through workers, suppliers and small contractors.



This is how an upstream fiscal reform should become a grassroots development dividend.
There are already practical illustrations. Nasarawa's governor reported that the state's monthly allocation increased from about N4.5 billion to roughly N16 billion, creating room for roads, water, education, healthcare, a vocational centre and a solar-powered state secretariat. Enugu's governor likewise credited increased Federation resources with helping to finance smart schools, major roads and a specialist hospital.


These examples deserve recognition, but every claimed project must still be tested against procurement records, completion, service quality and citizen use. Allocation is an input; welfare is the outcome.
President Tinubu has rightly urged the media and citizens to scrutinise states and local governments, not Abuja alone. I make the same call. Where the grassroots impact is not as robust as the allocation increase, Nigerians should ask their governors, state assemblies, local-government chairmen and auditors-general for a quarterly subsidy-dividend scorecard: opening allocation, actual receipts, capital releases, contract awards, project locations, completion rates and measurable beneficiaries. With aggregate state receipts now more than double the 2023 level, governors should not offer the same excuses, unpaid obligations or abandoned projects. Accountability must follow the money all the way to the ward.
The evidence of recovery supports staying the course



President Tinubu deserves commendation for taking a decision that was economically necessary but politically hazardous. The adjustment was painful, and government must never dismiss the real loss of purchasing power experienced by families. Yet responsible leadership is not the art of preserving every popular distortion; it is the courage to remove a ruinous one while building fairer protections.
The reform mix is beginning to show measurable macroeconomic gains, although these gains cannot all be attributed to subsidy removal alone. The National Bureau of Statistics reported real GDP growth of 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 3.13 per cent a year earlier, with manufacturing growing by 3.29 per cent. The Central Bank reported gross external reserves above US$45 billion, the highest level since 2018. The World Bank's April 2026 Nigeria Development Update recorded stronger revenue mobilisation and external balances, while candidly noting that better macroeconomic numbers had not yet translated sufficiently into living standards. This is a reason to deepen inclusion, not to reverse stabilisation.



The President's action has also improved the investment logic of domestic refining. A market in which the public treasury absorbs losses while investors face administratively fixed prices discourage efficiency and perpetuates import dependence. A rule-based market, supported by competition, transparent regulation and domestic refining capacity, offers a more durable route to supply security than a return to fiscal price suppression.
A public-finance compact for the next phase
My total support for President Tinubu's economic transformation is therefore support for both reform and accountability. The next phase should convert macroeconomic stabilisation into visible household welfare through five public-finance commitments:



Publish a monthly subsidy-reform fiscal statement showing the estimated counterfactual subsidy cost, actual petroleum-sector remittances and deductions, Federation Account distributions, and major uses of reform-related fiscal space.
State governors should channel a clearly disclosed share of fiscal gains into verified social registries, targeted cash transfers, school feeding, primary healthcare, agricultural logistics and support for the lowest-income commuters.
Provide robust inter-states and intra-state mass transit system, compressed natural gas across the 774 local government areas of the federation (currently, some states only have one or two outlet, Kwara state is an example), and other lower-cost mobility systems, with procurement data, unit costs and delivery milestones open to public scrutiny.
Require federal, state and local governments to report outcomes, not merely allocations: kilometres of roads completed, classrooms rehabilitated, health centres equipped, jobs supported and beneficiary households reached.



Use a rule-based, temporary and targeted stabilisation mechanism during exceptional price shocks, with a hard fiscal ceiling, legislative appropriation, named beneficiaries, independent audit and an automatic sunset clause - never an open-ended universal petrol subsidy.
This compact answers the legitimate public demand for transparency while preserving the integrity of the reform. It also places responsibility where our Constitution places revenue. In other words, responsibilities are measured across all three tiers of government such that increased Federation resources are appropriately matched by visible service delivery in every state and local government.



Nigeria must not finance yesterday's illusion
President Tinubu has displayed uncommon statesmanship by confronting a fiscal illusion that outlived its usefulness and threatened the solvency of the Federation. He deserves the support of Nigerians who understand that reform is not measured only by the pain of transition, but by the crisis avoided, the institutions rebuilt and the opportunities created for the next generation. I salute his courage, resolve and determination to reposition Nigeria on the path of productive investment, stronger revenues and sustainable growth.



Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is entitled to criticise the execution of government policy. He is right to insist on a transparent account of public resources. But his pledge to restore petrol subsidy is economically inconsistent, fiscally retrogressive and socially mistargeted. Nigeria cannot borrow its way back into a policy that depleted public revenue, privileged heavier consumers and weakened investment incentives.
The humane alternative is clear: protect people directly, publish the accounts, audit every naira, expand affordable transport, strengthen domestic production and stay the course on market reform. On this defining question, I stand firmly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and offer my total support for the economic transformation he has courageously led. Nigeria must move forward with discipline and compassion - not return to yesterday's expensive illusion.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Kazeem Olayimika Salaam (Alabaja), PhD, FCCA, is an APC chieftain and Kwara South Senatorial Aspirant. He is a finance and public financial management professional with experience spanning fiscal governance, public debt management, risk, regulatory compliance across the globe including Africa, Europe, Middle East and Americas.

Ogun East: Abiodun's consolidation agenda and the case for state-federal bridge








Femi Ogbonnikan










As political activities take shape ahead of the 2027 general election, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun appears to be coasting toward a smooth end to his tenure, buoyed by expanding support across the state's three senatorial districts.

In Ogun's discerning political landscape, sustained voter backing requires far more than campaign rhetoric, it demands impactful socio-economic deliverables: Roads, jobs, security, industrial growth, and visible governance.

Eight years after first taking office in 2019, Abiodun is exiting with a portfolio of projects that cut across infrastructure, education, health, and industrialization.

Despite opposition skepticism surrounding the administration's performance, the All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to build momentum through its expanding party base.

The question now is not whether the APC can retain Ogun, but who will inherit the structure Abiodun has built, and how that inheritance will be deployed to maintain Ogun’s relevance at the federal level?

Governor Abiodun's political standing in Ogun East was further reinforced by a recent wave of support from key regional leaders.
Notably, he welcomed delegations from both the Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD) political family, led by Hon. Ladi Owodunni, and the Buruji Kashamu political group, led by Mrs. Damilola Talabi.
The formal reception at the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta marked a decisive moment in Ogun State’s political realignments.
For decades, Ogun East politics has been defined by rival camps. The OGD structure dominated the Remo and Ijebu axis through two terms as governor and later as Senator.
The Kashamu group, though later in emergence, built a formidable grassroots machine in Ijebu North, Ijebu East, and parts of Odogbolu before the late senator’s death. That both structures are now publicly aligning with Abiodun signals more than a defection. It signals the end of a 20-year cold war in Ogun East APC politics.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Abiodun commended the leaders and supporters for choosing the path of unity, inclusiveness, and collective progress. He emphasized that political actors who share common interests should speak with a unified voice during an election year rather than dissipate energy across competing political platforms.
The consolidation carries significant strategic weight in Ogun East. The arrival of the OGD network and the late Senator Buruji Kashamu’s loyalists bridges historical political divides within the district.
Aremo Tunde Adesanya, Senior Consultant on Political Matters to the Governor and a former coordinator for Otunba Gbenga Daniel in Odogbolu Local Government, formally reaffirmed the group's commitment to the APC mainstream under Abiodun's leadership. Similarly, stakeholder Oladipupo Owodunni dismissed reports of members supporting opposition candidates, unveiling "Operation 5 Direct"—a grassroots mobilization drive aimed at securing victories across all electoral levels.
"Operation 5 Direct" is telling.
It is not just a slogan. It is a ward-to-polling-unit structure designed to deliver 5 votes per party member, 5 polling units per ward, and 5 wards per local government.
In a state with 236 wards and 3,536 polling units, that kind of granular targeting matters. It is how elections are won when voter turnout is low and margins are tight. The decision of Ogun East APC leaders and stakeholders to endorse Governor Abiodun for the Upper Chamber reflects a growing consensus that the district stands to gain immense strategic leverage from his executive experience.

