Landmark

By Kayode Akinmade For many of the former political office-holders who gathered at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the cheques handed to them were worth much more than the figures written on them. They represented something that money alone cannot adequately measure: relief after years of waiting, recognition after service and, perhaps most importantly, the restoration of hope. The Ogun State Government’s payment of ₦3.503 billion in outstanding severance allowances to former political office-holders across the state’s 20 local government councils and Local Council Development Areas is therefore more than another government expenditure. It is a revealing moment in the character of governance and the meaning of leadership. The beneficiaries, comprising former chairmen, vice-chairmen, secretaries to local governments, supervisors, special advisers and councillors who served between 2016 and 2024, had waited for years for their legitimate entitlements. The liabilities covered 526 ...

By Aderonke Oluwadare Nigeria’s micro, small and medium sized enterprises remain central to the country’s economic growth, employment and household incomes. According to the NBS and SMEDAN MSME 2021 survey, as cited in PwC Nigeria’s MSME Survey 2024, MSMEs account for 96.9 per cent of businesses, 87.9 per cent of employment, 46.32 per cent of gross domestic product and 6.21 per cent of exports. These figures underline the importance of Nigerian SMEs to job creation, innovation and inclusive economic development. They also explain why the health of the sector should command the attention of policymakers, financial institutions and investors. PwC’s report confirms the figures and identifies MSMEs as an important part of Nigeria’s economic fortunes. The operating environment nevertheless remains difficult. Entrepreneurs continue to contend with elevated input costs, exchange rate volatility, infrastructure constraints and pressure on consumer purchasing power. PwC’s MSME Survey 2024, whic...

Former political office-holders in Ogun State’s 20 local government councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) have hailed the state government for clearing ₦3.503 billion in outstanding severance allowances owed them. The beneficiaries spoke on Tuesday during the presentation of cheques at the Oba’s Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, describing the payment as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to good governance and the welfare of political office-holders. The beneficiaries, who served between 2016 and 2024, include former chairmen, vice-chairmen, secretaries to local governments, supervisors, special advisers and councillors. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the government said the payment totalled ₦3,503,489,479.56. Akinmade said the outstanding liabilities covered 526 former political office-holders from the 2016–2019 tenure and 516 from the 2020–2024 tenure. He said the settlement re...

By Aderonke Oluwadare Nigeria’s micro, small and medium sized enterprises remain central to the country’s economic growth, employment and household incomes. According to the NBS and SMEDAN MSME 2021 survey, as cited in PwC Nigeria’s MSME Survey 2024, MSMEs account for 96.9 per cent of businesses, 87.9 per cent of employment, 46.32 per cent of gross domestic product and 6.21 per cent of exports. These figures underline the importance of Nigerian SMEs to job creation, innovation and inclusive economic development. They also explain why the health of the sector should command the attention of policymakers, financial institutions and investors. PwC’s report confirms the figures and identifies MSMEs as an important part of Nigeria’s economic fortunes. The operating environment nevertheless remains difficult. Entrepreneurs continue to contend with elevated input costs, exchange rate volatility, infrastructure constraints and pressure on consumer purchasing power. PwC’s MSME Survey 2024, whic...

The Ogun State Government has announced the employment of over 7,000 teachers since the inception of the Prince Dapo Abiodun administration, as part of its sustained investment in strengthening teaching and learning across the state. The government has also earmarked ₦24 billion through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for the provision and rehabilitation of critical education infrastructure, while over ₦51 million was presented in cash prizes to outstanding teachers, schools and administrators at the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Abeokuta. Speaking at the celebration, held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, said his administration recognised teachers as the foundation upon which every other profession and society was built. “Before a doctor learns to treat patients or an engineer designs a bridge, a teacher has awakened their minds and laid the foundation they are...

Ogun State has taken its investment pitch to the global stage, wooing international investors and development partners with its expanding industrial base, strategic infrastructure, agricultural potential and business-friendly reforms at a high-level side event on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States. Representing the State at the engagement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Partners Coordination, Dr. Bayo Adenekan, said that Ogun was strategically positioned to attract increased domestic and international investment, citing its growing industrial clusters, infrastructure development, agricultural opportunities and economic reforms under the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Adenekan said the State was seeking stronger partnerships to unlock opportunities in agriculture, infrastructure, innovation, climate and green financing, youth empowerment and artificial intelligence, among other priority sectors. He said...