By Soyombo Opeyemi

There are leaders whose works created the epochs. Lee Kuan Yew, as Prime Minister, is credited with moving Singapore, a colonial outpost with no natural resources, from the Third World to First World. When you mention Singapore today, the image of Kuan Yew comes to your mind and the thought of Asian Tiger crosses your mind.

The Western Region of Nigeria witnessed its golden years under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was the Premier between 1954 and 1959, previously the Leader of Government Business of the Region from 1952.

It was in the Western Region, during the Awo epoch, that agricultural  settlements and institutes were first established.   It was in this region that a minimum living wage was first introduced in Nigeria, and paid to workers. The first industrial estate and housing estate in Nigeria were established in the Western Nigeria.

Today, the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun has built the first-ever flyovers by any state government since the creation of Ogun State in 1976.   Thirty years after the legendary Chief Bisi Onabanjo introduced free education in Ogun State, it was Senator Ibikunle Amosun that re-introduced the scheme, which has expanded access to education.   Amosun is the first to construct world-class model schools for children of public schools, which have made the private schools green with envy.

The governor has constructed the first-ever six-lane international standard roads   across the state – complete with modern features such as drains, medians, greenbelts,  walkways, street lights, etc.   Amosun distributed 500 brand new transformers to bring back to life comatose Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Ogun in a single iconic gesture.

It was Amosun that introduced for the very first time in Ogun modern luxury buses, and the first in Nigeria to purchase the very latest technology of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs).

The 2014 World Bank  report, Doing Business in Nigeria,  ranked Ogun as one of the top reforming states “that made the biggest  strides towards the national frontier of good practices.” The state was ranked lowest overall performers in both 2008 and 2010 reports of the financial institution. Nigeria’s leading business newspaper, Business Day, had in 2013 declared Ogun State as the  fastest-growing economy and first choice for industrialists and entrepreneurs among the 36 states in Nigeria.  In  November  2014, The Guardian,  reported that Ogun State had become the hub of industrialization in Nigeria, overtaking other states.

The Amosun government constructed the first gated housing estates for all  classes in the society.

And just last Thursday, amidst pomp and  circumstance, five ultra-modern markets were launched in the capital city of the state.  It  was  interesting to see the  photo-news of the  governor and his  beautiful  wifesupported by government officials and market women  on the conveyors and  elevators  in  one of the new shopping malls. Indeed,  another  shopping  complex  virtually  hosts  one of  the most modern lifts/ elevatorsin the world.  Those displaced by the new markets are now living in modern homes  constructed by the state government.

One would only be a stone not to be touched by the events of last Thursday in Abeokuta. Amosun was a self-made man long before he joined politics. Obviously,  he does not need these modern infrastructures personally. But driven by public interest, he has  done all these for the present and future generations. As the curtains drew on event at Omida Shopping Complex, the public spiritedness of  Amosun  evoked  this song (by Prince Adekunle)…

Indeed, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has done his own bit; he has  launched Ogun into a new epoch of development.

• Soyombo, a journalist, sent this piece from Abeokuta viadensityshow@yahoo.com