Having served two terms as chief executive, Abiodun offers Ogun East a seamless bridge between federal legislative policy and local execution. This is the core of the consolidation agenda: continuity of influence.
During his governorship, key infrastructure assets such as the Gateway International Airport in the Remo axis and critical transit corridors like the Ijebu-Ode–Epe Expressway were championed.
These are not state projects alone. They are federal projects with state facilitation. The airport, for instance, requires NCAA certification, federal aviation approvals, customs presence, and private sector concession agreements.
A former governor in the Senate understands the bureaucracy, the committees, and the budget lines to push.
An experienced executive in the Senate is uniquely positioned to attract federal funding, private sector concessions, and aviation incentives that solidify Ogun East as a commercial logistics hub. Ogun East is already the industrial corridor of the state. Agbara, Ota, and Mowe are in Ogun Central and West, but the Remo-Ijebu axis is becoming the aviation, port, and agro-processing corridor.

Furthermore, with major economic milestones on the horizon—including Ogun State’s prospective emergence as an oil-producing state and the progression of the proposed deep-sea port—having an experienced executive in the Senate ensures that federal policy, port concessions, and natural resource frameworks actively support local industrialization.
Oil-producing status means derivation funds, NDDC-type interventions, and federal environmental remediation. A deep-sea port means NIMASA, NPA, customs, and federal rail link approvals. These are not things a first-term senator learns on the job.
They require relationships built over 8 years of sitting with federal ministers, governors’ forum meetings, and NEC sessions. High-ranking legislative positions are often informed by prior governance credentials, and Abiodun’s established relationship with the presidency and federal executive ministries enhances the district's ability to secure primary infrastructure projects, ecological intervention funds, and federal educational support across Ijebu and Remo communities.

Nigeria’s federal structure means no state develops in isolation. The states that get ahead are those with strong connectors in Abuja. Consider the last 8 years. Ogun benefited from federal support for the Lagos-Ibadan rail, the reconstruction of the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway, and special economic zone approvals because the governor had direct access to the Villa. That access must not end with his tenure. Moving from state leadership directly into national lawmaking reduces governance friction. It establishes a unified developmental agenda where state projects in health, urban renewal, and transportation receive direct legislative reinforcement at the national level.
For example, the Ogun State Health Insurance Scheme can be scaled with federal BHCPF funds if there is a senator who sits on the Senate Health Committee and understands the state’s data. The urban renewal in Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode can attract federal housing and ecological funds if there is a senator who can defend budget proposals at appropriation.

This is not about personal ambition. It is about institutional memory. When a state loses a governor with 8 years of federal relationships, and replaces him with a newcomer, there is a 2-3 year learning curve. Ogun cannot afford that in 2027, when competition for federal resources will be fiercer due to economic constraints.

Abiodun’s consolidation is not limited to Ogun East. In Ogun Central, the completion of the Abeokuta township roads and the Ogun Tech Hub has created a new class of urban voters who see government as service delivery.
In Ogun West, the ongoing work on the Atan-Lusada-Agbara road and the push for the establishment of the Federal University of Education, Ilaro, are tangible deliverables.

By aligning key political structures behind a shared vision, the ruling party strengthens its grassroots foundation across all three districts. This matters for 2027 because presidential elections are won at the margins. If APC can sweep Ogun with reduced intra-party friction, it frees up resources and political capital to fight in swing states like Kano, Rivers, and Benue. The consolidation also sends a message to investors. Political stability is an economic variable. When OGD and Kashamu camps sit with Abiodun, it tells manufacturers in Agbara and logistics companies in Remo that policy will not change abruptly in 2027. That certainty attracts FDI.

No consolidation is without friction. Critics argue that concentrating power within one individual risks creating a "godfather" structure that stifles new talent in Ogun East. Youth groups in Ijebu have asked: if Abiodun goes to Senate, who gets governor? Is Ogun West’s turn being delayed again? Opposition parties, especially the PDP, ADC and NDC, are also testing the unity. They argue that "Operation 5 Direct" is a top-down directive that does not address local grievances around unemployment and cost of living. These are fair questions. The answer from the APC camp is that 2027 is not the time for experiments. With Tinubu seeking re-election and the economy in transition, Ogun needs a steady hand that can negotiate with Abuja, not learn the ropes.

With major economic milestones advancing, the administration's governance record continues to serve as its primary political capital. The Gateway Airport, the oil-producing status bid, the deep-sea port, and the agro-cargo terminals are not campaign promises. They are projects in motion that require federal follow-through.

By aligning OGD and Kashamu structures, Abiodun has solved the biggest problem in Ogun East politics: disunity.
By signaling a Senate run, he has solved the second problem: how to keep Ogun’s federal voice strong after 2027. The 2027 election in Ogun will therefore be a referendum on two things: continuity of development and effectiveness of state-federal linkage.
Voters will ask: who can finish the airport? Who can bring the port? Who can turn oil-producing status into jobs? If the APC presents a united front under the consolidation agenda, Ogun will enter 2027 not as a battleground, but as a base. If the opposition fragments, that base will only grow stronger.

Ultimately, the Abiodun consolidation agenda is about more than political arithmetic. It is about securing Ogun State’s future in a federal system where relationships, experience, and continuity determine how much a state gets from the centre. The next four years will be decisive for projects that cannot be completed within one political cycle. The Gateway International Airport needs federal aviation policy to become a true cargo hub.
The proposed deep-sea port needs legislative backing to unlock concession agreements and rail connectivity. The oil-producing status requires sustained lobbying at the National Assembly to ensure Ogun benefits from derivation and environmental funds. These are not tasks for political newcomers.
They require a leader who already understands the workings of Abuja, who has built trust with federal ministries, and who can translate state priorities into national policy. That is the argument being made in Ogun East today.

In sending an experienced executive to the Senate, the district is not just rewarding performance. It is investing in leverage. As 2027 approaches, Ogun voters will weigh sentiment against strategy. The emotional appeal of zoning and fresh faces will matter, but so will the practical question of who can deliver federal resources faster. In a tough economy, delivery will trump rhetoric. The consolidation around Abiodun suggests that APC stakeholders believe experience is the safest currency. Whether that gamble pays off will depend on how well the party translates this unity into votes, and how well that vote translates into development for the people of Ogun across all three senatorial districts. The campaign has started. The real test of consolidation begins now.








Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to the Ogun State Governor

The Pragmatic YAYI at 57: Leading political movement of history

By Olaniyi Ajibola

The former Speaker, Vice-president and 14th President of Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, popularly known as Iron Lady in the political parlance of the country, once conceptualised leadership in the most ideological manner ever, saying," A good leader must be at the forefront leading, at the middle inspiring and at the back defending the people at all times".

Looking inwardly, the political journey of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, widely known as Yayi, clearly reflects a personality with clear and fair understanding of leading the people with vision and clear-cut goals, inspiring them with satisfactory knowledge of political mobilization and conscientization and defending from all fronts with courage.

I think the greatest capacity of the APC's gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State for the 2027 gubernatorial election is the deep rooted understanding of dynamic feelings, thinking and needs of the people at every point in time, demonstrating uncommon sensitivity and empathy for the people irrespective of social status and background.

His systematic advancement in the political arena of Lagos, where he had convincingly carved a niche for himself is inspiring and exemplary for coming generations of politicians in Nigeria. Despite the fact that politicians quickly lose relevance and followership in Nigeria due to greed and selfishness of leaders and insatiable want of followership, Senator Solomon Adeola have been able to live above board and sustain the tempo of popularity and followership in the political climate.

As it was in Lagos political landscape, the ovation geometrically became louder in his home state of Ogun, even in the face of resistance and victimisation of those years of early appearance, Yayi, exhibited resilience and doggedness expected of a courageous leader and deliberately nurtured an intimidating political movement that renders every opposition element redundant perpetually.

Yes, the sophistication and fraternity of Yayi's political family indeed make it a movement of sort, cutting across party affiliation, region and religion. It is an assemblage of clear-headed individuals with utmost conviction about the dexterity, capacity, capability and charisma of their leader.

Yayi's achievements as a Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District in the last three years substantially surpassed all what senators from that Senatorial District had achieved since the beginning of the fourth republic in 1999, exposing sheer ineptitude in leadership for over two decades .

