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Tag: Dapo Abiodun

  • Dapo Abiodun and harvests of projects in Gateway State

    Dapo Abiodun and harvests of projects in Gateway State

    By Kayode Akinmade

    It is amazing but not shocking: Ogun under Dapo Abiodun, boardroom guru and business mogul, has been taking the business of social engineering extremely seriously. Particularly in the last couple of days, the Gateway State has been in the news for positive things, with the critics of the governor habitually motivated by sheer partisanship completely shell-shocked amid their accustomed mischief. Only recently, shortly after reinventing diplomacy and obtaining the Federal Government’s permission, the governor flagged off the reconstruction of the 70-kilometer Abeokuta-Ifo-Ota-Lagos Expressway,  with a pledge to complete it in 18 months. The road had been neglected for over two decades, and Abiodun’s previous requests for approval to reconstruct it had been sternly rebuffed. But he would not take no for answer. And so work has now begun in earnest on the second busiest road in Nigeria, the road which connects Abeokuta and its hinterlands to Lagos State, and links Ilaro in Ogun West to Sagamu in Ogun East through the Sagamu-Interchange-Papalanto-Ilaro road, and which on the Ota side connects the Sango-Atan-Owode-Idi-Iroko road, leading to border towns and the Benin Republic. The road, as the people’s Governor himself recognizes too well, “serves as a critical artery for numerous industrial hubs in Ota, including the Lafarge Cement Factory, Ile-Ise Awo, various schools, and higher institutions. The communities along this corridor are densely populated, and the road’s strategic location has a si gnificant impact on trade and economic activities.” As a  transport union chief, Taofeek Sokoya (Danku), noted: “Currently, we take about five hours to get to Ota from Ita Osin. When this road is completed, it will only take 45 minutes.”

    Beyond roads, the airport city in the Remo axis of the state, easily Nigeria’s biggest and the most strategic, is nearing completion, and you cannot blame the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for heightening work on its N73bn Zonal Office and Training School at the Gateway Agro-Cargo International Airport. The airport lies within the airport city, together with an export processing zone. In another development, the Nigerian Navy, buoyed by the ongoing massive construction works in Ogun State, moved in quickly to obtain 100 hectares of land for its proposed dock yard, a facility for which the governor cancelled any payment in view of the national security imperatives. On the agriculture side, the Abiodun government is simply in a class of its own. Governor Abiodun recently flagged off the harvest of the 200-hectare rice farm at Magboro in Obafemi Owode LGA of the state. In just three months, the farm cluster yielded 1,400 tonnes or rice. Projected to bring in N1bn in revenue every three months, the project will now be scaled up to guarantee revenue in the region of N10bn-N25 billion.

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    The critics actually spun a false narrative on this laudable project, claiming that it is actually the initiative of a certain Alhaji Bello Zabarmawa from Kebbi State. PM News ran this fake news without the slightest prick of conscience. Yet, contrary to that piece of junk journalism, the much publicised rice harvest by Governor Abiodun is real, and the government’s combine harvester was on duty when the Governor called! The said individual  and his colleagues from Kebbi were in fact extremely excited to see the harvester, saying that they had never seen one before, let alone use it for rice harvest. The World Bank-assisted project meant to ensure the increased participation of the private sector in the economic development of Gateway State is the brainchild of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP). Alhaji Bello and 199 other farmers were sensitized and aggregated into ten groups which constituted the rice cluster, and the government supported them with 65 per cent of the cost of land preparation/mechanisation,  while they contributed the rest. Somehow, under junk journalism, Alhaji Bello who farmed just one hectare of rice became “the owner” of this 200-hectare project and the 199 other farmers in the cluster, comprising Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba farmers, were completely left out! The government which provided the land, segmented the farmers into one-hectare lots, and provided pesticide, grants and loans was pilloried for lying about the project!!

    Of course, the critics aren’t ignorant. They know that what government often does in enhancing agribusiness is provide a clement environment for public-private partnership, as in the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who set up farm settlements and provided the farmers with the needed tools, including residences. It is, to bring the issue up to date, what Kebbi and Ogun states have done. Yet the naysayers managed to come up with a fake story, making a single individual the “real owner” of a public-private partnership project involving 200 individuals, and for which the Abiodun Government provided 65 per cent funding, not to talk of tehnical support. Character assassins can’t help themselves, can they?

