How Dapo Abiodun Became One of Nigeria’s Best Governors

There is a kind of quiet confidence that trails Governor Dapo Abiodun these days. The man once mocked for building an airport “in the middle of nowhere” now watches commercial flights lift off from that same runway in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. The sceptics have gone silent, replaced by applause.

In less than six years, Abiodun’s administration has stretched Ogun’s economic skin. According to the governor, the state’s GDP has swelled from N3.5 trillion to N16 trillion, making it one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing economies.

The numbers are no accident. Roads have multiplied, industrial parks are rising, and power projects are lighting up communities once forgotten.

The Gateway International Airport, completed within his term, now carries symbolic weight. Its first flight, a ValueJet plane to Abuja, was proof that an idea dismissed as fanciful could find ground and take off. Within forty-eight hours of operation, the airport had already boosted Ogun’s profile in the federation’s competitive hierarchy.

Abiodun’s handprint extends beyond aviation. A newly signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency and Renew Power Limited will birth a 500-megawatt solar photovoltaic manufacturing plant. The project, the first of its scale in West Africa, positions Ogun as a hub for renewable energy and local capacity building.

Then there is tourism: long overlooked, now quietly lucrative. The renovation of Olumo Rock has turned the ancient site into a cash machine, generating about N20 million weekly after years of dormancy. Investors have noticed. A Dubai-based group has pledged up to $2.5 billion for leisure and hospitality, including what could be Africa’s first Disneyland-style resort.

The governor’s secret, perhaps, is consistency. No bluster, no endless ribbon cuttings. Just a methodical pursuit of infrastructure that works and an economy that rewards patience.

In an era when governance often collapses under its own noise, Abiodun seems to have discovered something rare: that real progress doesn’t announce itself; it accumulates until everyone starts to notice.