<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saturday, November 24th, 2018<\/strong><\/em> will for a long time be celebrated by hundreds of people who were schooled by a former two-term governor of Ogun state, and the Director-General, Atiku Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniels (OGD),<\/strong><\/em> at the <\/em><\/strong>22nd City People Magazine anniversary lecture <\/strong><\/em>entitled: The Bumpy Road <\/em><\/strong>to 2019<\/em><\/strong>. The event which held at the City People event centre <\/em><\/strong>in Gbagada<\/em><\/strong>, Lagos<\/em><\/strong>, revealed the unknown and less talked about At about 3:00 pm<\/em><\/strong> when the lecture was\nproposed to commence, OGD <\/em><\/strong>and his entourage had punctually found\ntheir ways into the hall while many of those who came to listen to the intelligent\nand impactful delivery from the former Lecturer at the Lagos state polytechnic\n(LASPOTECH<\/em><\/strong>) were yet to take their seats, a proof that he is not\njust a time manager but also punctual; an attribute that is not so common among\nmost Nigerian politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The OGD I Know: Accolades From Various Individuals<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the business of the day fully commenced, the event\nanchor, Mr Wale Lawal<\/em><\/strong>, a senior Editor at City People <\/em><\/strong>gave some\nof the guests already seated an opportunity to say few words about OGD<\/em><\/strong>,\nand most people had something to say about the ace politician. However, only ten\n<\/em><\/strong>people had opportunities to talk and they all at some point in their\nlives have had a beautiful encounter and remarkable experience with OGD<\/em><\/strong>.\nBarrister Tunde Otaiye<\/em><\/strong>, Engineer Adeola Sosanwo<\/em><\/strong>,\nMr Kunle Sokunbi, Hon Onadeko Omamusi and Hon Kayode Amusan<\/em><\/strong> all talked\nabout how OGD <\/em><\/strong>had at one point or the other served as a messiah\nfor their political careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Publisher\u2019s Welcome Remarks<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n City People Publisher, Dr Seye Kehinde<\/strong><\/em> <\/em><\/strong>in his welcome remarks talked about how he met OGD <\/strong><\/em>shortly after he became the governor of Ogun state <\/em><\/strong>and noted that he has since then really been helpful in all spheres. He further noted that the Speaking further, he <\/em><\/strong>revealed that OGD <\/em><\/strong>has\nbeen very consistent with everything he does and that he is a very structured\nindividual and leader, which was one of the qualities that stood him out as the\nright speaker at the magazine\u2019s annual lecture series especially as the\nelection year is gradually drawing closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOGD <\/em><\/strong>brought his empirical and scientific\nskills into governance and politics and has also given governance in Nigeria a\nhuman face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn behalf of the management and staff of City\nPeople<\/em><\/strong>, I want to say very big thanks for everyone who has made it down\nhere today for this year\u2019s annual anniversary lecture, especially those who\naccompanied him and others who came on their own to be part of this great day\nto listen to OGD <\/em><\/strong>talk to us on the” bumpy road to 2019<\/em><\/strong>,\nthank you. he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Akogun Tola Adeniyi Is the Chairman of the Day<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Akogun Tola Adeniyi <\/em><\/strong>was a former Managing Director of Nigeria<\/em><\/strong>\u2019s foremost\nnewspaper, the Daily Times newspaper who delivered a very short but concise\nspeech to whet the appetite of the audience before the main speaker took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about OGD<\/em><\/strong>, Akogun Adeniyi <\/em><\/strong>said\n\u201cOGD <\/em><\/strong>was my boss and governor, he was my chairman on many\noccasions but today I\u2019m \u2018charimaning\u2019 him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat people know about OGD <\/em><\/strong>is that he is a\nsuccessful engineer, politician and master strategist but what they don\u2019t know\nis the depth of his intellectual capacity, his robust ability and capability,\nawesome will power, his criticism and organisational skills. I am more\nconvinced that OGD <\/em><\/strong>is more than able to do justice to the topic\nat hand, the bumpy road to 2019 election<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He, furthermore, shed light on how various structures\nhave been put in place across the nation by some self centred politicians in\nother to ensure that the road to 2019 <\/em><\/strong>works against the progress\nof the country but in their own favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe road to 2019 <\/em><\/strong>has been manned from day\none by the controlled military, controlled police, controlled agencies,\ncontrolled electoral body, by the judiciary, by the civil service, and by all\nthose agencies that ordinarily should be independent and free of interference\nfor smooth operation of the systems in the country. The 2019 <\/em><\/strong>presidential\nelection is not between civilians and civilians, rather it is between a\nmilitary government pretending to be civilian in nature and a democratic,\ncivilian people who are trying to win the country back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n OGD Delivers Lecture On Nigeria: The Bumpy Road To 2019<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Otunba Gbenga Daniels <\/em><\/strong>proved himself to be a very fantastic lecturer and engineer indeed as he\nstarted his talk by defining a key word \u201cbumpy\u201d which he says will help in\nlooking at the road to 2019 in its true light as not being straightforward,\nconsistent, smooth as one would have expect it to be after 20 years of\nuninterrupted democracy. In his words, \u201cladies and gentlemen, in addressing\nthis very topic which was made tricky by the word \u2018bumpy\u2019 suggesting some kind\nof undulations, infrequent bumps of varying heights, on the way to the 2019\n<\/em><\/strong>election, I will be looking at Nigeria as a concept in four different\nways i.e. as a country, a nation, an idea and a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigeria As A Country and As A Nation<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n OGD <\/em><\/strong>took his audience\nback in memory lane as he discussed how different nations in the Niger area\nwere amalgamated by Sir Lord Frederick Lugard <\/em><\/strong>in 1914 <\/em><\/strong>when\nhe joined the Southern and Northern protectorates for easy governance because\nof lack of man power and the unwillingness of the Britons to spend money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to be cleared on some terms. Severally, Nigeria\nhas been described as a country, at other times as a nation. We need to\ninterrogate these descriptions closely so as to determine if we are in any way\nnear our destination politically and socially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Webmaster Comprehensive Dictionary of the English\nlanguage defines a country as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA land under a particular sovereignty or government,\ninhabited by a certain people, or within a definite geographical unit. A\nparticular nation or the institution peculiar to it, the land of one\u2019s nativity\nor allegiance\u201d. \u201cA tract of land of indefinite extent, a region as well as\n\u201cA rural region, or farming district, as opposed to the city.