    Governor Abiodun’s farm clusters are anything but “audio.” Go to Ikenne zone and see if you do not find the following cassava clusters: Ibukunoluwa Farmers Cooperatives I & II (Akaka), Evergreen Farmers (Ibafo), Bethel Agro Allied Farmers Cms (Lukosi), Mosimi Farmers Association (Moro), and Ona Ara Farmers Association (Ikenne), while there are rice clusters in Ayiwere/ Ogboloko and Magboro. In Ijebu zone, go to Idekan Apoje, Omu, Asejere, Ojowo and Ijebu Igbo, and see if you do not find the More Agro Group 1-7, N-Power Cooperative Group 1-5, Agbegbemi -Yewo Farmers Cooperatives, Agberapo Cassava Farmers Group 6, Game Changers, and the Agbe-Parapo Farmers Ass. 1-5 clusters, with the last one being a maize cluster. In Ilaro zone, you have the Ijomo Vegetable Group 3&5, Ijomo  Farmers Group 1 & 4, Vegetable and Fruit Grower Association 1 – 3, Irewolede Cluster I Maize, Araromi Group 1, Ife Cluster Maize I & II, Ore- Ofe Cluster I & II Omoluabi Farmers Clusters, and they are located in Awin/ Odanpopo/Ijomo (tomato), Ijomo (groundnut), Ayetoro (horticulture), together with the maize clusters in Eggua, Imeko, Ayetoro, Igbogila and Iwoye Ketu.

    If the critics are already mad with rage over the rice harvest, what will they do when the harvesting of cocoa, groundnut and cassava begins? Jump into a lagoon, arguing with the waves? They go haywire any time they hear good things about Ogun State, intent on discrediting any action of Government. But what they succeed in doing is merely advertising their hollowness. In any case, if you are a worker in Ogun State, you can take Governor Abiodun’s promise during a recent meeting with the leadership of organized labour to the bank. Lauding the workers for being instrumental to the rapid economic growth in the state, Abiodun said Ogun State would not take second place in the implementation of the new minimum wage. His strategy: “I have told my team that we should roll up our sleeves: we should work as hard as we can without putting undue pressure on our people. We should be creative, more efficient, block loopholes, and increase our revenue so that we can afford to pay the new minimum wage comfortably.”

    In Ogun, it is one good news after another. And the best is yet to come as the Governor mobilizes the populace to take Ogun to the next level. As the Indian writer, Rohini Nikolani, puts it: “We cannot be mere consumers of good governance, we must be participants; we must be co-creators.”

    Akinmade is Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

  • Petrol price: Abiodun warns against fare exploitation

    Petrol price: Abiodun warns against fare exploitation

    • Governor set to release 100 CNG buses

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has announced that his administration would make available 100 new 18-seater Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses for the use of transporters.

    The governor, who made this known in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, said Federal Government would make available 20 CNG-enabled buses and 500 conversion kits to the state government during the week.

    Prince Abiodun disclosed this at a meeting with transport unions on how to ensure fair transportation pricing.

    He announced the inauguration of an enforcement committee, comprising the state police commissioner, his counterpart in the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Traffic Compliance Agency (TRACE) and heads of transport unions, as well as representatives from the Ministries of Transportation and Trade and Investment.

    He said the meeting was called because of events over the last week, including fuel scarcity, which is already abating, and the associated increase in the pump price of the product.

    Abiodun said there had always been an astronomical rise in transport fares anytime there was a slight adjustment in the pump prices of fuel.

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    He said the Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was not unmindful of the impact of the recent hike in the pump price, adding that the government was putting in place measures to lessen the impact on the people.

    “The plans we have as a state government, our plans are to, in the first instance, make 100 buses—100 18-seater buses—available to our transport unions. These will be 100 new CNG buses, and these buses will be brand buses, not no-name buses. We are talking about Toyota Hiace buses that we will give to you under a purchase agreement.

