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Abiodun chides Adebutu on failure to fix family house road 'despite stupendous wealth'
Damilola Ajibola
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State on Sunday chided the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Oladipupo Adebutu, on failure to ‘fix the family house road ‘ ,despite stupendous wealth.
The governor was apparently reacting to a statement credited to Adebutu over his criticism on the recently commissioned 8-kilometer Sagamu-Iperu road project of the state government.
He wondered why the Adebutu’s could not deploy a fraction of their wealth towards the repair of the road leading to their family, which he said was in deplorable State for a long time.
The governor said his focus was to continue the positive trajectory of the Gateway State and not to dwell on the submission of a man who could not see the over 600km of roads across the length and breadth of Ogun State done by his administration.
Prince Abiodun said he had learnt not to respond to people who had developed the habit of barking whenever they are no longer in the spotlight.
“I read on one of the papers that someone was saying that he was embarrassed that I was commissioning an 8-kilometre road, and a counterpart of mine was commissioning a 77-kilometer road,” he said, adding that he had learnt not to respond to such ignorant remarks.
He spoke during his 64th birthday and fifth year anniversary thanksgiving service held in his honour at the Ogun State Government House Chapel, Oke-Igbein, Abeokuta.
He described the past five years of his administration as challenging, but added that his faith in God had brought the victory he desired.
Governor Abiodun recalled his journey to power despite all odds, attributing his victory to God Almighty.
He said: “The process through which I emerged as Governor was a very unusual one; one in which my predecessor who was in the same party with me was fighting me and campaigning for another person in another party, and I will sit down and ask myself, ‘Baba God, this is very unusual, why do I have to go through so much to assume this office?’ And then I will answer myself that it is because God wants to take that glory.
“The last five years of governance over the state of Ogun for me has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. It’s been extremely turbulent, it’s been very challenging, particularly, it has been rancorous. But the most important thing is that in all of this, God has given us victory.”
Gov Abiodun said his government was taking giant steps to reshape the economy of the state and that the steps were yielding results.
One of such steps, according to him, is the plan to make Ogun an oil producing State, as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources would soon begin oil exploration in the state.
“Only on Friday, the leadership of the Ministry of Petroleum led by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, was here with three others and the chairman of Shell to make an announcement that they would soon begin to drill oil in Ogun State,” he said.
Earlier in his message, the Shepherd in charge of Grace Baptist Church, Abeokuta, Rev (Dr) Emmanuel Ajayi, who took his sermon from Psalm 92 verse 1, said that it was a good thing to praise the Lord because of who He is.
Rev. Ajayi, giving thanks to God brings more blessings to those who praise Him.
While calling on the people of God to imbibe the culture of giving thanks to God in their closet, Rev. Ajayi said that praises help Christians to show their gratitude to God Almighty.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade had, in an earlier statement in response to Adebutu’s comments, said the defeated PDP governorship candidate lacked the requisite mental capacity to assess Governor Abiodun’s performance in office.
He said: “It is rather laughable if not completely bizarre to learn that a suspect in the on going case of money laundering and electoral banditry in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, could summon courage to speak on any issue whatsoever in the public space, not to talk of issues pertaining to governance.
“Adebutu’s recent gibberish in the media, where he queried the leadership capability of Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration’s performance eloquently gives out the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate as a man with little mind and zero cognitive capacity.
“Obviously, no right thinking individual with sound mind could just wake up on the wrong side of his bed and start discrediting what the global community is applauding from all fronts
