Former governor of Ogun State and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has emphasised the continuity of viable projects inherited from previous administration, saying that imbibing this culture of continuity and not unnecessary rivalry and competition would help to advance the course of good governance in the country.
Daniel spoke on Sunday during the BATOGD Movement Midterm Community Assessment and Review Tour in Ikenne Local Government area of the state held at Ilisan Remo.
The former governor explained that though many people mocked him when he started the recently inaugurated Gateway International Airport in 2005, describing it as a scam and a white elephant project, but he is happy that today, the naysayers have been proved wrong.
He stated that but for the courage of the present administration under Gov Dapo Abiodun to ensure continuity, the project would have remained uncompleted.
Rather than unhealthy rivalry and competition, the Senator said that successive governments must prioritise continuity to ensure that people who are at the centre of all government policies and programmes do not suffer unnecessarily because of petty politics.
Daniel said, ‘Standing here in Ilisan, it warms my heart to see the Gateway International Airport in Remo, an idea that we conceptualised and started years ago, has now become a world-class facility under Governor Dapo Abiodun.
‘Development is not a competition; it is a relay race. When one governor passes the baton, another must run with it. Real leadership is not about who gets the credit, but about who gets the work started and gets the job done.
‘The race towards winning is about starting well and on a sure footing. With regards to the airport, I am happy to say again that we started the race of good governance and development well, of laying the foundation of an enduring legacy’.
The Senator has equally called on the people of the local government to rally round the second term bid of President Bola Tinubu come 2027.
Daniel said that Tinubu has, in the last two years, remained committed to building a virile and prosperous nation with several of his economic reforms, such as the subsidy removal, the floating of the naira, the provision of students alone and a lot of infrastructural development across the country.
He added that it is incumbent on the people of the Southwest to support other Nigerians to ensure that the President records a landslide victory during the 2027 general elections.
Daniel said that the essence of the local government tour was to assess the impact of his over two years’ representation at the Senate on the local government and also look at what can be done to improve the socio-economic development of the council area.
He disclosed that he had facilitated a solar-powered motorised borehole in Ogere, as well as solar street lights in Ilishan, while an ultra-modern skills acquisition centre to provide the youth with cutting-edge skills is ongoing at Ilisan Remo.
Daniel said he has also kicked off plans to reactivate a major livestock dairy farm, with other components on meat production and leather processing at Ikenne Remo, which has the capacity to provide 10,000 jobs.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of Ilisan Development Association, Wemmy Osude, hailed Daniel, particularly, his commitment to serving the people as well as the foresight to start off the state-owned Gateway International Airport sometime in 2005 while he was the governor of the state.
Osude said that the foresight and dream have been made a reality that has forever changed the economy of the local government.
He urged the former governor to remain committed to helping with the development of the senatorial district through the facilitation of projects that will always improve on the well-being of the people.
According to the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria, the total value of abandoned projects in Nigeria is valued at over N17 trillion.
Factors listed to be contributing to project abandonment in the country include poor project planning, poor budgetary allocation, an inefficient legal system, corruption, and weak institutions.
Report has it that a committee set up by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 said that about 63 per cent of the projects initiated after Nigeria’s independence had been abandoned. The committee uncovered that the Federal Government abandoned 11,866 projects.
The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors estimated the country’s abandoned projects at around 56,000.
The federal and state governments have played ignoble roles in turning Nigeria into a graveyard of roads, bridges, housing projects, white elephant airports, and other economically relevant projects.
