![[Explainer] Ogun State Strikes Oil But Gbenga Daniel Got There Two Decades Before Dapo Abiodun](https://applesbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Gbenga-Daniel-1.jpg)
Ogun East Senator, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has declared that the long-stalled bitumen project in Ijebu East Local Government is set for a major revival, citing direct assurances from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development under the leadership of Mr. Dele Alake.
The announcement was a central highlight of the BATOGD Movement’s Midterm Community Assessment and Review (MIDCAR) tour held in Ijebu East on Sunday, where the Senator shifted focus from political rallying to a session of accountability and developmental promises.
Addressing constituents, Senator Daniel expressed sympathy for the area’s underdevelopment, recalling his vision as a former Governor to create a “whole new city” for bitumen mining and exploration.
“I understand your frustration and share in your hope for a new dawn,” Daniel stated. “That is why I started by sympathising with you because I am aware that this whole community should be thriving in wealth and prosperity.”
He revealed that his mission in the Senate has been to leverage his relationships with the executive branch to resurrect this vision. “I am delighted to inform you that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development… has assured that the Bitumen wealth of Ijebu East will soon be put to productive use,” he announced, adding that he has “every confidence” in the assurance because Minister Dele Alake is “a man of results.”
To underscore the feasibility of the project, Senator Daniel pointed to the broader successes of President Bola Tinubu’s mining sector reforms. He revealed a staggering increase in national revenue from solid minerals, which he said has grown from ₦6 billion to ₦38 billion in just one year.
He attributed this “record-breaking transformation” to the President’s policy of granting mining licenses only to investors committed to local processing and value addition. “This is the practical demonstration of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Daniel said, framing it as a national strategy to create jobs and ensure mining prosperity stays within Nigeria.
While championing this large-scale industrial project, the Senator also presented a report card of his grassroots interventions in Ogun East. These include a solar-powered borehole in Igbaga, interest-free microcredit schemes, skills acquisition programs, and eye-care services that have benefited over 4,000 people across the senatorial district.
The MIDCAR tour, as explained by the Senator, is a cornerstone of his BATOGD Movement, which serves a dual purpose: to assess community needs and to build a “grassroots political support base” for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Senator Daniel concluded with a firm commitment to transform Ijebu East into “a beacon of development,” promising that with federal support and stakeholder engagement, the region’s “God-given blessings” would be converted into “lasting prosperity for this generation and generations yet unborn.”
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
