The Director-General of the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Kehinde Sogunle, has criticised calls for Ogun State to adopt a Lagos-style development model, insisting that the state has the institutions and planning framework needed to address its economic and infrastructural challenges.
Sogunle, a former Ogun State Commissioner for Finance, made the position known in a response to an article by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s supporters, titled “Ogun Works, Lagos Eats and Yayi’s ITESIWAJU Requite,” published in The Daily Crucible.
In his intervention, titled “The Fallacy of the Border Messiah: Why Ogun Needs Spatial Sovereignty, Not Lagosian Paternalism,” Sogunle argued that the economic relationship between Ogun and Lagos was a longstanding issue that required stronger institutions, effective regional planning and improved revenue collection rather than what he described as an imported political solution.
He maintained that Ogun had taken steps to address the fiscal challenges of its border communities during the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel between 2003 and 2011.
According to Sogunle, the administration pursued personal income tax remittances from workers who lived in Ogun but earned their income in Lagos. He also cited the establishment of the Gateway City Development Company as an effort to promote residential, commercial and industrial development along the state’s border corridors.
The former commissioner further argued that the proposed Lagos-Ogun Megacity Development Project, designed by the late urban geographer Professor Akin Mabogunje, had offered an opportunity for coordinated regional development but failed to achieve its intended objectives.
He also criticised the Lagos-Ogun Joint Development Commission, announced by the incumbent Ogun administration in May 2021, claiming that it had not received the authority, funding and political commitment needed to deliver meaningful results.
Sogunle said Ogun already had a 25-year regional master plan covering 2004 to 2029, which he described as a framework for balanced development across the state’s industrial, agricultural and commercial centres. He accused successive APC administrations of failing to implement the plan consistently.
Outlining the development agenda of the Ladi Adebutu campaign, Sogunle said the ITURA DE programme would prioritise local government financial autonomy, regional infrastructure and support for small businesses.
He proposed direct capital grants of between ₦500 million and ₦1 billion to Regional Economic Advisory Councils, the establishment of an Ogun State Boundary Development Commission and the implementation of the regional master plan to improve infrastructure in border communities.
He also said the agenda would include a Bureau of Artisan Development and Enterprise Ogun, which he said would provide small businesses and skilled workers with access to affordable credit, public procurement opportunities and professional certification.
Sogunle contrasted these proposals with what he described as the current administration’s reliance on campaign handouts and poorly coordinated projects. He also raised concerns about alleged budget irregularities, procurement practices and rising public debt, although the claims were not independently verified in the statement.
He said the 2027 governorship election would present Ogun residents with a choice between what he characterised as an externally driven development model and a homegrown approach focused on institutional reforms, regional planning and economic independence.
The Ogun State Government and Senator Adeola were not quoted responding to the allegations in the statement.
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