BY ADEGBENRO ADEBANJO

UNDERSTANDABLY, there have been outpourings of commendations and felicitations from different quarters of Ogun State and beyond in the run up to the 55th birthday anniversary of   Otunba Gbenga Daniel. And this Wednesday which is the D-day the goodwill will reach its crescendo for the helmsman of Ogun State. For a man who has spent the last eight years charting the way forward for the Gateway State this is to be expected.

The last eight years in Ogun State under the watch of Daniel has witnessed an undisguised revolution, coursing through all facets of lives and bringing in its wake socio-economic transformation and people-centered projects, policies and programmes never before witnessed in the annals of the history of the State.

Of course, as the case with all revolutionaries who are aware from the outset that one cannot make an omellete without breaking an egg, this Daniel has fought many battles, most of them contrived by political opponents who either could not keep pace with his administration’s developmental initiatives or wanted a return to the status quo or out of pure mischief.

He has also been pitched against the establishment which has ranged many of their own against his business unusual approach to doing things. Those who believe in the status quo and who accuse Daniel of upsetting the apple cart have nearly succeeded in drowning out the genuine voice of the people who are in a better position to give the verdict on his stewardship.  Indeed from the outside the impression one gets is that Ogun is at war with itself, especially given the many simulated media onslaught against the person and office of the Governor.

But the reality on the ground contrasts sharply with the deliberately concocted falsehood being bandied about by the Governor’s traducers and political opponents.  Ogun, in the estimation of the generality of the people and impartial observers from outside, is a good example of good governance with a responsible and responsive administration under the leadership of the 55-year-old Daniel who was born in Ibadan, trained as an engineer at the University of Lagos and distinguished  himself as a first class business man and corporate player, philanthropist and humanist before going into politics and eventually getting the mandate of the people of Ogun State on two occasions

That mandate has been used for the benefit of the people and the greater glory of the Gateway State. And nobody can fault the giant development strides of the last eight years. In Egbaland, there is an emerging new business district accentuated by the domineering presence of the OPIC Twin Tower which will be commissioned before the administration bids goodbye to the good people of the state.

The Lalubu Road, hitherto a centre of gridlock, now compares favorably with Lagos Allen Avenue. However, it has six macadamized lanes with banks and top of the range boutiques dotting its entire stretch. Indeed when this Daniel came to town there were just about six banks with branches in Abeokuta, now all the banks in Nigeria have their offices in different parts of the State. The same can be said for eateries and communication outfits.

The Abeokuta—Siun Expressway, the refurbished Olumo Rock, the new housing estates in Asero, the refurbished MKO Abiola International Stadium, the complete turnaround at the State Hospital Ijaiye, the best purposely built State Secretariat in the South West, the Olusegun Obasanjo  Presidential Hilltop Estate, a campus of Olabisi Onabanjo University of Technology at Ibogun, the homestead of  former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Laderin Workers Estate, a new Gateway ICT Polytechnic in Itori are some of the legacies that have become signposts of the Daniel era in Egbaland , the home town of the legendary Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale  Abiola, the man who paid the supreme price for our democracy.

As it is in Egbaland, so it is in the other divisions of the State. The Yewas, for the first time, are no longer crying of marginalisation simply because of the equitable distribution of projects under Governor Daniel. They now have a brand new School of Nursing, a glittering new stadium of international standard and the most functional Free Trade Zone in the South West. At the last count, over 5000 employment has been created in the fledging business enclave in Igbesa. The Yewas also have a campus of OOU, a new ICT Polytechnic, among the projects they are counting as part of their gains under the progressive era of Daniel.

The Ijebus and the Remos have been fairly treated too. The Gateway International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode which has played host to many international competitions ranks among the best in the country.

Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Gbenga Daniel writes from Abeokuta.