By Yunus Unique Adebayo L.
This isn’t just another anniversary—it’s a moment to look back, look around, and look defiantly ahead.
We now mark 50 years since Ogun State was carved out as a distinct entity. Born on February 3, 1976, our title as the “Gateway State” is not just a nickname; it’s our identity. But being the gateway to Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre means more than just sharing a border with Lagos. It means we hold a unique key to prosperity—a key that, for five decades, we’ve been learning to turn in the right lock, with varying degrees of success.
The truth is that Ogun State should not just be a strong state; it should be the leading state in Nigeria. Our strategic geography is a natural goldmine. We are the bridge between the massive Lagos market and the rest of the nation, and the portal to international trade with the Republic of Benin.
The path to our potential has been paved by true sons of the soil, and we must honor their work. The dream of turning our agricultural wealth into global trade began with the vision of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who started the Ogun State Agro-Cargo Airport in Ilishan-Remo. Daniel was a governor who governed with structure, not just noise. Before “ease of doing business” became a slogan, he was clearing bureaucratic hurdles and courting investors, transforming Ogun from a civil service economy into a strategic industrial extension of Lagos. He laid the tarmac on which our industrial revolution was meant to take flight.
Then came Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who understood that vision without infrastructure is a hallucination. He declared that “solid infrastructure is crucial to economic development” and acted on it. His administration built roads and bridges to international standards, not just for today but for the Ogun State of tomorrow. He invested massively to create the skeletal framework that would allow the economic body to grow.
As we celebrated our golden jubilee, a timely and grave warning echoed from a true elder statesman, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He congratulated us but urged vigilance: Ogun is blessed but must avoid “the poliprenuerers from Lagos” who, after embezzling funds there, would seek to hijack power here.
This is not mere political rhetoric. It is a profound call to consciousness. Our greatest strength —proximity to Lagos— is also our most glaring vulnerability. We cannot become a consolation prize or a soft target for those who have exploited elsewhere. Our state’s resources, our lands, our future—they are not for the taking. They are an inheritance we must fiercely protect.
While we have achieved much, the present reality demands sober reflection. The baton of leadership has been passed, and the race has, unfortunately, slowed. Contrast this with the current tenure. While official figures celebrate huge IGR, the lived experience on the ground tells a story of stalled momentum. The Agro-Cargo Airport, a 50-year dream, was finally inaugurated but remains underutilised, a symbol of potential not yet fully harnessed. The sprawling industrial clusters in Agbara, Ota, and Sagamu, groan under the weight of inadequate public infrastructure and insecurity, causing some industries to reconsider their presence.
Most telling is the growing internal disaffection. There is a palpable feeling that a state which should be sprinting is now walking. Projects are launched with fanfare but lack the relentless execution that defined previous eras. The sense of a cohesive, urgent developmental vision has fragmented. We are at risk of becoming a transit zone rather than a destination—a thoroughfare for others’ prosperity.
This is where the celebration ends and the work begins. Ogun at 50 is not an arrival; it is a checkpoint. Our unity is our greatest weapon. We are the intellectual depth of the Egba, the commercial brilliance of the Ijebu, the industrial grit of the Remo, the agricultural bounty of the Yewa, and the manufacturing might of the Awori. Separately, we are proud divisions; together, we are an unstoppable force.
Let this Golden Jubilee ignite a fire of demanding stewardship. Let us move from being passive citizens to active guardians of the Ogun dream. Ask questions. Demand transparency. Vote not with tribal sentiment or empty promises, but with a ruthless focus on competence, integrity, and a proven love for Ogun.
The next 50 years begin today. We must decide if they will be a story of realised destiny or a continued tale of “what could have been.” Let us choose to be the generation that stood at the gate and defended it, that built upon the legacy we were given, and that finally made Ogun State not just a gateway, but the ultimate destination. The world is watching. History is waiting. Let’s get to work.
OMO OGUN, ISEYA!
Yunus Unique Adebayo L.
Citizens’Voice Nigeria
