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The Abiodun Effect: Infrastructure, Industry and Ogun’s Economic Transformation By Kayode Akinmade

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How Strategic Investments, Fiscal Reforms, Industrial Expansion and Bold Infrastructure Projects Propelled Ogun State to Become Nigeria’s Second Best-Performing State and One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Economies

 

When the 2025 State Performance Index (pSPI), released by Phillips Consulting, ranked Ogun State second only to Lagos among Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, it validated what years of strategic investments in infrastructure, industrialisation, logistics, and fiscal reforms had already signposted.

 

Since assuming office on May 29, 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun has pursued a development agenda anchored on connectivity, economic expansion, and sustainable revenue growth. The result is a state increasingly regarded as one of Nigeria’s most competitive destinations for investment and industrial activity.

Importantly, the pSPI is not a political award. The index combines 70 per cent objective performance data drawn from audited records covering fiscal management, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic output, with 30 per cent citizen perception surveys. Ogun’s emergence as the nation’s second-best performing state reflects measurable outcomes rather than political sentiment.

## Economic Growth Backed by Data

Any assessment of Ogun State’s transformation begins with the numbers.

When Governor Abiodun took office in 2019, the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at approximately ₦2.9 trillion. By 2024, it had risen to ₦7.3 trillion, while projections based on expanding industrial productivity place the figure closer to ₦17 trillion.

Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has followed a similar trajectory. From about ₦50.6 billion in 2020, IGR rose to ₦100.7 billion in 2021, climbed to ₦146 billion in 2023, and reached nearly ₦192 billion in 2024. The state is targeting ₦250 billion in 2025 and ₦500 billion by 2026.

The growth has been driven by tax digitisation, the elimination of multiple taxation, improved compliance, and the expansion of industrial activities across the state.

Reflecting its growing economic capacity, Ogun’s 2025 Budget of Hope and Prosperity stood at ₦1.054 trillion, with over ₦600 billion dedicated to capital projects. Infrastructure, education, and healthcare received the largest allocations, reinforcing the administration’s emphasis on long-term development.

## Building Prosperity Through Roads

One of the most visible achievements of the Abiodun administration has been its extensive investment in road infrastructure.

More than 1,700 kilometres of roads have been constructed or rehabilitated across the state since 2019. These projects include the reconstruction of the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway and intervention works on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, one of Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors.

After more than two decades of jurisdictional disputes stalled progress on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road, the state government secured federal approval and commenced reconstruction in 2024.

Road projects have also been executed across industrial and agricultural corridors in Ifo, Sango-Ota, Idiroko, Remo, Yewa, and Ijebu areas, improving mobility, reducing logistics costs, and strengthening economic integration.

For the administration, roads are more than physical infrastructure; they are economic assets that facilitate trade, attract investment, and improve competitiveness.

## The ISEYA Development Framework

The administration’s governance philosophy is encapsulated in its ISEYA agenda—Infrastructure, Social Investment, Education, Youth Empowerment, and Agriculture.

Under this framework, infrastructure development has remained a priority, while investments in healthcare, education, housing, youth development, and agriculture have sought to ensure inclusive growth.

The revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, recruitment of teachers, rehabilitation of schools, support for small businesses, youth skills acquisition programmes, and agricultural interventions have all contributed to improvements in human capital development.

The strong citizen perception scores recorded in the pSPI suggest that residents are experiencing tangible benefits from these investments.

## Gateway Airport and Aviation Connectivity

A major milestone in the administration’s infrastructure drive was the completion of the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport.

The airport received its first commercial flight in February 2023, marking a historic moment for Ogun State. Strategically located to serve industrial clusters along the Lagos-Ogun corridor, the facility was designed to provide manufacturers and exporters with faster logistics options and strengthen the state’s export competitiveness.

The project has received commendation from prominent national figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, both of whom described it as a significant economic asset.

Complementing the airport is the Gateway Airline initiative, aimed at improving regional connectivity and supporting business travel.

## Kajola and Mojoda Dry Ports: Redefining Logistics

Among the administration’s most transformative economic initiatives are the Kajola and Mojoda Dry Ports.

The Kajola Dry Port, located near the Lagos-Ibadan Railway corridor, was conceived as an inland cargo terminal that enables importers and exporters to process goods closer to their businesses rather than relying exclusively on congested seaports.