It is astonishing and incredible that the Senator has been very consistent in his style of excellent delivery in all the positions he had held in the past, amidst the murky politics of our nation and notwithstanding the attitudes of many of his colleagues in power.

There is no doubt that the people of Ogun State are earnestly awaiting the coming of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi, to come and continue the legacy projects of Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON. The man who has laid a very solid foundation in infrastructural growth and human capital development through his revolutionary ISEYA mantra, making the work easier for the incoming Governor.

To this end and as the good people of Ogun State eagerly looking forward to February 2027 to enthusiastically elect Senator Olamilekan Adeola Yayi as the 6th democratically elected Governor of Ogun State, I wish him happy 57th birthday. May he celebrate more of this special moment ahead in sound health and mind.

Happy Birthday, Distinguished!

Ajibola writes from Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta.

Gov. Abiodun strengthens Ogun security architecture through legislation, operational efficiency

By Olaniyi Ajibola

Economic activities anywhere in the world tremendously flourish in peaceful environments, where there is absence or minimal security breach and threat of any kind, and where the ambience remains evidently friendly to guarantee confidence of prospective investors and other players alike.

There is no doubt that the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, since his assumption of office has assiduously worked to change the volatile business environment he met in 2019 to business friendly environment of unprecedented proportion, making the state the best federating unit in ease of doing business among the 36 states of the federation.

This profound achievement by the current administration in Ogun state is a product of political will of the Governor, his creative ideology and courageous disposition towards speedy transformation of the state, bringing his corporate exposure and decent pedigree to bear in governance.

While the state enjoys comparative advantage of location, being the only neighbour to Lagos state, the commercial capital of Nigeria and gateway to many cities across Nigeria with international border to West Africa countries, the inherent challenge of insecurity comes with this advantage.

Governor Abiodun, having relentlessly built a leading industrial hub in West Africa sub-region in the last seven years was swift in confronting this menace with utmost alacrity through legislation and strategic mobilization of security agencies and local intelligence mechanisms to nip every security breach in the bud.

Against this backdrop , the Ogun State Executive Council recently approved four landmark bills designed to tackle violent crimes, ritual killings, cultism, extortion and the growing challenge of missing persons across the state as a way of sustaining the state's status as one of the safest sub-nationals and investment destination of repute in Nigeria.

The proposed legislations—the Group Liability for Offences of Violence, Extortion and Secret Societies (GLOVES) Bill, the Victims’ Rights Bill, the Human Sacrifice Prevention and Prohibition Bill, and the Missing Persons Bill—will be transmitted to the Ogun State House of Assembly for consideration in the coming days.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, said the bills represent a comprehensive legal response to crimes that are either prevalent or increasingly becoming a threat to public safety in the state.

Ogungbade explained that the GLOVES Bill is aimed at dismantling criminal organisations by making every member of an unlawful or proscribed group jointly liable for crimes committed by fellow members in furtherance of the group’s objectives, as the Victims’ Rights Bill will establish, for the first time in Ogun State, a structured legal framework for the protection and support of victims of crime throughout the criminal justice process among others .

Analysts and discerning residents of the state have applauded this move, describing it as a display of responsive and pragmatic leadership in the most proactive manner, with the aim of protecting lives and property in the state as well as stimulating the microeconomic layer of Ogun State.

In the same vein, the Governor has mobilised tactical security equipment to complement the operational efficiency of security agents in the state, as the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu, deployed operational police aircraft to support ongoing operations across the 20 local governments of Ogun State.

The Governor had requested the deployment of the aircraft as part of efforts to further strengthen the state’s security architecture and sustain the fight against criminality and banditry, in which the IGP swiftly obliged.

Receiving the aircraft and its crew on behalf of the Ogun State Government, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, expressed the Governor’s appreciation to the Inspector General for his prompt response and unwavering commitment to the safety of lives and property in the state.

Talabi noted that the deployment of the aircraft would significantly enhance aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering, and rapid response capabilities of security agencies, thereby complementing ongoing efforts to rid Ogun State of criminal elements.

He described the development as another testament to the strong collaboration between the Ogun State Government and security agencies, adding that the partnership has continued to yield positive results in safeguarding residents and protecting critical infrastructure.

Indeed, these conscious security measures have started yielding immediate positive results in Ogun State, as a testament of purposeful leadership provided by Prince Dapo Abiodun and his team, in line with the unassailable contractual agreement he had with the people of the State before coming into the saddle

Of course, the successful rescue of the seven students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, in Remo North Local Government Area, who were abducted by suspected kidnappers earlier this week was a pointer to the fact that the Ogun State security architecture is greatly hostile to criminal elements and their collaborators anywhere in the State.

The breakthrough speaks volume of the effectiveness and efficiency of the renewed security arrangement in the State and the sophistication of intelligence gathering mechanism put in place to monitor every activity in all the nooks and crannies of the State.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, while addressing journalists at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, in the company of security chiefs and some of the rescued students, reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that kidnappers and other criminal elements have no hiding place anywhere in Ogun State.

The Governor disclosed that the rescue was achieved through a coordinated security operation involving the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Ogun State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), local vigilantes and hunters.

He said ,'' I am pleased to inform the good people of Ogun State that in the early hours of today, Thursday, August 6, 2026, the combined security operation successfully rescued all seven victims alive.

“One of the victims sustained a gunshot injury during the incident and was immediately evacuated for medical attention. The student has since been stabilised.

“This operation is still ongoing, and I wish to assure the good people of Ogun State that our security agencies remain on the trail of every individual connected with this criminal enterprise".

Obviously, one of the cardinal attributes of a good leader is vigilance, every good leader promptly and carefully recognises problem before it becomes an emergency. Indeed, Governor Dapo Abiodun has left no one in doubt that he was prepared for this job and possesses requisite capacity , sagacity and courage to be successful despite the enormity of his assignment.

The Prince of Iperu Remo is more than ready to even take it further beyond the Gateway State in the next few months, to take the business of law-making as statutory obligation at the red chamber of the National Assembly.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

How Gov. Abiodun redefines university education at Babcock

By Olaniyi Ajibola

University has originally been defined as an arena of academic learning and character moulding , serving as a transformative space for intellectual growth and personal development, and making it an indispensable tertiary education sub-sector everywhere in the world.

Interestingly, the first and oldest continuously running institution of higher learning in the world, recognised by UNESCO and Guinness World Records is located in Africa. That is University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, it was founded in 859AD and began as a Mosque and School, teaching religion, grammar, logic, medicine , mathematics, and astronomy.

Perhaps, this historical fact has informed the deeper perspectives of one of the leading political leaders on the continent about the intrinsic value of university education in the 21st century. Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Governor of Ogun State, South West Nigeria has given a broader insight on the philosophy behind university education beyond certification, insisting that university education must produce more than degree holders but solution providers .

The position of Governor Abiodun on education is rightly in tandem with the thought of the late black American social crusader, Malcom-X, who on June 28, 1964, during the founding rally of the Organisation of Afro-American Unity in New York City posited that ,'' Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today".

Delivering the convocation lecture at the Postgraduate Convocation Ceremony of Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State last Tuesday, the Ogun State Governor challenged Nigerian graduates to deploy the knowledge and skills acquired through their academic pursuits to develop practical solutions to the numerous challenges confronting the country.

Because the campus offers both learning and character moulding, he urged them to combine innovation with integrity as they prepare to shape the nation’s future, saying universities are not merely centres for acquiring knowledge but institutions that prepare individuals to apply learning for the advancement of humanity.

Regrettably, the intellectual deficit and innovative deficiency in the nation's institutions of higher learning have constituted serious bane to the production of skilled and creative graduates of global standard, who possess the requisite competence and capacity for transformation.

Many analysts have argued that the problem emanated from the advent of 'Miracle Centres', the menace that seriously rendered many Nigerian students intellectually lazy and completely eroded reading culture among them, hence, the seeming corruption in the university system with resultant compromise that birthed array of half-baked graduates that perpetually remain unemployable with nothing to offer the country .

However, Governor Abiodun described those graduands from Babcock University as some of the brightest minds of their generation, whose scholarship, innovation, leadership, and character would shape the future of Nigeria, Africa, and the wider world.

