Landmark

By Kayode Akinmade  President Bola Tinubu's visit to Ogun State last weekend could not have come at a better time. It showed the phenomenal things going on in the state. The atmosphere within and outside Abeokuta, the state capital, was electric. The president rode around the state commissioning landmark projects, and his excitement and relief were palpable. The president had just visited Jos, Plateau State, where he had confronted gory images of terror and the agony of victims.  The President knew the pain of parents in such circumstances. He was visibly shaken, and promised to do everything humanly possible to rewrite the security narrative. And then came the rescheduled Ogun visit that lifted his spirits and showed the possibilities of visionary leadership... The mood before the President's visit was ecstatic. Across the state, billboards announced the visit, but much more so did a populace grateful to have a government working according to their dictates, opening up the st...

Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline and a leading carrier in West Africa, has announced plans to commence international flight operations from Gateway International Airport to London this summer. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, disclosed this during an interview with journalists after inspecting the airport facilities alongside Dapo Abiodun. The visit followed the official commissioning of the airport by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to Onyema, Air Peace will operate flights connecting the airport to both London Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport, marking a significant milestone for Ogun State’s aviation sector. He praised the state government for delivering a world-class aviation facility, describing the airport as one of the best-equipped in Sub-Saharan Africa. “This is one of the best-equipped airports in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Air Peace will not sit back and watch this facility go unused,” Onyema said. “When you see a promising initiative, you must embrace i...

As Christians across Nigeria and the world celebrate Easter, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume, has called on Nigerians to embrace the virtues of sacrifice, forgiveness, and renewed hope which the resurrection of Jesus Christ symbolises. In his Easter message, which he personally signed, the former non-executive commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reflected on the profound significance of the season, describing Easter as a divine testament that no night lasts forever, and that after every crucifixion comes a glorious resurrection. “Easter is not merely a festival; it is a spiritual declaration that darkness does not have the final word. As Christ rose triumphantly on the third day, I believe Nigeria, too, is rising from every challenge to meet her God-ordained destiny,” Araraume stated. The APC chieftain used the occasion to offer fervent prayers for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he described as a courageous...

For too long, infrastructure in Nigeria has been treated as an end in itself a ribbon cut, a speech delivered, a photograph taken, and then a slow drift into underutilization. That must not be the fate of Ogun State’s newly built and commissioned airport. The era of symbolic projects is over. This is the moment for execution. Airports do not thrive on asphalt and terminals alone; they thrive on traffic, on purpose, and on a coherent economic ecosystem that feeds them. If Ogun Airport is to succeed quickly and it must it requires an aggressive, disciplined, and intelligently sequenced destination marketing and economic activation strategy. The foundation is already clear: Ogun is not an empty proposition. It is a state rich in culture, industry, agriculture, history, and proximity advantage. What has been missing is orchestration the deliberate packaging and projection of these assets into a compelling, year-round destination economy. The first order of business is visibility. A bold “D...

Convener of the Niger Delta Development Agenda, NDDA, Mr Iteveh Nurudeen Ekpokpobe, has strongly urged caution against the demand to balkanisation of the Niger Delta’s pipeline surveillance contract, insisting that dismantling the current structure may create more problems than it solves, warning that the stability achieved could be at risk. The warning comes amid rising tensions following protests by some Niger Delta stakeholders at the National Assembly, where demonstrators called for the decentralization of pipeline surveillance contracts currently handled by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, and Maton Engineering Limited. However, Iteveh, speaking during an interview on Friday on ARISE TV, maintained that while inclusion is important, dismantling the current system is not the solution. “I am on the side of the Niger Delta and how it can be developed. The issue is not just about sharing resources, but about sustaining what is ...

- Pen Pecker . As we celebrate the commissioning of the Gateway International Airport, it is important that we do not forget the origin and the visionary behind what has today become a major landmark for Ogun State and a significant achievement under the APC-led administration. The concept and initiation of this laudable project date back to 2004, under the administration of His Excellency, Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel.  At a time when such a vision seemed ambitious, he laid the critical foundation for what we witness today. The most demanding phase of the project, the foundational groundwork  was meticulously executed during his tenure. This early foresight and strategic planning made the later stages of construction more seamless and achievable. The visionary leadership of Senator Gbenga Daniel, now representing Ogun East, deserves commendation for blazing the trail and daring to dream of an aviation hub that would boost economic growth and position Ogun State on the global ...