    “We will make them available to you, and you can pay in instalments over a period of time. You have demonstrated commitment and seriousness, and we are confident that when we give you these buses, you will utilise them responsibly and pay back in time.”

  • Abiodun commiserates with officials over REC’s death

    Abiodun commiserates with officials over REC’s death

    • Visits INEC office

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun yesterday visited the state office of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to commiserate with officials over the death of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Ijalaye.

    Prince Abiodun, addressing the workers, said Ijalaye would be remembered for his display of uprightness while he was alive.

    He noted that the REC lived a life of impact and was an amiable, soft-spoken and humble gentleman, who ensured truth prevailed, no matter the circumstance.

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    He acknowledged the contribution of the REC toward ensuring democracy in the state saw the light of the day.

    Governor Abiodun described the exit of Ijalaye as painful, noting that his diligent and meticulous attitude toward ensuring survival of democracy would be missed.

    “I want to appreciate this hardworking man because I recall the events leading to our election, all the events during our elections, all the events post our election, and how calmly, how steadfast he was, and how steadfast he held the commission to ensure it took the path that was right and what was just,” he said.

    Director of Finance and Accounts of the commission, Mrs. Rabiat Akinola, solicited the support of the state government for the family of the deceased and the commission.

  • Abiodun promises grants, digital skills to empower youths

    Abiodun promises grants, digital skills to empower youths

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said his administration is set to offer business-oriented youths grants ranging from N500,000 to N10million under the Ogun Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Programme (OGYES).

    He said the grants, which will start during the next phase of OGYES, which is soon to be re-launched, will offer unemployed youths and women a wide range of opportunities and provide beneficiaries with the cash they need to expand their businesses.

    He added that other youths would have access to interest-free digital loans.

    The governor made this known during the Remo International Youth Day with the theme: ‘Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health’, held at Christ Apostolic Grammar School, Iperu-Remo.

    Prince Abiodun said more youths would be trained in Digital Training Enterprises, adding that technical and vocational training would also be provided for other youths.

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    He said: “Ogun Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Scheme that we will launch in the next two weeks aims to do a few things; it is a programme directed at our youths.

    “We will identify, through a process, our young men and women who are entrepreneurs—those who have a flair for starting their own businesses or those who are already engaged in businesses. We will support them with grants.

    “We will give them grants ranging from N500,000 to N10million. This will allow them to have the cash they need to expand their businesses and provide cash flow for them. Others will have access to interest-free digital loans. All this we are unveiling in the next few weeks.

  • Royal family seeks Abiodun’s intervention over stool

    Royal family seeks Abiodun’s intervention over stool

    The Olubodun-Osidero family of Orile Ijoku, Sabo, Sagamu, Ogun State, has urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to warn impostors to stop parading themselves as monarch of the Agura community.

    The family also warned a certain impostor to stop parading himself as king over the people of Agura.

    At a briefing in Sagamu, the head of the family, Alhaji Sulaiman, alleged that the impostor, in collaboration with some unknown persons, is planning to impose himself as king on the town whereas he is not a member of the royal family.

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    He added: ‘The attention of Olubodun-Osidero family of Orile Ijoku, Sabo Sagamu as well as their principal members have also been drawn to a letter written under the instruction of Alagura council address to and circulated amongst various occupiers of land situated at Orile Ijoku, Shagamu. We wish to state that the land is not in any way under the control and ownership of anyone but the Olubodun family, so people should ignore any letter claiming otherwise.’’

    The counsel to the Olubodun family, Oludotun Osho, also said there was no cause for alarm, noting that the impostor “is just wasting his time parading himself as king because he cannot claim that title until the court of law says so and since the court has not decided on the case no one can claim the stool yet”.

  • Ogun governor’s Executive Order to protect state’s mineral resources

    Ogun governor’s Executive Order to protect state’s mineral resources

    Ogun State Government has said Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Executive Order creating a mineral resources agency is aimed at protecting resources in the state and entrenching decency and sanity in the sector, for the good of the citizens.

    It said the agency was set up for mineral identification, geological mapping of the state and data banking, in line with item 39 of the exclusive legislative list regulating mining in Nigeria.

