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Oil Exploration: Daniel Congratulates Gov. Abiodun, Ogun people

The media office of His Excellency, The Senator, Otunba Engr. Gbenga Daniel, celebrates with His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, and indeed all Ogun State citizens over the declaration of the state as a frontier state for oil exploration by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
The recognition of Ogun State oil production status by NNPCL is especially heart-warming as it signposts the fulfilment of the vision kickstarted by the establishment of the Gateway Oil and Gas Development Limited in 2003 by the Daniel Administration, with immense support from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In pushing for the recognition of Ogun State as an oil producing state, the Daniel Administration undertook three-dimensional seismic study of oil and other minerals deposits in the state.
The seismic survey covered a vast stretch of the water body in Ode Omi in Ogun Waterside Local Government, all through the Laogo Island, Imobi, Itasin riverine areas in the Ijebu East Local Government and Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area.
The study then sparked a $50 million investment pledge by PGS Exploration Nigeria Limited in April, 2004. Also, a large deposit of Phosphate was also discovered around Olusosun in Ifo Local Government area which necessitated the siting of the Gateway Fertilizer Company at Olusosun. The Ogun State Agro-Cargo Airport in Iperu/Ilishan and the Kajola FTZ in Ifo were conceived to provide Transport logistics hubs to support all these initiatives.
The arguments of the Ogun State Government then was that it is the only littoral state on the Benin Trough (that is now referred to as Dahomey Basin) that was yet to be recognized as an Oil Producing State. Several strategies were deployed to drawing the attention of the Federal Government to Ogun State with a view to establishing it as an Oil Producing State. Part of the strategies included the hosting of then-NNPC Group Managing Director, Engr. Funsho Kupolokun and other top officials of the oil corporation at a colourful event held at the Valley View Auditorium of the Government House, Oke Igbein, Abeokuta, leveraging the event to get Ogun listed as an oil producing state.
In 2007, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a multibillion-dollar Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OK LNG) project between Ogun and Ondo State governments (joint owners of the Olokola Free Trade Zone) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, as it then was; Chevron, Shell and British Gas (who were the promoters of the project), was signed. The Olokola Free Trade Zone was also billed to host petro-allied establishments such as the Dangote Refinery (now relocated to Lagos). Those in attendance at the signing of the MoU include the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engr. Funso Kupolokun who also served as the Chairman of the Project’s Steering Committee; the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA), Mr. Shina Agboluaje and a host of others.
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, as the Governor of Ogun State then, at the event, described Ogun State as ” _a veritable factory of skilled manpower that would be readily available for the different players in the FTZ. With ten higher institutions, our state is regularly turning out a considerable number of available manpower that are waiting to be trained further and engaged for productive activities”_ . In order to leverage this skilled manpower base, the administration of Otunba Daniel established the Gateway Industrial & Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI) in 2006, to train technical and professional personnel to support the maintenance of the proposed refinery, petrochemical and allied industries with the aim of creating substantial employment opportunities for the youth and citizens of Ogun State. It is worthy to note that some students of the Gateway Industrial & Petro-Gas Institute then got sponsorship to study in Qatar for the needed skills on Underwater Welding in the oil & gas sector. Furthermore, four ICT Polytechnics (Ijebu Igbo, Igbesa, Saapade and Itori) were also established to create major technical and manpower feed for all three specialised Free Trade Zones (Ogun/Guangdong in Igbesa, Olokola and Kajola) for which Ogun State had obtained licenses to operate. As of 2011 over 60 Chinese companies had started operations at the Ogun/Guangdong Free Trade Zone and in fulfilment of the Agreement duly signed with the Ogun State government, sponsored no fewer than 10 citizens of the state on full scholarships to various technical universities and institutions in China.
We wish to thank Governor Abiodun for seeing through this great vision for which he was first appointed by Governor Daniel in 2009 to succeed Otunba Alex Onabanjo, as Chairman, Gateway Oil and Gas Committee alongside other eminent individuals such as Chief Bode Mustapha (Vice Chairman), Mr. Femi Babalola (Secretary), Mr Idowu Togun, Mr. Wemmy Osude, Mr. Femi Mafe, Late Chief Engr. Femi Tetede.
May we also seek this opportunity to appeal to Governor Abiodun to kindly revisit the situation of GIPI and support its revitalisation in order to take advantage of these underutilized developments.
We also wish to draw the attention of the governor to pending construction of the Makun Omi Bridge via Efire, which was planned by the OGD administration but could not be realised due to the turbulent politics of that time.
We are certain that with the right political will and sincerity of purpose, Ogun State is on its way to economic prosperity as contained in the 25-year development master plan emplaced by the Daniel administration.
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2027: Hurdles Before The Coalition, By Emeka Monye

