Daniel accuses Amosun of destroying Ogun state economy

Gbenga Daniel

Gbenga Daniel

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

Former Ogun state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has continued to pick holes in the programmes of his successor, accusing Governor Ibikunle Amosun of destroying the economic base of the State.

The former governor stated this while addressing an open summit of Labour Party faithful at Ibiade town in Ogun Waterside local government area of the State.

Daniel claimed that Amosun has continued to plunge the state in a debt by borrowing unnecessarily, instead of building on the legacies of the past administration.

Gbenga Daniel
Gbenga Daniel

Daniel accused Amosun of frustrating big companies, including $9 billion Dangote Petrochemical Complex, which was to be sited in Ode-Omi, by the waterside.

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu described the allegation as illogical, adding that the former governor is fond of making wild claims.

The former governor explained that his administration came to the conclusion that the biggest problem in the state was unemployment and as such facilitated companies coming to create employment in the State.

According to him, “the most painful aspect was a contract signed with the Dangote Group to establish the biggest refinery capable of employing 30,000 people in the state only for Amosun to lose the project to Lagos State.

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“Ogun Waterside is supposed to be the industrial base of Ogun State of the future, the result is the Free Trade zone in Ogun State. Many people do not understand the meaning of this Free Trade Zone, this is a very big industrial estate, the whole essence of that estate is for us to have the opportunity to have as many industries as possible in this local government.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state

“On Olokola LNG, the project which is supposed to be in Ode-Omi within this local government, is supposed to be the biggest investment of LNG in the world, but what happened to us in this place, you people made a mistake, you elected a governor who is not interested, and because the governor is not doing what he is supposed to do, the project has been abandoned since our administration handed over three years ago.

“The most painful of all is that before I left government, I had signed a contract with Dangote group to establish the biggest refinery in Nigeria in Ode Omi and they have started the preliminary work, but unfortunately, when you people made the mistake and voted for this governor, for one reason or the other, Ogun state has now lost the project to Lagos State.

“The refinery which is being planned in Ode Omi has the capacity to employ 30,000 people, we have lost that now because we don’t have a good governor,” Daniel claimed.

But Olaniyonu in his reaction said the former governor is known for making frivolous and illogical statements, adding that, that was the same way he shouted for eight years instead of facing governance.

“How can he say we are destroying the economy of the state when President Jonathan who he claimed to be supporting has been in this state several times to commission industries.

“The President at one of his visits, declared that Ogun is the most industrialised state in the country and everyone in the state will soon find jobs to do. Many industries now throng the state among which is the Procter and Gamble, the biggest American investment in Nigeria outside oil and gas.

“This is how he shouted for eight years when he was in power, except, if he is seeing what the President and other investors are not seeing or people are seeing what he sees not. His argument is illogical,” Olaniyonu asserted.

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