    Special Adviser to Governor Abiodun on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, giving further clarification on the restraining order of the government on mining mineral resources in the state, yesterday, noted that while only the Federal Government can regulate mining across Nigeria, mineral deposits are in states and mining activities occur in those states.

    He said: “Thus, a state cannot effectively plan or govern if it does not enumerate the resources in its jurisdiction and map them to know where they are. For example, it will be a colossal loss to build a mass housing project on a site that has the largest deposit of limestone or natural gas. The way the state government can avoid this is to know what minerals are in the state, where they are, and in what quantity.

    “This knowledge helps the state attract investors. It also helps the state to effectively manage land so that sites that are by natural endowment suited for mineral exploration are not classified as residential or allotted for commercial purposes that waste the mining potential of the land.

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    “It also avoids clash of investments, as we have had agricultural allottees clashing with mining allottees on the same or adjoining land with the mining activities hampering the agricultural and ecological benefits of the farmers.”

    Akinmade said the newly created agency would interface with other MDAs to avoid clashes in future land allocation and ensure  prospective mining sites are preserved and uninhibited for investors, who, if interested, would eventually approach the Federal Government for mining licences and operations.

    He added: “In reaching this decision, Ogun State was guided by the precedent of oil-producing states who, despite petroleum being on the Exclusive Legislative List, have set up ministries of oil and gas.

  • Tinubu congratulates Abiodun on 64th birthday

    Tinubu congratulates Abiodun on 64th birthday

    President Bola Tinubu yesterday sent warm greetings to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun on the celebration of his 64th birthday.

    A congratulatory message through his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Ajuri Ngelale, reads: “President Bola Tinubu extends his warm congratulations to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on his 64th birthday and fifth anniversary as the leader of the ‘Gateway State’.

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    “Governor Abiodun is a businessman and politician and had managed successful businesses before taking up public office.

    “President Tinubu joins family, friends, and well-wishers to celebrate the Governor on this special occasion.

    “The President commends the governor for his people-led approach to governance while wishing him good health and renewed strength in the service of the people of Ogun State.”

  • Dapo Abiodun: Grace galore, bountiful showers at 64

    Dapo Abiodun: Grace galore, bountiful showers at 64

    By Kayode Akinmade

    Those who live by their strength may readily explain how they surmount odds; those who live by the power of the Almighty need no such explanation. They work hard, but they let God be God, directing them as unmoved mover creatively structuring their paths that eventually yields boundless rewards. That is the story of the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, as he clocks three scores plus four, and five years in the saddle at the Gateway State.

    May 29, for many governors is just the day they assumed office; for Abiodun, it is the very day of his birth, and so the celebration is always multi-pronged. The Royal Air Force has a motto that both instructs and motivates and captures Abiodun’s trajectory: Per ardua ad astra (Through difficulty to the skies). It’s been a long, tortuous, often lonely journey for the Ogun State helmsman that many loved to mock in the days he sought a law-making ticket; those days when he swiftly congratulated winners and immediately collapsed his structures into their own in the interest of the party, elevating the future above the present, confident that his time would come, and trusting in the grace of the One who gives and, adding no sorrow to it.   

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    In his epochal document, My Early Life (1968), the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, left as a gem for all generations: “After rain comes sunshine. After darkness comes the glorious dawn. There is no sorrow without its alloy of joy; there is no joy without its admixture of sorrow. Behind the ugly terrible mask of misfortune lies the beautiful soothing countenance of prosperity. So, tear the mask!”

    When you look at trajectory of Dapo Abiodun’s political life, you see that the words of Nigeria’s sage fit right into the tapestry of his odyssey. Abiodun got into office decades after he first thought of doing so, and the battle when he announced his interest in the Oke Mosan top job couldn’t have been fiercer. Those for whom he literally put his life on the line in the days gone by decided that he was an enemy that must be stopped by all means: the yellow vests usually worn by his supporters was treated like disdainful rags and his posters and billboards were pulled down in blind rage. Abiodun did not have the luxury of a handover note, and even the vehicle in which he rode on inauguration day was borrowed from a neighbouring state!

