Ogun govt faults PDP candidate over $7bn deep seaport criticism

The Ogun State Government has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Ogun East, Alhaji Abdul-Hameed Omotayo, for describing the proposed $7 billion Gateway Deep Seaport project as “another broken promise,” insisting that agreements and investment commitments underpinning the initiative are verifiable.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kayode Akinmade, the government said the agreements for the proposed deep seaport and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone were signed with global port operator DP World in Paris on September 24, 2026. It described Omotayo’s remarks as an attempt to politicise an investment expected to strengthen the state’s maritime and industrial capacity.

According to the government, the agreements were signed in the presence of President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority Abubakar Dantsoho and DP World Group Chief Executive Officer Yuvraj Narayan. It also cited a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, which put the initial investment at more than $7 billion and projected the creation of 50,000 direct jobs.

Akinmade argued that the project should be assessed based on the agreements reached, investment commitments and verifiable progress towards implementation, rather than dismissed as a broken promise. However, he acknowledged that financing arrangements, regulatory approvals and construction were among the subsequent stages required to bring the project to fruition. The government said the proposed development could attract businesses, expand economic opportunities and create jobs if successfully implemented.

The government also faulted Omotayo’s prediction that he would defeat Abiodun before noon on election day, describing it as political bravado that diverted attention from substantive development issues. Akinmade further questioned the PDP’s political direction, citing the reported exclusion of its governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, and his running mate from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list for the 2027 Ogun governorship election. He urged the party to address its internal challenges rather than discredit investment initiatives.

Defending the administration’s record in Ogun East, Akinmade said the government had constructed and rehabilitated more than 243.3 kilometres of roads in the district since 2019, as part of a statewide total exceeding 1,600 kilometres across the 20 local government areas. The roads cited included the Ijebu-Ode–Mojoda–Epe Road, Sagamu–Iperu–Ode–Sapaade Road, Ejirin–Idowa–Ibefun–Itokin Road in Odogbolu, Tam Balogun Road in Ijebu-Ode and Imodi–Imosan Road.

He also listed the approval of the J4–Gao Road in Ogun Waterside, the delivery of more than 150 blocks of classrooms, primary healthcare interventions across the district and the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport at Iperu-Remo as part of the administration’s development efforts. According to him, the projects were intended to improve connectivity, expand access to essential services and support economic growth.

The government maintained that political criticism should be based on verifiable facts and substantive engagement with policy issues. It urged stakeholders to distinguish between project announcements, signed investment agreements and actual implementation, adding that the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone could boost maritime trade, logistics, industrial activity and employment if the agreements are successfully implemented.