The facility is supported by the Kajola Specialised Railway Industrial Free Trade Zone, a partnership expected to unlock substantial industrial investment and employment opportunities.

In 2025, the Federal Government approved a second dry port in Mojoda, Ijebu-Ode. Situated on 130 hectares, the facility is expected to serve as a major cargo consolidation and distribution hub for the Southwest region.

Together, both projects position Ogun as a critical logistics gateway for Nigeria’s manufacturing and export sectors.

## Industrial Expansion Across the State

Ogun remains one of Nigeria’s foremost industrial destinations, with major companies operating within its borders.

The administration has prioritised the rehabilitation of key industrial corridors, particularly the Agbara-Atan-Lusada axis, which hosts numerous multinational firms.

Improved infrastructure within these industrial zones has enhanced operational efficiency and encouraged further investment.

Beyond Agbara, the state has expanded industrial development through initiatives such as the Remo Economic Industrial Cluster, a partnership with ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms valued at approximately $400 million.

These efforts have ensured that industrial growth is spread across the state’s three senatorial districts.

## A Multimodal Transport Strategy

Governor Abiodun’s long-term vision extends beyond roads.

The administration is pursuing a multimodal transport strategy that integrates road, rail, air, and maritime infrastructure. Existing rail connections, the Gateway Airport, proposed port projects, and an extensive road network are being developed as interconnected assets designed to reduce transportation costs and improve supply chain efficiency.

This integrated approach strengthens Ogun’s position as a strategic logistics hub serving both Nigeria and the wider West African market.

## Creating an Investor-Friendly Environment

Infrastructure development has been matched by reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business.

Through agencies such as OgunInvest and the Business Environment Council, the administration has streamlined investment processes, digitised tax administration, reduced bureaucratic bottlenecks, and actively engaged local and international investors.

The results have been significant. Ogun now hosts more than 6,000 registered industries and continues to attract substantial domestic and foreign investments across manufacturing, logistics, tourism, housing, and agro-processing.

The state’s growing reputation as a business-friendly destination has further strengthened its economic profile and revenue base.

## The Phillips Consulting Verdict

The 2025 State Performance Index evaluated states across key indicators, including fiscal management, infrastructure, healthcare, education, economic performance, and citizen satisfaction.

Ogun’s second-place ranking confirms that its development is the product of deliberate policy choices and sustained execution rather than geographical advantage alone.

The assessment also validates the administration’s ISEYA framework, demonstrating that strategic investments in infrastructure, human capital, and economic development can deliver measurable outcomes.

## A Model of Deliberate Development

The transformation of Ogun State under Governor Dapo Abiodun illustrates how governance can drive economic growth when policies are designed to complement one another.

Roads improved access to industrial hubs. Industrial growth expanded the tax base. Increased revenues funded additional infrastructure, while logistics projects strengthened the state’s attractiveness to investors.

From GDP growth and rising internally generated revenue to extensive road construction, aviation infrastructure, dry ports, industrial expansion, and national recognition through the pSPI ranking, Ogun State’s development trajectory reflects a deliberate effort to position the state as one of Nigeria’s leading economic centres.

As major projects near completion and new investments continue to flow in, the challenge ahead will be sustaining the momentum and consolidating the gains already achieved.

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After Death Threat Alarm, Social Media Commentator Killed In Kano

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A social media commentator, Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu, 54, was found dead at his residence in Gaida, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State in the early hours of Wednesday.

 

Family members said the deceased was attacked by yet‑to‑be‑identified men who broke into his house and slaughtered him.

His elder sister, Aisha Muhammad Lawal, said her son received a call around 12:30 a.m. informing him of the incident.

“Some yet‑to‑be‑identified men broke into his house and slaughtered him. I wasn’t around to know what happened, so I asked my son to go there. When he got there, he already met policemen at the scene. They rushed him to hospital, carried out some investigations, and later handed over the corpse to us around 2:30 a.m.,” she said

She added, “I don’t know what actually transpired and how it happened. But I was told that two people have been arrested from the area. He has a wife and six children. We are calling on the government to help us ensure that justice is served,” she said.

The family stated that they were not suspecting anyone in particular, but insisted that justice must be done.

Dan Shagamu’s death has sparked concerns among Kano residents, with many calling for stronger measures to protect citizens from violent attacks.

The deceased was popular on social media for making videos and commenting on social and political issues.