    If getting into Government House was arduous, living in it was/has been war. There was no trick the naysayers, confounded in their refusal to embrace the reality of their exit from power, did not deploy to take him down. They deployed hack and hired writers buoyed by the rustle of currency notes; they deployed blackmail and character assassination. They scoffed at his projects, including international airports and dry ports altruistically designed to lift the Gateway State into international reckoning. For each road he did across the state, they mocked him for the one not yet done. They called him a non-performer, but could not fault the verdict by local and international agencies that recognized his genius in ICT, agriculture and business development, in education and the arts, and in the health and housing sectors. When he would not budge, they went after his men, cooking up stories to break marriages and demoralize his leadership, but they failed with embarrassing rapidity.

    The last four years have been so turbulent for his administration. The Iperu-born prince and business mogul has faced character assassination and political betrayal by diverse camps of crooks and laissez-faire personalities. But when many believed that there should be a casting down, the Almighty God decreed a lifting up. Today, as he celebrates his 64th birthday; it is evident that God has put an end to his political travails. When you look at what he has gone through in the last four and a half years, you can only give thanks to the Almighty God. Court cases, blackmail, the threat by his predecessors and opposition vote buyers; the treachery by certain devious party men who hobnobbed with the opposition after riding to power on the ticket of his generosity—the list was literally endless. Many thought the music had ended for Abiodun after his first four years, but God did His wonders. Many naysayers believed he would not survive the grand betrayal, but he did, and today treachery has buried those who hatched by it in hot lava. They are like fish out of water, and birds shorn of wings. Abiodun is 64, in good health, and with a great record. It is The Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our sight.

    The dark night is past, and Ogun is on the way to a glorious dawn. Those who thought he could not do well in government and cast aspersions at his personality are now serenading him for what he has done. It is no coincidence that his remedy for the economic anguish in the land remains unmatched, his palliatives alluringly novel. From students to civil servants, and artisans to market (wo)men, everyone has a sense of belonging. Ogun students in higher institutions got N50,000 each while their counterparts from other states got nothing; those in the lower levels got N10,000 each. Thousands benefited from his festival of surgeries; civil servants enjoyed cash and food packages: rice was sold at half the price. Buses, tricycles and bikes running on CNG crashed transport costs, and special food markets charging half the normal prices of foodstuff eased the pains of the populace. Close to 600 kilometres of roads have been done, but of course much more remains to be done because of Ogun’s massive size. Recognizing his genius, the federal government appointed him a member of its economic team. The economy is recovering, thanks to the president’s ingenuity and the vision in appointing Abiodun as part of Nigeria’s economic brainbox. Most analysts say that Prince Abiodun’s ISEYA mantra has been a massive success, yet he is conducting a multidimensional survey to solidify the feedback mechanism.

    Significantly, the political atmosphere is calm. Ogun, once a war zone, is at peace. Blood flowed before him; now, it is commerce conducted in tranquillity that pervades the state. Instead of thugs and touts, entrepreneurial youth rule both the public and private spaces. Those who fed from trouble and piled up weapons of war in the dark days have been pushed into irrelevance. In Abiodun’s Ogun, peace is the common currency of life, and troublemakers have no hiding place. The governor has no enforcers, only supporters who love good governance. As the international relations and public policy experts Roshan Paul and Sarah Jefferson contend, “Peace is a pre-requisite for development as a whole because it creates an enabling environment for the fundamentals of a society’s progress: human capital formation, infrastructure development, markets subject to the rule of law, and so on. In the absence of peace, education and health structures break down, systems to provide infrastructure disintegrate, and legal commerce is crippled. Critically, peace also frees up resources, both financial and human, that would otherwise be diverted to controlling (or creating) violence.”

    Governor Abiodun is a man of his word, and the people love him for it. Says the Bard of Avon: “The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation—that away, men are but gilded loam, or painted clay.” As he moves into the middle of his second term, we wish him greater strides in office. Happy Birthday to the People’s Governor.

    •Akinmade is Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Governor of Ogun State.

