The face-off between the Ogun State Government and the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, has deepened following an alleged directive stopping work on a road project in the Sagamu area of the state.
Daniel, through his media aide, Steve Oloyede, alleged that the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure issued a “stop work” order on the road project he facilitated, describing the action as politically motivated.
But the state government swiftly dismissed the allegation, describing it as “egregious falsehood.”
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, the government said it only directed the contractor, Minim and Tonye Nigeria Limited, to obtain the necessary clearance since the road was under the state’s jurisdiction.
According to the statement, the contractor was asked to apply for permission and specify the scope of work to enable the government to adjust its schedule, as the road had earlier been slated for rehabilitation by the state.
The government insisted there was nothing wrong with the letter issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Yusuf L.O., suspending the project until due process was followed.
It added, “No one can carry out any repair work on a road without obtaining the necessary permission. That is why a state government intent on repairing any federal road must first obtain approval from the Federal Government.
“In their utter ignorance, the authors of the fake news claimed the Federal Government had approved the construction of a road belonging to Ogun State. If not for outright mischief carried out on behalf of their drowning principal, how can anyone equate asking a contractor to obtain necessary approval before working on a state road to stopping the project because of alleged political hostility?”
The government recalled that the state had, in the past, been denied permission by the Federal Government to repair federal roads, citing the case of the Abeokuta–Sango-Ota road under former Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola.
It added that following due process was the standard practice, pointing to a letter dated February 1, 2025, in which a former federal lawmaker, Adewunmi Onanuga, sought permission to embark on rural road projects in Simawa, Irolu, and Ewuga.
