Former Ogun State Governor and current Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), on Sunday, September 21, 2025 commissioned the Renewed Hope International Market in Ìgodè, Sagamu Local Government, as part of a midterm community assessment and review tour of his constituency.
Speaking at the event, Senator Daniel described the market as a historic step toward opening up Ìgodè and surrounding communities to economic development. He noted that his team had to personally make the road to the town motorable and urged the Ogun State Government to complete the work by tarring the road to unlock the full benefits of the new facility.
The senator also unveiled the BATOGD Movement, a grassroots support group for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He stressed his “unalloyed support” for the President, hailing him as a courageous leader “confronting the monumental missteps of the past” and steering Nigeria’s economy through bold reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange liberalisation.
“Courage, in itself, is a virtue,” he said. “Only a leader who appreciates the real essence of power can dare to chart a new way forward. We must support Mr. President’s vision.”
Highlighting his interventions in education, health and empowerment, Daniel cited scholarships for thousands of Ogun students, interest-free loans for market women and artisans, and over 3,000 free cataract surgeries under his medical outreach programme. He also thanked President Tinubu for supporting key projects, including the ongoing construction of a naval base at Abigi/Makun-Omi and the planned aviation school in Akaka Remo linked to the Agro-Cargo Airport project he initiated as governor.
On political restructuring, the senator revealed that 75 of his colleagues in the Senate have endorsed his proposal for the creation of a new state out of the old Ijebu Province — a demand he described as “credible and justifiable” given that Ijebu is the only 1923 province yet to transition into a state.
He further reported progress on the South West Development Commission Bill, saying President Tinubu had taken the “first step” toward regional development and calling on governors to judiciously utilise the increased federal allocations resulting from subsidy removal.
While commending Governor Dapo Abiodun for sustaining the Agro-Cargo Airport vision, Senator Daniel appealed for greater state government attention to road infrastructure in Ìgodè and neighbouring areas to maximise the impact of the new market.
“We could have held this commissioning in a bigger town with better roads, but we chose Ìgodè for strategic reasons,” he said. “Let us put this town and its people on the map.”