  • Abiodun: Double portions from a tripartite covenant

    Abiodun: Double portions from a tripartite covenant

    By Kunle Somorin

    Sometimes, destiny has a way of playing a fast one of mortals or giving them a reason to tie their journeys to certain events, past or future. Whether many subscribe to it or not, there are things we identify with or are identified by that tell some stories about our personality. For instance, some people believe that when it rains during a funeral, the deceased is most likely heading to paradise. Others attach coincidental accomplishments to the “good legs” of a newborn or a newlywed. 

    I hadn’t given many of those interpretations much thought until recently when I stopped taking the birth date of one great Nigerian for granted. On May 29, 2019, Prince Dapo Abiodun was first sworn in as the chief executive officer of the Gateway State. Coincidentally, May 29 happens to be the governor’s birthday. These days, I can’t help but tell myself that this illustrious man was born on political transition day for a reason!

    Though not many will agree that he’s the best governor the 48-year old state has had, but most are in agreement that he’s one governor that has fought more battles than his predecessors in the hands of one of them. Many more will say he did his very best, brought panache, élan, commitment, focus and through fortuitous circumstances achieved inclusive governance in the face of daunting challenges and intimidation. So far, he has provided answers to opposition from within his political party and outside opposition outside his party have been tamed with a carrot and stick mentality and genteel assemblage of forward-looking politicians and inveterate technocrats in his cabinet in a manner that has changed the face of governance in the state, permanently.

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    The Dapo Abiodun administration’s systematic approach to governance, which saw him lay a solid foundation for the implementation of deliberate policies, programmes and projects within the first six months in office, has led to predictable yet unprecedented success in the socio-economic transformation of the state. Within five years, his clear template and deliberate action plan on how to transform the state by implementing the “Building Our Future Together” agenda, has yielded unprecedented results.  His five developmental columns of I-S-E-Y-A: Infrastructure; Social Development and Well-being; Education; Youth Development, and; Agriculture and Food Security are unmatched by any state governor in Nigeria.

    From the dismal public infrastructure he inherited roads: rural and urban, water, electricity and housing, the song changed the deleterious landscape on Ijebu-Ode-Mojoda expressway to Epe in Lagos State, the Sagamu Interchange to Abeokuta will make most governors in other states green with envy. Even the intra-city roads from Ilaro to Ilara, Ajebo to Ajenbadele, Odeda to Odogbolu, Iwopin to Iwoye, Iperu to Ipokia, Sango- Ota to Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode to Ijoko, Igbesa to Igbogila, the story has been that of transformation.

    By prioritizing the construction and rehabilitation of roads. From the day he was sworn in – his birthday – the governor made a solemn vow to the people of Ogun that infrastructure, especially good road network, was crucial to his administration’s investment drive. That is why roads across the state are being aggressively constructed and rehabilitated. This also led him to establish the Ogun State Public Works Agency (OGPWA). Within the past five years, the governor has either completed or is working on roads in all of its 20 local government areas, spanning almost a thousand kilometres and mainly Federal Government (Trunk A) roads.

    An accomplished businessman, Prince Abiodun was always keen on exploring the opportunities presented by Ogun’s geo-location. To him, the state’s proximity to Lagos and its gateway status to the West African market through Benin Republic should propel the state into economic prosperity. He established investment agencies, such as the Ogun State Enterprise Development Agency (OGSEDA), to provide entrepreneurial literacy services, capacity development and access to start-up capital to support Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

    These, most times, in in line with his late dad’s directive before he came into office and in consonance with the “tripartite covenant between me and God, on one part, to serve Him and reciprocate His faithfulness through the journey so far by being a tool to bring the greatest good to the greatest number of Ogun State people, regardless of creed, gender and political affiliation. On the other part, it is also a covenant with the good people of Ogun State.”

    Five years may not amount to much, yet DA’s Midas touches are everywhere. The governor that has triple internally generated fund from N50bn to N150bn is making good on his promises, distributing social infrastructures evenly in all parts of the state, whether assessed via senatorial districts, or the well-known ethno-geographical classifications, namely Remo, Ijebu, Yewa and Egba, which we know as “RIYE”.  In housing, for instance, close to 4000 units of flats have constructed in Kemta-Idi Aba, Kobape in Abeokuta, Ilaro, and Sagamu, beside the avant-garde, urban regeneration buildings across our Government Reserved Areas and the Muhammadu Buhari Estate in the State capital. Also, the administration is changing the landscape with urban renewal and blazing the trail in public transportation with compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Of course, the agro-cargo airport is an icing on the cake.