He said,'' Universities occupy a unique place in human civilisation. They do far more than transmit information; they sharpen minds, refine convictions, mould character, and prepare citizens capable of advancing society".

Governor Abiodun commended Babcock University for consistently demonstrating that education achieves its highest purpose when intellectual excellence is complemented by moral responsibility, stressing that competence without character could become dangerous.

There is no doubt that the Governor was speaking from the perception that defined his policy on education in Ogun State, having met a nearly collapsed education sector upon assumption of office in 2019, as largely unmotivated teachers and lecturers were struggling for survival in many decrepit educational facilities across the state.

The Governor, therefore, enumerated his administration’s efforts towards reversing the deficit, adding that the sector has witnessed unprecedented reforms since then, through the Ogun REHAB Initiative, which has led to the renovation of public schools and improved learning environments across the state, as well as Ogun Teach, through which more than 6,000 teachers have been recruited to strengthen teaching and learning in public schools.

Considering the family background of the Governor as a son of educationists who both made indelible impacts in the South West geo-political zone of Nigeria, he said the reforms underscore his administration’s belief that education is not merely a social service but the most strategic investment in the future of the people,

“By combining infrastructure renewal with digital innovation, data-driven planning, teacher empowerment, and strategic partnerships with institutions like Babcock University, we are building an educational ecosystem where knowledge inspires innovation, research drives enterprise, and planning produces globally competitive graduates equipped to lead in a knowledge-based economy,” he said.

Governor Abiodun made it abundantly clear at the event that education remains the bedrock of his administration’s vision for sustainable development, assuring people of the state that his administration would continue to invest heavily in the sector because the prosperity of tomorrow depends on the quality of education provided today.

Congratulating the graduating students and the management of Babcock University, the Governor commended the institution for sustaining its reputation as one of Africa’s foremost faith-based universities, where academic excellence is combined with character development.

In his usual way of rewarding excellence as motivation for higher productivity, the Governor announced cash rewards of ₦1.5 million for the overall best Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) student, ₦2 million for the best Master’s graduate, ₦2.5 million for the best PhD graduate, and ₦2.5 million for the overall best undergraduate student.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, by his words and deeds at Babcock University has demonstrated the rare intellectual creativity expected of a leader in the 21st century Nigeria, digging beyond the surface as always and conceptualising issues of national interest above conventional thinking.

Definitely, the Governor deserves the Award of Good Governance conferred on him by the Management of Babcock University, recognising his deliberate and intentional policies that have transformed the state evenly and beyond imagination in the last seven years, as he determines to do more for the state he loves so much.

Congratulations , Governor Dapo Abiodun, CON, on your award, sir.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategic Communications

Obasanjo still bitter about aborted third term agenda, won't forgive Atiku-Lekan Ojo

A leading security expert in Nigeria and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, has slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comment about former Vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on alleged bribery allegation involving late Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na'Aba.

Ojo, in an interview with newsmen on Saturday accused Obasanjo of still nursing the attendant shame that followed the abortion of his third term agenda, adding that he would never forgive Atiku for spearheading the struggle against third term.

He explained that Obasanjo deliberately waited for this time to make the allegation knowing fully well that the former speaker who could contradict his claim is no more alive, insisting that the former President is being mischievous.

The security expert added that many Nigerians are surprised by the allegation made by Obasanjo considering how he showered encomiums on Atiku in Lagos some months ago, commending him of learning the art of governance and civil administration.

Ojo opined that Obasanjo has no moral standing to accuse anybody of corruption and bad governance having failed woefully to directly impact the lives of common people while he held sway as President.

He also accused him of envy and being cynical , saying he has never commend any of his successors in office since he left power as Military Head of state in 1978 and as civilian President in 2007.

According to Ojo, the degree of Obasanjo's failure in leadership is being reflected in the terrible state of infrastructure in his region and across Nigeria at the point he left office in 2007, describing him as a man with chameleonic character.


"Obasanjo can't approbate and reprobate at the same time, you were the one commending Atiku some months back in Lagos and in the same breath you are accusing him of bribery, that is double standard and it is highly unbecoming of an elder state man.

"Obviously, Obasanjo's antics is to paint Atiku black and demarket him against 2027, that is how he never see anything good in all his successors since 1979 and continued to write satanic letters like the one who knows it all

"Unfortunately, this is the man that performed woefully while in office, he made no impact in his home state and region for over eleven years he ruled the country let alone impacting the lives of Nigeriana, as far as I am concerned, the man is a failure in all ramifications.

"It is crystal clear that he is still nursing his wound of aborted third term agenda, which was championed by the former Vice-president, Atiku Abubakar to save Nigeria's democracy and preserve it's sanctity'',

''Obasanjo is a big name without electoral values that can be a threat to Atiku's presidential race in 2027. The moribund power projects, ineffective radars across all our airports , billions wasted in the Ministry of Works and so on.

''How can the Odi people of the Ijaw nation forget about the lawlessness of the massacre , can the people of Zakibiam of Benue state forget the massacre in their land?

"The only achievements recorded by Obasanjo throughout his tenure was when he allowed Atiku to act effectively as the Chairman of the economic council in their first term. This is the only President that frustrated and demean the office of the Vice President because of tenure elongation'', Ojo said.

Leaked Audio: Certainly, Yayi is a man to beat





Femi Ezekiel






A leaked audio allegedly featuring Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Pa Kensington Adebutu, father of PDP governorship candidate Oladipupo Adebutu, has triggered widespread reactions on social media. The OGD Media Office has since responded, saying it was alerted to the recording over six weeks ago when its purveyors tried to weaponise the doctored audio for political blackmail, coercion and intimidation. Describing the recording as a manipulated piece designed to mislead the public, damage Daniel’s reputation, and advance a premeditated political agenda, the media office confirmed that law enforcement agencies had been invited to investigate its source and circulation, while directing its legal team to pursue civil and criminal action against all involved in a campaign of calumny that must immediately come to an end.​
This skepticism was further compounded during a recent public appearance at a funeral service held in a church, where Senator Daniel remarked to the congregation that "only God knows who will be the next governor of Ogun State."

While framed on the surface as a neutral, pious, and non-partisan observation, APC supporters hold it firmly against him as a calculated dodge and a subtle display of anti-party hostility.

In a high-stakes political environment where party leaders are expected to offer clear, unambiguous endorsement for their party's consensus candidates, hiding behind theological abstractions is viewed by party loyalists as a strategic evasion.

To many within the ruling party, his body language, passive posture, and deliberate refusal to explicitly affirm Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) at a major public gathering betrayed an undeniable sympathy for the opposition platform under the guise of religious humility.​

Despite the press disclaimers, treachery remains a potent weapon of political warfare, often deployed by ambitious actors seeking to outwit internal opponents and settle personal scores.

But aligning with the wrong partners or attempting to play both sides of the aisle almost invariably ends in deep political isolation. That precisely is the dangerous gamble Otunba Gbenga Daniel has taken, as he stands accused of working continuously behind the scenes with the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, to frustrate the ambition of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola of the All Progressives Congress (APC).​

In the enduring calculus of public service, it is far better to suffer a temporary political defeat while standing on the right side of history than to secure a Pyrrhic victory on the wrong side. As a former governor who led Ogun State for eight years and currently serves as a sitting Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Daniel is a critical stakeholder not only within the APC hierarchy but across the entire state landscape. That exalted status demands that he acts as a genuine statesman—a guiding figure who rises above narrow parochial politics, personal grudges, and the bitter sectionalism of the past.

But by allegedly descending to the level of plotting against the popular choice of his own party and the electorate, he appears to have placed personal ambition above the collective aspirations of the ruling party and the Ogun populace.​
The ultimate irony of this situation is that this present political dispensation should have been his finest hour.

