By: Julius Oyedokun
The gateway state has been blessed with a succession of dedicated leaders who have contributed to its growth and development since the days of Bisi Onabanjo to the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun, each of them has left their mark on the state. Onabanjo, who served from 1979 to 1983, is remembered for commissioning Ogun Television and establishing Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) and Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic. His straightforward and plain-speaking leadership style earned him high level respect among the Ogun people till date.
The governors that followed in 2 successions (Olusegun Osoba and Gbenga Daniel) built on this foundation. Osoba, who served first between 1992/3 and 1999 to 2003, focused on infrastructure development, opening up rural areas especially in the area of electrification and demonstrated strong leadership during Nigeria’s transition to democracy. OGD who served from 2003 to 2011 brought a lot of class, organization and finesse into governance. He implemented projects to improve healthcare, education, employed teachers under the Voluntary Teachng Service Scheme VTCS (of which I benefited), Improved transportation, and worked to drive economic growth.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun took the baton from OGD in 2011 and served from 2011 to 2019. Amosun prioritized infrastructure development, particularly road construction and urban renewal with a very brilliant young man (You know who) as his S.A new media who kept us abreast of all the goings earlier in that administration. He also gave some attention to economic growth.
Fast forward to 2019, the campaign and electioneering process was tensed with a lot of intrigues like never before in the history of Ogun state but at the end of it all, governor Dapo Abiodun was elected and sworn in to continue driving growth and development in Ogun State. His administration has so far focused on economic growth, healthcare, and agriculture. He has implemented initiatives to improve infrastructure and attract investment, if you take some few minutes drive between Abeokuta and Sagamu interchange, you will see a lot of companies springing up on both sides of the express. I visited the Agro-cargo Airport in Iperu a few days ago and I can confirm that Ogun State is not doing badly. Abiodun’s contributions to housing and industrial development are very clear and notable. Only that the governor needs to beam his searchlight on education, especially at the primary and secondary school level. Things are not looking very good in that sector atall and it is impossible for any nation or state to rise above the quality of her education.
As Ogun State looks to the future in about 18 months, one thing that is becoming increasingly important by the day is that the foundations laid by these governors will need more than a random politician for sustainability and upscale into the next phase.
The 2027 political decision of who leads Ogun for the next 4 years after Governor Dapo can not be about regional or religious sentiment but rather about who has the capacity to take Ogun to the next level and there are those who are already positioning themselves to carry the torch of leadership. One such individual is Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi.
Permit me for a moment to imagine what Ogun State will look like with Yayi as the governor come 2027.
1. Ogun will experience abundant Infrastructural Development with Yayi as Governor – During his campaign to represent the people of Ogun West, Senator Yayi promised a revival of infrastructure in Ogun West. Today, Yayi has executed over 300 verifiable life-impacting projects in communities across Ogun West and beyond, demonstrating his ability to deliver results in just two years.
2. Ogun will experience Inclusiveness: Yayi is a promoter a statewide identity anchored on equity and equal opportunity, which can help rebuild trust between government and citizens. He has displayed this over and again in his allocation and sighting of projects across the 3 Senatorial district of Ogun state even as a Senator representing Ogun West. A very good instance is the abandoned old Ikenne/ilishan road that is now receiving attention courtesy of Sen Yayi.
3. Ogun State will benefit from his experience as Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation. Senator Yayi has built strong connections in Abuja, which can attract federal investments to Ogun State. Beyond that, the state could benefit from his experience as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation in several ways. i.e, Improved Budgeting and Fiscal Management, Enhanced Investment Attraction, Strategic Project Planning, Effective Resource Allocation, Increased Internally Generated Revenue. Indeed, Yayi could help Ogun State develop strategies to increase its internally generated revenue, reducing dependence on federal allocations.
4. Ogun State will experience dynamic Empowerment Programs with Yayi: As of today, Yayi has implemented empowerment programs benefiting artisans, youth and women, including scholarships for students up postgraduate levels, vocational training, and financial support for market traders. In his capacity as Governor, Yayi will replicate this in a more dynamic way to empower all class of people across Ogun State.
5. Ogun State will experience a 21st century style of leadership: As a seasoned politician and administrator, Yayi has already demonstrated capacity and ability to manage complex projects and programs putting him in good standing to manage a state as cosmopolitan and vast as ogun state.
Among all the would be governorship candidates, Yayi is the only one that can run on his own unmatched and outstanding records of service to every facet of life in Ogun State. Truthfully, development is work in progress but with Yayi as Governor, Ogun State will most likely witness unprecedented development for various reasons above-mentioned.
– Julius Babatunde Oyedokun writes from Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government.
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