    Recently, when many states were experiencing protests as a result of the high cost of living crisis, Prince Abiodun was unfazed by any risk of a spillover into his state. While there were protests elsewhere, the people of Ogun State were receiving a very unique kind of Valentine’s Day present, as the governor rolled out palliatives worth over ₦5 billion to reduce hardship during the current cost of living crisis and to better the lives of people. Prince Abiodun his government was not oblivious nor insensitive to the challenges being faced by the citizens and would leave no stone unturned to ensure that succour came to the people. He also appreciated the perseverance, patience and understanding of all residents in the state, assuring them that the present economic situation is just a transient phase that will soon pass.

    Having traversed the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, I know the long way social interventions go in the lives of people. When I served as his official spokesperson, I was surprised by the foresight, diligence and effectiveness with which the governor goes about impacting the lives of Ogun people. The provision of a minimum of five exercise books for all 850,000 students in public primary and secondary schools, as well as a one-off N10,000 education support grant for at least 100,000 pupils and students in public primary and secondary schools in the state, is already extraordinary. Then he announced the provision of N50,000 each to all 27,600 of its indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide as an education grant! He didn’t stop there, food palliatives, such as rice, vegetable oil and other items are being provided for 300,000 households across the state. Part of the initiatives is the commitment of N500 million towards the offsetting of the backlog of deductions from civil servants’ entitlements and additional N1bn quarterly gratuities to retirees inherited from the previous administration. There is a reason why Ogun State is peaceful!

    Prince Abiodun has hacked the cheat code of good governance at the sub-national level and has demystified quality leadership in such a way that makes his shoes already heavy for his predecessor. What’s more, he has been able to do so just five years out of the eight years of two terms the constitution permits him to spend as a governor. Only God knows how unmatched his legacy will be by the time he bows out on May 29, 2027… Again, on his birthday!

    Born on 29 May 1960 to the late Dr. Emmanuel Abiodun and Mrs. Victoria Abiodun in Iperu Remo, Ogun State, Prince Abiodun comes from the royal family of Iperu. He attended the prestigious Christ’s School Ado Ekiti and later St. Joseph’s College, Ondo before earning a 1986 BBA in Accounting from Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also been a serial entrepreneur and Chairman of the board of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) before winning against all odds the governorship election of Ogun State in March, 2019.

  • Governor launches rice sale at discounted rate

    Governor launches rice sale at discounted rate

    Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at the weekend started discounted rice sale to civil servants, as part of his commitment to the welfare of the workforce.

    The event took place at ‘Oja Irorun’ Civil Servants Farmers’ Market at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

    Prince Abiodun, represented by the Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said the occasion was a significant step in the ongoing efforts of the state government to improve the living standard of workers.

    He praised the dedication and commitment of the workers to service, which he noted contributed to the success achieved by his administration.

    “Ogun State civil servants’ dedication and hard work form the bedrock of the progress and prosperity of our dear state. Recognising this invaluable essence of workers to the actualisation of the policies and programmes of the state government, the administration has approved the sale of high quality bags of rice at discounted prices to the workforce,” the governor said.

    He urged workers across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to take advantage of the opportunity and embrace the kind gesture by the state government.

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    The Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JNC), Isa Olude and his counterpart from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ademola Ahmed-Benco, appreciated the state government for the initiative, which they said would restore the purchasing power of the people and promote the welfare of workers.

    The union leaders added that the gesture was a testament that the state had a caring and listening governor, whom they were proud of.

    They urged the workers to reciprocate the gesture by discharging their duties efficiently.

    Two of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Temitope Akintayo from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Mr. Olabanji Sanni from the Ministry of Environment thanked the government for putting the process into motion. They promised to keep working towards effective service delivery.

    The bags of rice were handed over to the beneficiaries by Mr. Onasanya on behalf of the government, while buses were also provided at no cost to convey the workers from the venue of the programme to a reasonable distance.