Unlike in previous electoral cycles marred by fragmentation, the upcoming political landscape presents the APC with its surest, most unified path to triumph. The ruling party has spent years building vital infrastructure, stabilising state governance, expanding the economic base, and selling its comprehensive developmental agenda to the people, meaning a decisive victory would cement that legacy for generations.
Even after losing his earlier bid to return to the Senate, Otunba Daniel would earn far more respect and enduring influence by standing firm with his party, endorsing Senator Yayi, and helping to deliver the governorship than by conspiring with opposition elements to sabotage the very platform that gave him a second political life.​

Ogun politics has a long memory and historically rewards those who put state progress above personal resentments. By midwifing a governor from Ogun West, a senatorial zone that has suffered decades of systemic political marginalisation since the state's creation, the APC is actively attempting to correct a historic 50-year imbalance. That is a momentous, transformative assignment, and as an elder statesman from Ogun East, Daniel’s wholehearted endorsement would carry enormous weight. It would signal profound inter-zonal unity and position him as an influential kingmaker whose leadership transcends regional boundaries.
Instead, the alleged secret deal and his ambiguous public declarations do the exact opposite: they introduce toxic internal friction into the ruling party ahead of a critical election cycle, hand the PDP narrative ammunition it never earned on the field, and severely diminish Daniel's own standing among his peers. It remains fundamentally impossible to claim a genuine love for Ogun State, while actively subverting the broad consensus ratified by party leaders, elders, and traditional rulers.​

Politics is fundamentally governed by timing, trust, and public perception. The very same political actors who clap for you today for outsmarting your party will be the first to abandon and mock you tomorrow when the opportunistic deal turns sour, and the electorate invariably remembers who stood for institutional continuity and who chose the path of sabotage.

Having lost his Senate return ticket, Otunba Daniel still retains a narrow window to salvage his remaining political capital by choosing to be remembered as the leader who put Ogun State first rather than the man who traded a long-term statesmanlike legacy for a short-term backroom arrangement. For his own political survival, and for the overall cohesion of the party, the wise choice is exceedingly clear: back Yayi, back the ruling party, and align with history.​

Regrettably, beyond the private audio recording that has circulated online, clandestine maneuvering appears to have become Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s preferred operational mode.

With one foot planted in the PDP and the other in the APC, he has earned a troubling reputation among party loyalists as a serial operator, hobnobbing with opposition elements under the cover of darkness while professing nominal loyalty to his party leadership in broad daylight.​
This pattern is neither new nor isolated.
In 2023, while publicly claiming to support the APC presidential and state tickets, he was widely accused of aligning behind the scenes with the PDP governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, in a covert effort to frustrate the re-election of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Although he has since issued formal press rebuttals exonerating himself from the leaked audio conversation with Kensington Adebutu, his past political antecedents make it extremely difficult for many observers and party members to take those denials at face value.​
This persistent double-dealing stands in sharp, troubling contrast to the conduct of other prominent Ogun political figures who faced similar systemic cross-currents.

When whispers of political friction, marginalisation, or potential conspiracy surfaced around key stakeholders like Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI) and former High Commissioner Ambassador Sarafadeen Tunji Ishola, both leaders explicitly chose the path of absolute transparency, party discipline, and principled statesmanship.
Rather than harbouring covert agendas, issuing ambiguous public declarations, or playing double games behind closed doors, GNI explicitly dispelled conspiracy narratives and clarified his stance, prioritizing party cohesion over personal ambition.
Similarly, Ambassador Ishola publicly dispelled rumours of underlying conflict by collapsing his extensive political structures into the ruling party and unequivocally reaffirming his full, unreserved support for Yayi and the primary APC umbrella.
By directly confronting intrigue with open, unwavering loyalty, GNI and Ambassador Ishola demonstrated how genuine elder statesmen conduct themselves during periods of intense political realignment.
Daniel, by contrast, appears content to swim in murky waters, substituting public party discipline for subterranean maneuvering and evasive pulpit commentary.​

Yet, Otunba Daniel is not the only actor engaged in subversion; other political co-travellers, such as Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, have also worked behind the scenes to undermine the popular choice of the people. The primary difference lies in their choice of tactics: while Obasanjo has openly pitched her tent with opposition platforms to prosecute her agenda,
Daniel appears to prefer fighting an internal, clandestine battle from within the governing ranks of the APC.​
To understand why figures like Daniel operate with such perceived impunity, one must examine the transactional political environment fostered for decades by the Obasanjo dynasty in Ogun State, where politics has frequently been treated not as an instrument for public service, but as a commercial enterprise governed by returns on investment, entitlement, and transactional leverage.

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo’s political trajectory offers a textbook study in this commercial approach. Entering the political arena primarily on the strength of her father’s legacy and nomination, her career has long epitomised the entitlement of the political elite—treating party structures not as enduring institutions to be built, nurtured, or sustained through shared ideology, but as disposable vehicles to be rented for personal ambition.
When those rented vehicles fail to deliver absolute power, the response is rarely self-reflection, ideological realignment, or party loyalty, but rather resentment, factionalism, and transactional sabotage.​Nothing illustrates the absurdity of this political mindset more vividly than the bizarre phenomenon of demanding financial refunds for failed election expenses.

In Nigerian political history, few concepts are as fundamentally absurd as a politician demanding that a party or state apparatus reimburse or refund them for funds spent on a failed personal campaign. When candidates view democratic elections through this commercial lens, losing a bid is not treated as a rejection by the electorate, but as a failed business transaction where the client demands their initial deposit back.
This sense of commercial entitlement leads directly to the commercialization of party tickets, where political alignment becomes entirely dependent on who covers campaign debts rather than who serves the public interest, resulting in an electoral mercenarism where candidates switch parties fluidly and use threats of internal sabotage to force financial settlements or secure political bailouts from party leadership.​
This transactional philosophy is precisely why the alliances between clandestine operators and opportunistic politicians consistently fail the public.
When Iyabo Obasanjo manoeuvered through parties and demanded financial restitution for her political misadventures, it exposed the core flaw of dynastic politics: the unyielding belief that the public purse or party treasury exists to underwrite private political risks.

Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s current maneuvering is simply the late-stage symptom of this exact mindset. By attempting to trade party loyalty for behind-the-scenes deals with the opposition, he adopts the same self-serving logic that treats political parties as disposable tools.
But Ogun State has evolved far beyond the era where backroom deals and political mercantilism dictate the future of the populace.

The electorate and party loyalists alike are increasingly intolerant of leaders who keep one foot in governance and the other in sabotage. For the APC and the broader electorate in Ogun, the path forward requires rejecting these transactional tactics, as true statesmanship demands accepting electoral realities, respecting party consensus, and prioritizing the long-term development of the state over the individual quest for financial and political recovery.​

Even at that, the rebuttal issued regarding the leaked audio conversation rings hollow—a classic case of damage control deployed far too late to salvage a compromised political reputation. In the fast-paced court of public opinion, a belated denial issued only after exposed machinations have made the rounds is rarely viewed as a genuine vindication; rather, it is correctly processed as a reactive afterthought.

By waiting until the political heat became unbearable before attempting to distance himself from his anti-party maneuvers, Daniel merely reinforced the perception that his primary concern was not innocence, but the sheer embarrassment of being caught in the act.​
What Daniel, Iyabo, and their cabal of conspirators consistently fail to grasp is that no amount of subterranean plotting, polished PR disclaimers, evasive public rhetoric, or unwarranted media outbursts can halt a movement whose time has come.
The political reality on the ground in Ogun State has fundamentally shifted, propelled by the towering, formidable, and unbeatable popularity of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi).

Long before his governorship movement gathered irresistible momentum, Yayi had already carved an indelible niche in the hearts of the masses through a brand of politics rooted in deep empathy, transformative legislative capacity, and unprecedented grassroots empowerment.
His goodwill is not an artificial construct engineered in backrooms; it is a tangible, organic force cultivated over decades of consistent delivery, mega-empowerment drives, educational grants, infrastructural interventions, and community upliftment projects that cut directly across geopolitical boundaries.​

Yayi’s statewide acceptability has effortlessly breached traditional political and regional divides. From the commercial hubs of Ogun Central through the industrial corridors of Ogun East to his home base in Ogun West, his endorsement by market associations, youth coalitions, traditional councils, and grassroots structures has solidified his standing as an electoral juggernaut. While his detractors rely on the obsolete mechanics of political blackmail and factional warfare, Yayi operates with an inclusive, development-driven agenda that resonates directly with the ordinary citizen.
This formidable structural backing, combined with his track record as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, makes him not merely a contender, but unequivocally the absolute candidate to beat in the upcoming election.