The 2027 presidential election in Nigeria is shaping up to be a crucial contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a potential coalition of opposition parties. Several hurdles need to be overcome for the opposition coalition to succeed.
The political class is already preparing for this quadrennial event, holding consultations, meetings, negotiations, among other contending factors.
The ruling party, The All Progressive Congress, appears to be the most beautiful bride at the moment as members of other opposition parties have been courting the party, in a gale of defections, in what many political pundits and analysts described as a political tsunami.
While the APC seems to be enjoying the foray of defections by other party members into their fold, the main opposition party, The Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, appears to have lost its steam in the run of play.
The once dominant party is plagued by a series of internal crises which many political analysts believe will be the party’s undoings.
The once largest political party in Africa and oldest in Nigeria since it was created in 1998 by some elder statesmen, is now a shadow of itself, living in past glory and trying to win its way back to national prominence.
Already, some past and present leaders of the party have been consulting, negotiating, discussing, even though they have agreed yet, all in a bit to wrestle power from the stronghold of the Bola Tinubu-Led APC at the centre.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General elections, Peter Obi, former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, among other bigwigs, are believed to be in talks with one another of how to build a possible coalition to edge the ruling APC in the power game.
Although, no concrete decision has been reached by the major actors, their negotiations and their inability to reach a consensus remain critical factors that might endanger the birth of a viable coalition.
Factors like who will step down for who as the realignment begins, remains a major issue, taking into consideration their individual experiences, exposures, skills, knowledge, capacities and egos.
Except this issue is resolved in the run up to the 2027 presidential polls, it will be a mirage for them to unseat the Tinubu-Led government.
While the running party is busy strategizing ahead of the 2027 presidential polls, the other parties are still grappling with their internal crisis.
Some analysts believe that Atiku’s past experience as Vice President under the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, might give him an edge, while others think Peter Obi’s popularity in the South could bring a geographical balance to the ticket.
For them to form a strong force against the APC, then, they must find common platform and agree on a candidate, which might be challenging given their different ideologies and interest.
Other factors which some political analysts have highlighted that may pose as a stumbling block agents the coalition is the timing. The time between and 2027 is quite a short time for the coalition to gather and make the desired impact.
This of course, is no brainer. Any merger of alliance must be arranged within a reasonable timeframe to be effective. Also, the coalition will have to convince the Nigerian voting public of its purpose and demonstrate a clear vision for the country’s future, particularly in the area of addressing the economic misfortunes of majority of the people. Another hurdle that would be staring the coalition in the face remains the issue of power rotation.
While the south believe it’s that turn to complete their second term in 2027, the north on the other hand argue that they have been short-changed in the governance structure of the country – in terms of number of years – since the return of democracy in 1999.
Out of the total 26 years, the north has ruled for 11 years, with the south 15 years. The issue remains a key factor that would affect the coalition to birth.
The coalition, must as a matter of urgency, decency decide on this unwritten agreement about rotating power between the North and the South, potentially present a southern for one term to allow the South to complete its own two terms for the office of the president.
In conclusion, the coalition, if it really wants to win power in 2027, must make a compelling case for itself, highlighting its unique strengths and vision, rather than just criticizing the incumbent.
It needs to differentiate itself and show Nigerians that it has a better alternative.
Emeka Monye Is A Journalist And Works With ARISE NEWS.
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Mauritania’s Tah succeeds Adesina as 9th AfDB President
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth president of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) as Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina prepares to bow out.
The Bank announced his election on its website on Thursday.
Adesina’s 10-year tenure will end this year and Tah is expected to assume office on September 1, 2025.
Tah was elected to succeed Adesina after rounds of voting conducted by the AfDB Board of Governors during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The Board comprises finance ministers and central bank governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries.
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JUST IN: Appeal Court Affirms Okphebholo as Edo Governor

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Monday Okphebholo as duly elected in the September 21, 2024 Edo Governorship polls, as it affirms the decision of the Tribunal which on April 2 dismissed the petition of Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for lacking merit.
A three-man panel of the Appeal court, presided over by Justice Mohamed Danjuma, restated the position of the Tribunal which held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The panel held that the PDP failed to provide sufficient and credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice, irregularities, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The Appellate Court agrees with the Tribunal that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) Machines which the appellants tendered were merely ‘dumped’ as they weren’t demonstrated to prove overvoting.
This the Court held after it earlier expunged the 133 BVAS machines admitted in evidence at the Tribunal stage of the Governorship tussle.
Ighodalo and the PDP were further faulted by the Appellate Court for failing to tender the voter register to prove overvoting.
The Court further adds that BVAS extract doesn’t constitute items with which to prove overvoting. It says the documents tendered by the PDP at the Tribunal did not, on their own, prove overvoting, non-holding or cancellation of elections at the polling units.
To further puncture the case of the PDP, the panel says the 19 witnesses called by the appellants during the Tribunal hearing didn’t help their case.
It says the majority of them did not witness what they spoke about. Moreso, it adds they were insufficient to prove irregularities in polling stations at over 4,000 locations.
Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, against Asue Ighodalo of the PDP who garnered 247,274 votes.
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