Report says the victim had earlier raised an alarm of death threats. In a recent video posted on his social media page, Dan Shagamu had alleged that his life was under threat.

He appealed to the Kano State governor, the emir of Kano, and the police for protection, saying he had been repeatedly harassed by neighbours and their children.

“I need the support of the Kano governor, emir of Kano and the police. I have been receiving death threats from my neighbours,” he said in the video.

He narrated incidents of children pelting him with stones, damaging his television, and surrounding his house to insult him. He added that he reported the matter to the Gaida village head, who escalated it to the Ja’en village head, but said the issue was beyond their power.

Dan Shagamu insisted that the threats were known to people in the area and accused neighbours of conspiring against him. He also posted a video recording showing children outside his house, claiming they were threatening to kill him.

“They are after me, and they are our neighbours’ children. The neighbours are aware but have conspired. I am asking for help, please,” he added.

Dan Shagamu, who operated under the brand Dan Shagamu International, was known for his social media videos and commentary on political, religious and community issues.

His Facebook cover has his picture with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

Also, he has posted a lot of videos attacking the Tinubu-led federal government, while in one of the videos, he promoted Atiku Abubakar and called him incoming President.

He also made religious commentaries. In one of the videos he was heard attacking one of the Islamic clerics in Kano accused of blasphemy.

Kano governor condemns attack, calls it barbaric

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has condemned the attack, calling it barbaric.

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Tinubu’s FAAC Boom Is A Scam — Atiku

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of dressing economic decline in bigger naira figures, declaring that the much-celebrated FAAC “boom” is a monetary illusion that collapses once the figures are tested against currency depreciation, inflation, purchasing power and the mounting liabilities of state governments.

 

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Nigerians should not be deceived by the spectacle of trillions being announced every month when the naira in which those trillions are denominated has lost enormous value and ordinary citizens are paying substantially more for virtually everything.

“The arithmetic is brutal. In 2019, FAAC distribution was approximately ₦7.85 trillion, worth about $25.6 billion at the prevailing exchange rate. By 2025, FAAC had risen on paper to approximately ₦21.9 trillion, yet its dollar value had fallen to roughly $14.6 billion. So while government parades almost three times as many naira, the underlying dollar value is more than 40 per cent lower.

“That is not an economic miracle. That is money illusion. You cannot batter the currency, allow inflation to ravage purchasing power and then wave bigger naira figures before Nigerians as evidence that the country has become richer. Bigger numbers do not cancel smaller value.”

Atiku said the deception becomes even clearer when translated into the everyday experience of the Nigerian worker, where salaries may have increased nominally while their real value and purchasing power have deteriorated.

“Take the minimum wage as the simplest example. In 2019, ₦30,000 was worth roughly $83. By May 2023, that same ₦30,000 was worth about $65. Today, government boasts that the minimum wage has more than doubled to ₦70,000, yet at an exchange rate of around ₦1,320 to the dollar, that ₦70,000 is worth only about $53. Think about that: the number written on the worker’s payslip has risen from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, but its dollar value has fallen from about $83 to about $53.

“That is Tinubu’s money illusion in its simplest form. The figure in your hand is bigger, but the value in your pocket is smaller. A worker can earn more naira today and still afford less food, less transport, less electricity, less medicine and less housing than before. Government counts the naira but conveniently refuses to count what the naira can buy.”

Atiku said the proper test of an economy is therefore not the size of the figures announced after FAAC meetings, but what those allocations can actually purchase and what obligations they are capable of meeting.

“If FAAC is truly booming, then where is the boom? Where is it in the price of food? Where is it in transport? Where is it in electricity, healthcare, housing and jobs? Where is it in the purchasing power of salaries? Government cannot become richer on paper while the people become poorer in reality and then expect Nigerians to applaud the contradiction.”

He said the contradiction becomes even more glaring when the debts still carried by states are placed beside claims of unprecedented revenue.

“And here is another question the FAAC cheerleaders must answer: if the states are swimming in unprecedented revenues, why are they still drowning in debt? A September 2026 report based on Debt Management Office data shows that just 12 states whose governors are approaching the end of their tenures carry a combined debt burden of approximately ₦5.3 trillion, comprising ₦2.16 trillion in domestic debt and about $2.33 billion in foreign obligations.

