Dapo Abiodun, Driving Ogun’s Economy Beyond Borders By Olaniyi Ajibola

Considering the remarkable and unprecedented achievements of the Dapo Abiodun-led administration in Ogun State, cutting across all strata of the state’s economy, from infrastructural development to enhanced digital economy and speedy industrial advancement among many others, one would have concluded that the Governor should be relaxing by now when he has just exactly 20 months to leave office.

Of course, history of political-economy in Africa has shown that majority of African leaders suffered chronic complacency towards the tail end of their tenures and rather focused more on themselves and cronies at the detriment of the general interests, with attendant retrogression in all areas of growth and development.

However, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has defied this primordial mindset and decided to break the jinx of such inemptitude in government that have pameated the fabric of leadership in Africa.

Few days after securing an investment pledge in the range of $1.8bn to $2.5bn from Mac Group, focusing on hospitality and entertainment as well as the interest of a Taiwanese Multinational Conglomerate and Global Tech Giant, Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer with an annual revenue of $200bn coming to establish their manufacturing plant in Ogun State, one would think Abiodun is already fulfilled and should take some time off to relax.

Moreso, when he declared with empirical facts during the meeting with those investors that the Ogun state’s economy has increased in fourfold, jumping from $3.5 trillion to $16 trillion between 2019 when he came into the saddle and 2025. He added that the state’s foremost Tourist Centre, Olumo Rock, after renovation has started to generate N20 million on a weekly basis, a testament of creativity, ingenuity and responsive leadership.

Despite these monumental achievements, Prince Dapo Abiodun did not rest on his oars, he kept pushing for the best without hesitation, and before one could say Jack Robinson, the Ogun State’s Chief Marketer has again arrived in far away China with his economic team, hunting for more investments and armed with selling points of the Gateway State, namely: Advanced infrastructure, Strategic Location, Skillful Labour Force, Accessibility to Energy, Safer Security Architecture, Multi-modal Transport System, Friendly and Cultured Host Communities among others.

From Inspur, one of the foremost IT firms in Shandong Province and indeed across China, the Governor’s team was pleased to know that there are avalanche of similarities between the company’s trajectory and the concept for the Ogun Tech Hub, which reaffirmed the creativity and genuity of efforts by the state government to make Ogun State a digital innovation hub in Africa.

According to Governor Abiodun on the visit”, Our conversations with Inspur were focused on how we can translate this meeting into meaningful collaborations that will drive knowledge exchange, create opportunities for our people, and further strengthen the foundation of our digital economy”.

Meanwhile, in the course of this engagement, the team played host to Mrs. Linshuang Zhang (Esther), the Chairman of Royal Ceramic, a foremost player in Nigeria’s ceramic manufacturing industry, with their state-of-the-art factory situated in Sagamu, Ogun State, where she shared her testimonies concerning the integral comparative advantage of the state that makes it the preferred destination for investment in Nigeria and within the West Africa corridor.

This inherent advantage in Mrs Zhang’s words includes: Availability of critical infrastructure, strengthened security, and policies that enable manufacturers like her to thrive; as the Governor further
reaffirmed his administration ‘s commitment to sustaining trajectory of growth by continuing to create the right atmosphere for investment, innovation, and industrial expansion.

The team also had a strategic meeting with the Managing Director of Lee Group, where they were informed about the company ‘s upcoming investments in Ogun State valued at about 50 million dollars and Governor Abiodun in response to this commitment submitted”,This is yet another testament to the attractiveness of our state as the emerging industrial capital of Nigeria, and we remain committed to sustaining policies that make Ogun a preferred destination for global investors.

“We are equally delighted to note that Lee Group is expanding its detergent business, which proudly stands as the number one in Nigeria in terms of sales. This expansion will not only consolidate their market leadership but also create more job opportunities for our people and stimulate economic activities across the value chain.

“In addition, Lee Group is broadening its footprint in the food processing sector with the establishment of two new factories dedicated to exports to the United States and Europe. This bold step underscores the growing confidence of international markets in products made in Ogun State, while also positioning our state as a hub for export-driven industrialization.

In another development, Governor Dapo Abiodun also had an engagement with Governor of Shandong Province, Mr. Zhou Naixiang, as part of efforts to rekindle and strengthen a Shandong-Ogun State Economic and Trade Partnership under the broader Nigeria-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (NCSP).

This engagement was in line with the earlier agreement between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and and President Xi Jinping at the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, September 2024.

Furthermore, the Governor on Saturday morning held a strategic meeting with the Mayor of Rizhao, Wang Xinsheng, to deepen economic and cultural ties between the State and the Chinese coastal city. At the meeting, Governor Abiodun emphasized the centrality of the Olokola Deep Sea Port project to the future of Ogun State, noting that its development would not only position the State as Nigeria’s leading industrial and maritime hub, but also serve as a gateway for enhanced trade between Africa and Asia.

He disclosed that discussions with Rizhao – a city renowned for its thriving port economy – were aimed at fostering collaboration that will bring world-class technical expertise and investment into the project, as he highlighted the State’s rich mineral deposits and the opportunities that exist for exploration and value-added development, stressing the administration’s readiness to partner with reputable global players in the sector, saying such collaborations would boost industrialization, create jobs and expand Ogun’s revenue base as well as
strengthening bilateral relations and opening new frontiers for educational and tourism cooperation.

The Governor, at the end of the discussion summarised the engagement this way,” The meeting with Mayor Wang Xinsheng, is another milestone in Ogun State’s international investment drive, reinforcing the State’s attractiveness as a preferred destination for global partnerships”.

In the evergreen postulation of Bill Bradley,” Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better”. As Prince Dapo Abiodun is going across the globe to unlock the potential of Ogun State towards making the people better, we pray for safety and success always over his team.

Olaniyi Ajibola, is a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategic Communications.