Economic viability and Dapo Abiodun’s legacy of creative governance

BY OLANIYI AJIBOLA

The most objective and empirical argument about the distinction between jobber in power and passionate leader lies in the degree of creativity displayed towards changing the old order, with the ultimate aim of ensuring greatest happiness to the greatest number of people.

While a jobber in power considers selflessness as an alternative forgone in the quest for personal gains and self-aggradizement, a leader goes out of his way and think deeply in the direction of leaving an enviable and indelible legacy of growth and sustainable development.

Indeed, the political development in Ogun State is a practical example of clear distinction between a government of jobber and leader, as Governor Dapo Abiodun’s unprecedented feats made the pre-2019 an horrible experience of sorts in the memory of the people across the State.

This governor has succeeded in optimally annexing economic potentials of Ogun state in the high consciousness of the state’s comparative advantages and took the State to the point of solvency and self-reliance, against all odds and in total amazement of pessimists.

The recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics, adjudged Ogun ahead of five other states in a zone in the area of internally generated revenue and six other states in another zone in the 2023 fiscal year.

The import of that report going forward indicates that Ogun stare is among the few states that can survive and conviniently thrive without monthly allocations from the federal purse.

Obviously, this revelation did not come as a surprise to many residents of Ogun state and stakeholders alike, considering the level of developmental inclinations and responsible leadership Dapo Abiodun has exhibited since he assumed office.

In the same vein, a leading socioeconomic and civic organisation, BudgIT Research, has adjudged Ogun higher on the State of States Performance on Index A.

Among the 36 states of the federation, Rivers tops the list with 0.82, followed by Lagos State, 0.84 as Ogun state came third with 1.48.

The organization said on its website: “States that rank higher on Index A have comparatively limited dependence on federally distributed revenue for their operations and thus have greater viability if they were to theoretically exist as an independent entity.”

Meanwhile, the governor at any fora and public functions continually reassuring his people of his resolve to transform the state beyond the rhetorics of yesterday and change the narrative for better through creative ideas and sincerity of purpose.

Working in line with the tenets of his developmental agenda, the fearless governor embarked on various reforms in every strata of the state’s economy and entrenched desirable sanity as he blocked all leakages to raise the state’s internally generated revenue to an unbelieveable level.

Towards the end of his first term in office in 2023, Governor Abiodun has raised internally generated revenue (IGR) of the State from N50 billion in 2020 to almost N150 billion, thereby ranking Ogun the 3rd in IGR in Nigeria.

At the same time, the governor was also putting up legacy projects of great values, ranging from Kajola Dry Container Port, which was conceived to provide efficient and cost-effective operations, logistics and distribution for array of manufacturing companies in the state.

Also, the Gateway International Airport would soon be ready, the airport will take care of scheduled and non-scheduled cargo and passenger flights.

The governor has also changed the business environment in the State through his reforms and make Ogun state the best in the Ease of Doing Business Index.

The introduction of Medium Revenue Strategies, Medium Term Expenditure Framework reforms in the payment for seamless operations to block leakages as well as regular meeting to monitor all reforms, were parts of measures aimed at improving the state’s revenue.

The favourable business environment in Ogun state has responsible for immediate influx of investors into the state thereby raising the number of manufacturing companies and other industries to over 6000 and quickly turned Ogun to an investors’ destination of choice.

To sustain these feats, Governor Abiodun have constructed over 600 km of roads and as well established six Economic Development Clusters (EDC).

The commissioner for finance and chief economic adviser to the governor, Dapo Okubadejo, recently said the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun considers the cluster strategy as one of the most important developmental initiatives for African economies to engender cost optimization through infrastructure sharing and economies of scale.

Okubadejo further explained that cluster strategy also lowers entry barriers for investors and encourages value chain development and processing of raw materials, two important measures for non-oil export growth.

All in all, I congratulate the people of Ogun State for choosing right and endorsing purposeful leadership as against inducement and deception.

For Governor Dapo Abiodun, his administration remains a moving train to an eldorado and his resolve and determination for better Ogun will never wane.

Olaniyi Ajibola is a senior special assistant to Governor Dapo Abiodun on strategic media.