Ultimately, public perception is shaped by a pattern of tangible impact built over years, not by rushed press releases, pseudo-neutral church comments, or hostility crafted in times of personal desperation.

The Ogun electorate and APC faithful have watched this political saga unfold with crystal clarity, recognizing that when defeated actors routinely operate in opposition strategy sessions or resort to hostile press briefings, it is simply the background noise of political irrelevance. Their desperate resistance has only served to sharpen Yayi's electoral profile and unify the electorate behind his banner.​

In the final analysis, Daniel’s attempt to rewrite the narrative, his strategic pulpit fence-sitting, and Iyabo’s political grandstanding change nothing about the irresistible momentum driving the state forward. While statesmanlike figures such as GNI and Ambassador Sarafadeen Ishola recognized early that the moment called for unambiguous party loyalty and unity behind Yayi, the orchestrators of internal dissent remain hopelessly trapped in reactive damage control.

The deep political trust eroded through continuous clandestine arrangements cannot be restored through exonerative rhetoric or calculated outbursts. For the APC and the vast majority of the Ogun populace, the political direction toward the next dispensation is firmly locked, and Yayi stands comfortably at the pinnacle of that future. Daniel’s late rebuttal will be remembered not as a clean slate, but as the final, futile gesture of a political class that realized too late that you cannot defeat genuine popularity with cheap conspiracy.








Ezekiel writes from Okeagbede, in Imeko-Afon LGA of Ogun state

Dr. Kazeem Salaam Extols President Tinubu for Approving New Nigerian Army Battalion in Kwara South

Dr. Kazeem Olayimika Salaam (Alabaja), a World Bank consultant, community developer, and the Gbadero of Odo-Owa, has expressed profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for approving the establishment of a new Nigerian Army Battalion in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

In a statement made available Newmen, Dr.Kazeem described the approval as a significant milestone in the Federal Government's ongoing efforts to strengthen national security and combat the menace of banditry, terrorism, and other criminal activities across the country.

According to him, the President's approval is a clear demonstration of his unwavering commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians, while ensuring that every part of the country enjoys improved security and peace.

He further described the development as a decisive and strategic intervention, noting that the prRaesence of the military formation in Omu-Aran will significantly enhance the security architecture of Kwara South Senatorial District and its neighbouring communities adding that the battalion will boost public confidence, support socio-economic development, and create a more secure environment for businesses and residents.

Dr. Kazeem commended President Tinubu for his visionary leadership and responsiveness to the security needs of the people stressing that the establishment of the battalion reflects the administration's determination to protect lives, preserve national unity, and promote sustainable development.

The financial expert also lauded the pragmatic leadership of Governor AbdulRaman AbdulRasaq and his unflinching commitment towards security of lives and property of the people in the state.

He concluded by once again expressing his heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for what he described as a historic intervention, while reaffirming his confidence in the President's continued commitment to securing every part of Nigeria.

Nigerians should expect a promising outcome from the Reps adhoc power probe. -Jackson Ojo


A leading security expert in Nigeria and global affairs analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo has revealed that with the present Ad-hoc committee on Power Sector Reform and Expenditures set up by the House of Representatives, under the chairmanship of Hon Arch. Ibrahim Almustapha Aliyu, Nigerians would soon start enjoying stable power supply.

Ojo, in a chat with newsmen on Sunday declared that Nigerians have lost total confidence in any probe committee set up by the House of Representatives due to incessant failure of such committees to produce any positive results since over 17 years ago.

He, however, explained that the recent probe committee headed by Aliyu presents new hope of revolutionising the power sector for significant improvement and regular supply .

According to him, the committee has been saddled with a new mandate to conduct comprehensive forensic audit of the Nigerian power sector and to investigate funds, policies, and expenditures dating from 2007 to 2024.

Ojo further said that unlike past committees of the House of Representatives that have messed up the process of probe and greatly disappointed Nigerians, Arch. Aliyu by his antecedents would prove his mettle with unprecedented positive result after the completion of his assignment.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to have confidence in the committee and support it's activities for significant improvement in power generation and distribution across the country.

''Sincerely speaking, Nigerians have lost confidence totally in any probe committee set up by the House of Representatives in the last 17 years due to their abysmal performance which continued to give Nigeria darkness.

"Meanwhile, despite the failure and disappointment of the past, I think the 10th National Assembly is getting it right by the appointment of Hon Arch. Ibrahim Almustapha Aliyu, a well disciplined, incorruptible and thorough professional as the chairman of the probe committee aiming at improving gas supply to boost energy generation.

"The committee will painstakingly probe every intervention in the power sector from 2007 to 2014 and work assiduously to change the unpleasant narrative that have characterized the sector since over 17 years.

"For those of us who are interested in the probe committee, despite the huge disappointment such committees have generated in the past, carefully investigated the chairman of the committee and authoritatively confirmed his capacity and his strength of character as a capable hand to revolutionise the power sector .

"I want to assure Nigerians that there is going to be significant improvement in the power generation and distribution across Nigeria after the completion of the assignment by this present probe committee headed by Hon. Aliyu", Ojo averred.

Governance of compassion and sensitivity: The ogun example

By Olaniyi Ajibola

While every government at different levels of administration overtly claims the protection of the superior interests of the people as it's guiding principles, however, the style of governance differs in reality, which intrinsically separates true leaders from pretentious dealers in democratic regalia.

Meanwhile, when a style of governance genuinely elevates empathy to an organizing philosophy, it clearly suggests that the primary goal and overarching mandate of the government is to alleviate suffering, promote social flourishing, and support the vulnerable. In this case, policies are not just infused with care; their entire existence is fundamentally driven by the active practice of compassion.

This is exactly the guiding philosophy of governance in Ogun State, under the leadership of Prince Dapo Abiodun, the man who intentionally makes the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the state a top priority in every policy consideration and implementation.

Against all odds, Governor Dapo Abiodun has successfully actualised his developmental agenda coined' ISEYA', a well -thought- out plan of administration that encompasses speedy infrastructural development, social welfare, qualitative education, youth empowerment, as well as food security through advanced agricultural system.

Strictly speaking, the social welfare and wellbeing of the people in the state have been consciously considered and placed in the first line charge in policy implementation since the inception of Dapo Abiodun-led administration in 2019, and consistently sustained till now with utmost commitment.

Ogun State was the first sub-national government in Nigeria to announce series of palliatives in the wake of fuel subsidy removal in 2023, to passionately ameliorate the sufferings of the people in the state, especially civil servants, who solely depend on government for their means of livelihoods.

This initiative of government in Ogun State was quickly emulated by other federating units, seeing the inherent compassion and empathy in the policy, thereby reaffirming the primordial status of the state as Gateway of developmental initiatives to the rest of the country.

In the same vein, the state has deliberately maintained his leading status in social welfare this time around, in it's swift response to the crisis in the middle east, where United States of America, Israel and Iran lock horns in a seemingly war of attrition.

To this end, the government in April announced a N10,000 monthly transport allowance and one-day-off-duty work palliative for public and civil servants in Ogun state, for the period of three months, which was greeted with wide and profound applause among the workers.

As the crisis continued , therefore, the government, sensing the possibility of prolonged economic predicament on Thursday announced the extension of the work palliative as well as the transport allowance of N10,000 for civil servants across the state for another three months, covering the month of July to September.

The measures, according to a circular issued by the State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Iskeel Olanrewaju Saka, are aimed at cushioning the impact of transportation costs on workers and motivating them to continue delivering efficient and excellent service to the people of Ogun State.

According to the circular, ''Under the renewed arrangement, the one-day-off-duty concession will not apply to officers on shift duties or personnel providing essential services. These include medical personnel, judicial service workers, teaching and non-teaching staff in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, security personnel, political office holders, accounting officers, directors, as well as other officers receiving Special Responsibility Allowances because of the nature of their responsibilities, which require their physical presence at work.

"The state government reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare of workers and pledged to continue implementing policies that enhance productivity while easing the economic burden on the workforce".

