Chartered accountant and World Bank Group consultant, Luqmon Oladele, speaks with DARE OLAWIN on Ogun State’s economic future, the 2027 governorship race, and why he believes the next governor must possess strong fiscal expertise, federal influence and a commitment to continuity in governance
As Ogun enters a defining governorship cycle, do you think the state’s economy demands a particular kind of leadership?
Within the past 18 months, the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport at Iperu has been commissioned by President Bola Tinubu; the Olokola Deep Seaport has been rebranded the Blue Marine Economic Zone and approved for take-off. Commercial oil drilling at Eba Island in Ogun Waterside has been approved, making Ogun an oil-producing state, and the Dangote cement complex at Itori completes this year, lifting in-state cement capacity to roughly 18 million tonnes a year, the largest concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa. Internally generated revenue rose from about N50.6bn in 2020 to N194.93bn in 2024, fourth nationally. And contrary to the usual assumption, Ogun is not an energy have-not: it already hosts well over a gigawatt of installed gas-fired generation on the Escravos–Lagos pipeline, running far below capacity only for want of firm gas. This is not a state limping toward 2027. Ogun is a state with existing extraordinary assets waiting to be unlocked with good governance and technical expertise.