“So spare Nigerians the victory parade. You cannot boast endlessly about unprecedented FAAC allocations while states remain heavily indebted, pension and gratuity obligations persist, contractors chase payments and governments continue to carry enormous liabilities. If the money is as unprecedented as we are constantly told, Nigerians have every right to ask the most elementary question: where has the money gone?

“What is the purpose of a revenue boom if liabilities remain enormous? What is the meaning of record allocations if governments continue borrowing and citizens cannot see a corresponding improvement in their standard of living? Revenue is not an achievement merely because it enters a government account. The achievement is what that revenue buys, what debts it settles, what infrastructure it delivers and how much better it makes the lives of the people.”

Atiku said the administration must also stop pretending that fiscal discipline begins only when ordinary Nigerians require relief, insisting that government expenditure, tax concessions, import waivers, revenue exemptions, duplicated projects, abandoned projects and other areas of potential waste must be subjected to the same scrutiny.

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Army Redeploys Generals In Fresh Shake-Up

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The Nigerian Army has launched another major realignment of its senior command structure. The new redeployment involves movement of generals across frontline operations, formations, training institutions and strategic departments.

Also, a new commander was appointed to lead the military’s campaign against insurgents in the North-East.

At the centre of the latest changes is Major General IA Ajose, who has been transferred from the Army Headquarters Department of Army Operations to take charge of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation HADIN KAI.

The operation is one of the Army’s most critical operational theatres.

Ajose’s appointment places him at the head of the command responsible for military operations against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the North-East.

The redeployment was approved by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, as part of efforts to strengthen operational effectiveness and adjust its leadership structure to the country’s changing security environment, the army said.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, said the latest exercise was designed to place the appropriate “leadership, experience and expertise” in critical operational and strategic positions.

Ajose replaces Major General AE Abubakar, who has been moved out of Operation HADIN KAI to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre.

There, he would serve as Dean of the Faculty of Operational Research.

The changes extend beyond the North-East, with the Army also moving senior officers between command, training, civil-military, logistics, financial and administrative establishments.

Major General AM Alechenu is moving from the Defence Headquarters Garrison to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, while Major General RT Utsaha leaves the Army Headquarters Department of Army Standards and Evaluation for the Defence Headquarters Garrison as Commander.

Major General AM Umar has been appointed Commandant of the Army War College Nigeria, replacing Major General UM Alkali, who is moving from the college to the Department of Civil-Military Affairs.

Major General GS Muhammed is also leaving the Office of the National Security Adviser for the Nigerian Army Finance Corporation as Director General.

His successor at the Military Pension Board will be Major General JE Osifo, who moves from the Nigerian Army Finance Corporation to become Chairman of the board.

The latest postings also affect the Army’s logistics structure, with Major General IE Ekpenyong moving to the Defence Headquarters Department of Defence Logistics as Director of Engineering Services.

At the brigadier general level, Brigadier General AA Bello is moving from 6 Division Garrison and Sector 3, Joint Task Force South-South, Operation DELTA SAFE, to the Defence Headquarters Department of Defence Operations.

Brigadier General MS Adamu has been appointed Commander of the newly established 8 Brigade after leaving the Nigerian Army Women Command, while Brigadier General MS Sule moves from Special Task Force Operation ENDURING PEACE to command 27 Task Force Brigade.

Brigadier General I Sule is also leaving the Directorate of Recruitment Management for 6 Division Garrison as Commander.

The reshuffle further moves Brigadier General E Azenda from the Land Forces Simulation Centre to command 2 Division Garrison, with Brigadier General AS Bugaje taking over at the simulation centre as Director of Administration.

Shaibu charged the newly appointed commanders and senior officers to justify the confidence placed in them through “exemplary leadership, operational innovation, professionalism and unwavering commitment to duty.”

He also directed them to remain focused on the Army’s constitutional responsibilities of defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while supporting civil authorities in maintaining peace and security.

The latest redeployment is coming less than a year after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered a sweeping change in the country’s military leadership, appointing Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff in October 2025.

Shaibu assumed office on November 5, 2025, as the 25th Chief of Army Staff, succeeding Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, who was elevated to Chief of Defence Staff.

The change at the top of the Army coincided with mounting pressure on the military to improve its response to multiple security threats.

The North-East remained the centre of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgency, while banditry and kidnapping expanded across parts of the North-West and North-Central, including areas previously considered less exposed to sustained terrorist activity.

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