Obviously, high productivity can only be guaranteed in a working environment where incentives and recognition are constantly assured and where people genuinely have sense of belongings.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, since his assumption of office has clearly displayed unprecedented compassion for the workers in the state and continued to motivate them in all ways to achieve and sustain higher productivity for the benefit of the people.

He has continually assured them of their welfare and wellbeing at every opportunity he had in the past to address the workers and have been very deliberate in prioritising their interests in all ramifications, including those who are no more in active service but have served the state meritoriously.

As a matter of fact, Governor Dapo Abiodun has chosen compassion and sensitivity as guiding principle of his administration and in line with his political ideology.

The Governor firmly believes that while the core mechanisms of administration remain, leaders must consider the human impact and needs of the vulnerable when making decisions. He convincingly considers compassion as a tool for better and more equitable leadership.

All hail the Prince of Iperu Remo!

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

State Police and how Gov. Abiodun goes beyond the surface

By Olaniyi Ajibola

Suffice it to say that the state of Nigeria's internal security and the need to protect lives and property across every community in the federation remains the greatest national conversation at the moment, considering the existential threat pose by the activities of bandits and violent extremists.

The senseless killings and maiming of innocent citizens on highways and in their abodes, coupled with harrowing experiences of Nigerians who were kidnapped for ransom could better be imagined, making the entire country seriously volatile.

In the face of this national challenge, the devolution of the existing unitary policing system has come up again as integral panacea to insecurity, as a way of consolidating and strengthening various existing regional security arrangements with potent and better local intelligence gathering mechanism and operational efficiency.

The transmission of Executive Bill on the creation of state police by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to the national assembly on June 24, 2026, therefore, gave hope of actualisation of the age-long clamour for decentralised policing system.


It was in response to this national challenge that a leading media organisation, Arise Television, organised a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, where critical stakeholders across Nigeria converged to discuss modalities for the proposed new policing system.

While the conversation centred around the usual issues of structural integrity and capacity of the proposed state police to confront daunting security challenges in our nation, however, one of the discussants, Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum Committee on state police creation, in his presentation went beyond the surface and raised certain fundamental issues of importance.

Governor Abiodun opined that while the idea of state police is apt and laudable, the factors that made the present unitary policing system ineffective should be extensively dissected to serve as a guide in the formation of effective state police, vibrant enough to have significant positive impacts on our internal security system.

The Governor also raised the issue of judicial effectiveness and prompt adjudication at the state level, to complement the new security arrangement against the usual delay that characterised the present system.

Governor Abiodun's assertion on Firearms act is commendable, stating clearly that the present firearms act must either be amended or repealed, to give room for state police operatives to be appropriately and sufficiently armed. Of course, this particular issue of arming security operatives with sophisticated weapons is highly germane.

Nothing could be more suicidal than facing highly armed terrorists with pump action and dane guns. Truly, the firearms act must be amended or repealed to create room for a sophisticated security arrangement at the state level.

Prince Dapo Abiodun, also highlighted the need for collaboration between state police and federal police officers in the course of service towards building a formidable security architecture as envisaged by the proposed amendment bill on state police.

Certainly , operational synergy is essential and necessary among security agencies in the proposed system as against the primordial and senseless rivalries that have adversely affected the operational efficiency and effectiveness of this present system.

Another cogent point raised by Governor Abiodun was the quest for food security which is presently being threatened by incessant clashes between farmers and herders, saying the proposed state police arrangement would systemically address this menace and ensure that farmers and herders operate without the usual rancour and acrimony.

The fundamental question of funding, training and retraining was also mentioned by the Governor, giving assurance that the amendment bill would clearly specify this alongside the issue of abuse which have caused several civil unrest in the past.

Governor Abiodun also mentioned the issue of governance, making case for independent police commission as well as making the tenure of police Commissioner to be a single tenure to allow accountability and probity.

The Governor would not ordinarily conclude his thoughts on this very germane national discourse without exhibiting his welfarist tendency as a responsive leader with penchant for democratic deliverables.

Governor Abiodun at the event said beyond achieving the desired safe environment as conceived through the creation of state police, the arrangement would also create employment for teeming Nigerian youths in all the 774 local governments.

Governor Abiodun in his closing remarks glowingly applauded President Bola Tinubu's efforts on decentralisation of the existing unitary policing system, describing it as audacious and a strong move, adding that the president has demonstrated his ideological inclination as a true Federalist, by championing devolution of power to federating units.

Speaking profoundly about the new security order in Ogun State, in collaboration with neighbouring state of Lagos through police operational synergy codenamed "Operation Kosaye" Abiodun said the arrangement was a proactive move to tell criminals that there is no room for criminalities in both Lagos and Ogun States.

Without mincing words, Governor Dapo Abiodun has without doubt exhibited his patriotic tendency and unwavering commitment to democratic ethos once again with these brilliant insights during the Arise TV's Town Hall Meeting on State Police and abundantly brought his satisfactory knowledge about national issues to bear.

May God continue to increase his wisdom to serve Nigeria the more.

Ajibola is a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Strategic Communications

How Ogun built a grassroots fortress against insecurity






Femi Ogbonnikan







With banditry, kidnapping, and violent crimes escalating across Nigeria, nationwide insecurity has evolved into an existential crisis threatening the very fabric of the federation. Yet, amid this bold and relentless wave of criminality, Ogun State has managed to buck the national trend, remaining a relative haven of peace, productivity, and social stability.

To maintain this hard-won tranquility, the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has repeatedly vowed that the state government will spare no effort, resources, or political capital to protect its residents and sustain public order. Sustaining genuine tranquility in a multi-faceted region flanked by volatile international borders, vast and thick forest reserves, and high-density economic hubs requires far more than verbal assurances or routine political rhetoric.
The Abiodun administration has fundamentally approached security not as a reactive, emergency measure to be deployed only after a crisis occurs, but as a deliberate, proactive, and foundational pillar of overall governance.


Central to this strategic vision is a profound and radical operational shift: the explicit recognition that security is not the exclusive preserve of uniform-wearing officers, federal elite squads, or massive state budgets.

Instead, resilient and sustainable safety is built from the ground up, relying heavily on the active, everyday participation of ordinary citizens. By turning the age-old maxim "security is everyone's business" into a practical, policy-driven reality, Ogun State has successfully transformed its local communities into the primary engine of its intelligence-gathering apparatus.​

No matter how well-funded, elite, or mathematically balanced a police force or state militia is, formal security agents simply cannot be everywhere at once. Criminal syndicates, kidnappers, and cross-border bandits do not operate in an absolute vacuum; they rent standard houses in quiet suburban neighborhoods, buy daily logistical supplies from local markets, and traverse rural dirt roads managed by local farmers.

The Abiodun administration realized early on that the most potent weapon against covert criminality is a vigilant, highly motivated, and structurally organized populace acting as a continuous, early-warning radar system. To tap into this deep resource, the state government has systematically cultivated robust, institutional relationships with informal community structures across all of its 236 political wards. This includes collaborating heavily with landlords' associations, market women unions, traditional trade guilds, and transport worker syndicates at motor parks.
Through regular town hall engagements, localized reporting channels, and interactive feedback loops, the government has entirely demystified the concept of intelligence gathering.

Citizens are actively trained to notice, interpret, and report subtle anomalies—such as unfamiliar vehicles parked for extended periods, sudden influxes of young individuals into abandoned properties, or unusual bulk purchases of food, basic medicines, and fuel in rural outposts.

​Crucially, the administration has worked tirelessly to bridge the historical, deeply entrenched gap of mistrust that has long existed between civilian populations and formal law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
In many parts of the country, citizens hesitate to share vital information due to a pervasive fear of betrayal, immediate retaliation by criminals, or heavy-handed police harassment during investigations.

Ogun State has countered this historical barrier by establishing the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, popularly known across the region as the So-Safe Corps. This specialized corps has become a foundational pillar of the state's grassroots security network.
Established by formal state law to assist the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other conventional federal agencies, the corps focuses heavily on human-centric intelligence gathering, everyday community policing, and proactive crime prevention at the street level.

