Sen. Daniel To Gov. Abiodun: Ensure Completion Of Agro-Cargo Airport, Commercial Flight Take Off Before Leaving Office

ABEOKUTA – The Senator representing Ogun East District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has commended Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun for sharing in his vision of the Ogun Agro-Cargo Airport at Iperu and for complementing his efforts and ensuring that the airport initiative did not go to waste.

Senator Daniel gave the commendation on Sunday at Ìgodè, Sagamu local government area of Ogun State during the unveiling of Bola Ahmed Tinubu/ Otungba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) and commissioning of Igode International Market.

BATOGD is a grassroots mobilization support group was meant to engage the nook and crannies of Ogun State for Tinubu campaign re-election.

Daniel, a former governor of Ogun state between 2003 – 2011, said the vision for the establishment of the Agro-Cargo Airport some years ago, was for an Airport City with strong potential for industrialisalisation and attracting various investment clusters.

According to him, that was why his administration acquired a large expanse of land, did the crop enumeration, and paid compensation to affected families in Ikenne and Remo North LGAs.

He urged governor Abiodun to
ensure the completion of the project before leaving office and official take off of commercial flight to reduce the stress of Ogun residents of connecting other parts of the country.

Senator Daniel, however, declared that his support and that of his people from the Ogun East Senatorial district remain sacrosanct towards ensuring that Tinubu is returned to office in 2027.

He cited President Tinubu’s performances in the areas of the economy and boldness in tackling critical and controversial issues surrounding the economy for his unflinching support for Tinubu.

He noted that President Tinubu has provided the country with first ever conscious leadership through a systematic process of rethinking the nation, redirecting the economy, and re-engineering the protocol of national engagements.

According to him, the creation of Ijebu/Remo state is hinged on the re-election President Tinubu, stressing that when finally created, it would increase the IGR and bring even development to the senatorial district.

He explained that the advantages of the Ijebu State are enormous in terms of federal allocations for development and employment opportunities.

According to Daniel, out of all the provinces created in 1923, only Ijebu has yet to transition into a state, stressing that the agitation was credible and justifiable.

He added that, the president’s economy interventions such as Students’ Loan Scheme, aligned with the objectives of his Gateway Front Foundation.

He said in the last 25years, thousands of students have benefited from his scholarships in both secondary and tertiary institutions.

He posited that in line with President Tinubu’s agenda, he had supported over 5,000 petty traders, market women, unemployed youth and artisans through his various interest-free microcredit schemes and empowerment training.

He added that, through federal government support and personal contributions, he had distributed tractors, vehicles, generators, work tools, sewing machines, agricultural equipment, fertilizers, irrigation pumps, makeup kits, and grinding machines.

Speaking on the construction of the International Market in Ìgodè, Sagamu, Daniel said the market stalls was in line with the Needs Assessment of the people in the various villages and towns, as the most pressing needs in order of priority.

He, therefore, highlighted his achievements in the last two years to include, successful over 3,000 cataract surgeries at no cost to beneficiaries — with a 100% success rate and no single casualty, sponsorship of South-West Development Commission Bill, establishment Naval Base at Abigi/Makun-Omi in Ogun Waterside, creation of Ijebu/Remo state, establishment of an aviation school to train pilots and air hostesses in Akaka, Remo among others.

“What we usually do during electioneering campaigns is to compile the Periodically, after elections, we return to the communities to evaluate whether we have delivered on the promises we made to them, to assess new frontiers of intervention, and to take feedback on how well we have met their needs and expectations.

“It is also important to emphasize that one of the reasons we are gathered here today is to unveil the BATOGD Movement as a grassroots mobilisation support group. Let me state unequivocally that our support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sacrosanct, and our reasons are very clear. Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu has provided our country with the first ever conscious leadership through a systematic process of rethinking the nation, redirecting our economy, and reengineering the protocols of our national engagements.

“The last two years of this administration at the national level have been about the fundamental redirection of our economy. This administration has shown the greatest amount of boldness in tackling critical and sometimes controversial issues surrounding our economy. Courage, in itself, is a virtue, and only a leader who appreciates the real essence of power can dare to confront the monumental missteps of the past and chart a new way forward. This is not to say that everything has become rosy, but if we take the issue of fuel subsidy removal as an example, we can appreciate that it has, to a large extent, addressed the problem of scarcity.

“The bold step taken by Mr. President to confront the scam in our monetary policy, especially regarding foreign exchange, has also helped to stabilize the market. I hope you will agree with me that the volatility in the exchange rate has been largely addressed, and the gap between the official and unofficial markets has substantially reduced. What is now left is to ensure that the naira is strengthened against other currencies.

“The Students’ Loan Scheme and other interventions by the Federal Government have received positive reviews and acceptability from Nigerians. I must add that several of these Federal Government initiatives align with the objectives of our own Gateway Front Foundation (GFF). In the last 25 years, we have positively impacted the lives of many citizens of Ogun State and beyond through GFF.

“Let me take us back to some of the history Asiwaju and I share. When I was Governor, many of the initiatives deployed in Ogun State were modeled after Lagos State policies under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in which I was proud to have participated. Our Gateway Response Squad in Ogun State was patterned after the Lagos Rapid Response Squad; likewise, our policy of returning schools to missions and original owners started in Lagos and was continued in Ogun State.”