By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
A former governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, has pricked his constituents in Ogun East Senatorial District to demand accountability from the state and local governments respectively regarding how they have spent the federal allocations received since the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Daniel declared that the States and local governments(LGs) in Nigeria have been receiving huge monthly allocation in the last two years, sometimes in triples of the amount expected in a given period, hence the need for the indigenes and residents of the Ogun East Senatorial to ask Dapo Abiodun – led state government and local governments to justify the humongous funds from the federal allocation by showing the people the things they have done with it.
There are nine LGs in Ogun East Senatorial District with Daniel as their representative in the 10th Senate.
The Senayor spoke on Sunday while addressing a mammoth crowd of political stakeholders, supporters and constituents at Idokunnusi Ijebu Imushin in continuation of his Midterm Community Assessment and Review Tour in Ijebu East Local Government where he also used the gathering to empower people with motorcycles, deep freezers, sewing machines, fertilizers, sprayers, grinding machine among other items.
The Senator who was responding to the complaints of his constituents bordering on worsening state of their roads, alleged withholding of Baales’ monthly stipend and general neglect despite the area being a significant revenue base for the state and LGs, informed them that the issues they had raised fell within the purview of the state and LGs.
He however reminded them that he shares in some of their “pains on the current state of underdevelopment” in the Senatorial District, adding that the area ought to be thriving in wealth and prosperity given the abundance of natural resources providence had deposited underneath its soil.
He urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to actualize the Olokola Deep Sea Port project his administration initiated and started at Ode – Omi community in Ogun Waterside Local Government of the state which was stalled by subsequent administrations when he left office in 2011.
He said the project if executed by the state government, could generate over 50,000 jobs, scale up the Internally Generated Revenue base of the state and transform the socioeconomic life of the people.
Daniel, however, revealed that he had begun discussion with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on how to harness the Bitumen wealth of Ijebu East and put that natural resources to productive use for the benefits of the state and country.
The ex – Governor also reiterated his call on Nigerians to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, citing unprecedented progress in key sectors, particularly solid minerals, as evidence of Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He noted that revenue from solid minerals had soared from N6 billion to N38 billion in just one year, saying it is an attestation to Tinubu’s record-breaking achievement driven by efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Daniel harped on the importance continuity in leadership, both at the federal and legislative levels, saying it was key to actualising long-held regional aspirations such as the creation of Ijebu/Remo state and the Ijebu deep Seaport project.
Daniel clarified that the tour was not merely a political rally but a grassroots engagement mechanism designed to evaluate progress, gather feedback, and pulverize federal policies directly to the constituents.
He reeled out several people-oriented initiatives in his Constituency as some of his achievements, stressing that over 4,000 residents across the senatorial district had benefited from his eye-care programme, including surgeries.
He appealed for continued collaboration with the Federal Government and key stakeholders to transform the abundant natural resources into lasting prosperity for current and future generations.
He said, “For our people here in Ijebu East, I share in some of your pains on the current state of underdevelopment, especially because I am aware that this whole community should be thriving in wealth and prosperity especially with the abundance of natural resources which God Almighty has endowed us which has the capacity to sustain an entire nation.
“During my time as Governor of Ogun State, we discovered that Ogun East has the largest deposit of Bitumen anywhere in Nigeria. Our vision then was very clear: to create a whole new city for Bitumen mining and exploration which we believe would increase the economic prosperity and impact positively on the lives of the people living in the area. We envisioned this area bubbling with multinational investments, industries, jobs, and infrastructure, all driven by Bitumen exploration and processing.
“Unfortunately, that vision stalled due to neglect after our administration. That is why I started by sympathizing with you because I understand your frustration and share in your hope for a new dawn.
When you sent me to Abuja as your Senator, I took it as a sacred responsibility, not only to make laws (which of course is the primary responsibility of the Senate), but also to leverage on relationships with the President and other agencies of government at the executive level to influence government policies and attract development projects that can revive and empower our communities.
“I am in contact with, and delighted to inform you that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, under the exceptional leadership of my friend and brother, Mr. Dele Alake, and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has assured that the Bitumen wealth of Ijebu East will soon be put to productive use. I have every confidence in that assurance because Dele Alake is not only a trusted colleague and friend of over four decades; he is a man of results.
“Let me say with emphasis, the mining sector under President Tinubu has received greater attention and the revenue from the solid minerals sector has grown from ₦6 billion to ₦38 billion in just one year, a record-breaking transformation driven by efficiency, transparency, and accountability. And this was made possible by the President’s bold declarations that the era of exporting raw minerals is over and that mining licences will only be granted to investors who commit to local processing and value addition as a means of creating jobs for our local population and industries to ensure that prosperity derives from mining stay within Nigeria.”