Because So-Safe operatives live directly within the specific neighborhoods they protect, they naturally bridge the trust gap between local communities and federal law enforcement, specializing in the early detection of cultism, neighborhood crime, domestic disturbances, and suspicious movements before they escalate into major crises.
The corps operates side-by-side with other state and federal entities, including the regional Amotekun Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The Ogun State government has highly commended the corps for its measurable, verifiable impact on public peace, and to solidify its long-term structure and boost operative morale, the government has taken bold steps to formalize and regularize So-Safe personnel into the permanent state civil service structure.

​Beyond the highly visible presence of the So-Safe Corps, the state has deployed anonymous whistleblowing hotlines, digital reporting channels, and decentralized intelligence desks where sensitive information can be dropped off safely without any footprint.

By treating the local community as an esteemed partner rather than a passive, detached bystander, the government has unlocked a steady, uninterrupted stream of actionable, real-time intelligence that allows security agencies to intercept threats long before they materialize into violent acts.
As part of this proactive strategy, the government has achieved significant success in integrating formal law enforcement with local, community-based security outfits.
Recognizing that federal policing units are often stretched thin across multiple national theaters, the administration relies heavily on an indigenous security network that intimately understands the state's complex geographical terrain.

The Western Nigeria Security Network, known locally as the Amotekun Corps, forms the vanguard of this localized effort.
The administration provides continuous, unwavering support to Amotekun, equipping operatives with fleets of operational vehicles, advanced communication gadgets, and specialized training focused on community-centric intelligence gathering.​
However, Amotekun does not operate in isolation or structural competition.
The state has successfully integrated them alongside the So-Safe Corps, local hunters, and voluntary community watch groups into a unified command concept.
Because these operatives are drawn directly from the specific geographical areas they protect, they possess an invaluable asset that external federal troops completely lack: an intimate, generational knowledge of local topography, family lineages, hidden forest tracks, and cultural nuances.

By institutionalizing these grassroots outfits, providing them with legal backing, and ensuring regular, dependable stipends, the government has turned ordinary citizens and forest-spanning hunters into active eyes and ears for the formal security architecture.
When a stranger enters a remote village in Ogun State, the community knows instantly, and through this integrated network, that crucial information travels rapidly up the chain of command to prevent criminal safe havens.

​Following severe security breaches in neighboring states and regions—such as coordinated attacks, rural raids, and high-profile student abductions—the Abiodun administration immediately identified educational institutions as highly vulnerable targets requiring specialized defense mechanisms.
In response, the government launched a comprehensive, multi-agency school security initiative.
Rather than deploying static, passive guards who could easily be overwhelmed by armed raiders, the state established a dynamic, community-linked protection framework. Through this framework, the government adopted the Joint Grassroots Deployments initiative, strategically stationing operatives from the Amotekun Corps, the So-Safe Corps, and trusted local vigilantes across the state's educational landscape, focusing intensely on rural areas and vulnerable boarding institutions.​The administration explicitly tied this school defense framework to local community leadership to guarantee ownership and sustainability.

Traditional rulers, elders, and religious bodies—such as the League of Imams and Alfas, alongside Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)—were given direct oversight roles to coordinate grassroots surveillance around vulnerable school perimeters.

Furthermore, schools have been linked directly to local community communication hubs. If a suspicious movement or vehicle is spotted near a school gate by a local farmer, commuter, or market vendor, a distress signal is immediately routed to the nearest joint security patrol unit, ensuring that prevention happens at the perimeter before any breach occurs.
This multi-layered approach has successfully kept learning environments safe, reassuring parents that their children are guarded not just by brick walls and wire fences, but by the watchful eyes of the entire community.​

This defensive posture extends directly to the state's boundaries. Ogun State shares a porous, heavily traversed, and economically vital border with Lagos State, as well as dense forest boundaries in Ondo, Oyo and Osun and international borders with other neighboring territories.

Historically, this geographic reality allowed criminal syndicates, kidnappers, and highway bandits to cross state lines to commit atrocities and quickly slip back across borders to evade jurisdiction, arrest, and capture.
The Abiodun administration realized that true safety could not be achieved by looking strictly inward; it required breaking the logistical synergy of cross-border criminals.

This realization birthed "Operation Kosaye", a joint, intelligence-driven initiative launched in collaboration with the federal security apparatus and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatunji Disu. "Operation Kosaye" unites the police commands of both Ogun and Lagos states in a sustained, synchronized offensive that treats the border corridor as a single operational zone.​

Here too, community intelligence plays a decisive role. Border communities, riverine fishermen, and rural border guards serve as the operational scouts for this task force.
By launching coordinated raids into the deep forests, dense waterways, and isolated border settlements along the Ogun-Lagos corridor based on civilian tips, the operation has successfully dismantled notorious criminal hideouts, neutralized armed syndicates, and rescued numerous kidnap victims.

The initiative has effectively closed the jurisdictional gaps that cross-border criminals once exploited, turning shared borders from vulnerabilities into fortresses.​

As the scale and technological sophistication of national security threats evolve, the Abiodun administration is steadily shifting its focus toward modern, tech-centric policing to augment human intelligence.
Governor Abiodun has placed the state on a high-alert status, championing the transition from purely physical, static sentries to proactive digital surveillance.

The state is actively investing in modern tech infrastructure to monitor high-risk zones, major highway corridors, and dense forest entry points. By incorporating drone surveillance capabilities, advanced encrypted communication grids, and data-driven tracking tools, the administration intends to shift from reactive policing to active, predictive deterrence.
Crucially, the government is exploring ways to merge technology with community involvement. This includes developing localized emergency mobile applications that allow citizens to send geo-located panic alerts and upload anonymous photographic evidence of criminal activity directly to a centralized state command and control center, ensuring that technology serves as a direct amplifier for the community's eyes-and-ears.​In the traditional African setup, governance and security have always been tied to traditional stools and spiritual leadership.
The Abiodun administration has masterfully revived this paradigm, integrating royal fathers, community chiefs, and religious leaders into the state's core security council meetings.

Traditional rulers are the custodians of local history and communal land. They know every landlord, every land sale, and every migrant settler within their domains.
By empowering royal fathers with the resources and authority to audit settlements within their kingdoms, the Abiodun's administration has made it incredibly difficult for criminal elements to lease land or establish camps under the guise of farming or mining.
Similarly, religious institutions are utilized as platforms for civic re-education. Pastors and Imams regularly use their pulpits to preach the gospel of communal vigilance, reminding their congregations that reporting a criminal is not an act of betrayal, but a sacred duty to protect the lives of innocent children, neighbors, and the state at large.​

The administration firmly recognizes that kinetic military force and police actions only address the symptoms of insecurity; the root causes often lie in economic hardship, systemic poverty, and youth vulnerability. To complement its tactical operations and prevent vulnerable youths from being recruited into banditry or cybercrime, the government inaugurated the Direct Impact Committee. This community-focused body tours the state's 236 wards to rapidly deploy basic infrastructure that directly alters the security landscape.
The mass installation of solar-powered streetlights across rural and urban communities has eliminated the dark, unpoliced zones that criminals traditionally favored for holidays, ambushes, and getaways. At the same time, the committee facilitates the deployment of clean water boreholes, market upgrades, and localized electrical transformers, revitalizing small cottage industries at the grassroots level.

By introducing targeted monthly stipends and micro-credit schemes aimed at vulnerable women, elderly residents, and unemployed youths across thousands of polling units, the state actively works to erase the absolute economic desperation that criminal recruiters frequently exploit.​

Ogun State’s status as a relative haven of peace in a turbulent national landscape is not an accident of geography, nor is it a stroke of political luck. It is the direct result of a calculated, inclusive strategy that treats every citizen as a vital stakeholder in the state's safety.

By blending tactical law enforcement, advanced cross-border operations, and modern technology with the deep, grassroots intelligence of vigilantes, hunters, traditional rulers, and ordinary residents, the Dapo Abiodun administration has proven that security is most effective when it is a shared covenant.

As long as the government and the governed continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, keeping watch over their neighborhoods together, Ogun State will continue to defend its hard-earned reputation as a peaceful, prosperous, and investment-friendly destination for all.






Ogbonnikan is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Ogun State Governor on Media