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigeria As An Idea <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n OGD <\/em><\/strong>went in all details\nto saliently deliver his points in differencing a country from a nation with various\nexamples but he didn\u2019t stop there; he went further to describe Nigeria as an\nidea from inception to the current times. He said \u201cThough Nigeria as an idea\nhas its foundation in administrative convenience; it has evolved in the course\nof time to becoming a work-in-progress, a complex social experiment\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further said:\n\u201cTo be precise, from the British perspective, Nigeria was a corporate idea for\nan administrative convenience and not a planned design to evolve into a nation.\nThe intense diversity at independence was far too wide and sharp to contemplate\nsuch; even several of the country\u2019s leaders at independence agreed on this;\nquoting from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa <\/em><\/strong>and Chief Obafemi\nAwolowo<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince 1914, the British government has been trying to\nmake Nigeria into one country but the Nigerian people are historically\ndifferent in their backgrounds, in their religious beliefs and customs and do\nnot show themselves any signs of willingness to unite… Nigerian <\/em><\/strong>unity\nis only a British <\/em><\/strong>invention.\u201d Abubakar Tafawa Balewa <\/em><\/strong>\u2013\n1948<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNigeria is not a nation, it is a mere geographical\nexpression. There are no Nigerians in the same sense as there are \u2018English\u2019,\n\u2018Welsh\u2019 or \u2018French<\/em><\/strong>\u2019. The word \u2018 \u2019 is merely a distinctive appellation\nto distinguish those who live in within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who\ndo not.\u201d – Chief Obafemi Awolowo 1947<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the Sultan of Sokoto<\/em><\/strong>, the first\npremiere of Northern region, after travelling to Lagos for the first time in 1949<\/em><\/strong>,\nobserved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe whole place was alien to our ideas and we found the\nmembers of other regions might well belong to another world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigeria As A Project<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Discussing Nigeria as a project, OGD <\/em><\/strong>who\nhas two doctoral degrees in development administration and agriculture left his\naudience spell bound and glued to their seats as he enlightened them, painting\na picture of Nigeria without class barrier, ethnic bias, religious differences,\nliterate and illiterate group, urban and rural people and rich and poor\ncitizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He said: \u201cthe defining character of this new paradigm was\nthat people are more united in the brotherhood of economic prosperity and\npoverty than in kith and kin. Recourse to the sentiments of ethnicity and\nreligion are only weapons of prosecuting economic warfare and politics. To\nbuild a nation therefore, the government must and should as a matter of urgency\nfocus on building economic prosperity of the citizen. They are likely to be\nunited in happiness when they can have access to good education, good\nhealthcare, employment which guarantees their self actualisation, a feeling of\nsecurity which increases their self estee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n OGD <\/em><\/strong>in his mastery of\nwords and charm of delivery concluded that what we have been searching for over\nthe years is to find Nigeria as a nation, the things that unite us, how we can\nlive together sharing our differences in culture and perspectives and deriving\na strength from this diversity. It is only if we are able to do these that\nNigeria as a practicable idea could be realised not as of convenience or\nadministrative units. \u201cThis is the project Nigeria which I am proud to report\nto you today is what the whole essence of the Atiku Abubakar\u2019s quest to serve\nNigeria is all about\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contributions From The Audience<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Members of the audience were not left aloof, some\nquestions and contributions were taken and a good nuber of people made\nintelligent and notable contributions. They include Ambassador Dare\nBejide, Chief Tony Okoroji, COSSON President, Engineer Olubi Adekoya, Mr Kola\nOmololu, Mr Abagun Olumide, Akogun Kola Onadipe, Mrs Shola Benson, Woman\nLeader, Lagos State.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -Damilare Salami<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 08155134152\/07033526688<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Saturday, November 24th, 2018 will for a long time be celebrated by hundreds of people who were schooled by a former two-term governor of Ogun state, and the Director-General, Atiku…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":64594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ogd-new.jpg?fit=1606%2C1641&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34348,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/ogd-ladoja-eye-pdp-chairmanship-slot-divides-southwest-pdp-members\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":0},"title":"OGD & LADOJA Eye PDP Chairmanship Slot Divides Southwest PDP Members","author":"City People","date":"September 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The national convention of the PDP, where new executives of the party will emerge is about 2 months away and expetedly, politicking has reached a peak among key members of the party across the country. The post of the national chairman of the party having been zoned to the southwest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Ladoja1.jpg?fit=472%2C394&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64138,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/ogd-canvasses-for-atiku-at-city-people-22nd-anniversary-lecture\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":1},"title":"OGD canvasses for Atiku At City People 22nd Anniversary lecture","author":"Reporter","date":"November 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Two term governor of Ogun state and National leader of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has implored well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the visions and aspirations of the presidential flag bearer of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in his quest to save what is left of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ogd2.jpg?fit=963%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ogd2.jpg?fit=963%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ogd2.jpg?fit=963%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ogd2.jpg?fit=963%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47477,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/pressure-mounts-ogd-anchor-atikus-campaign\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":2},"title":"PRESSURE MOUNTS ON OGD TO ANCHOR ATIKU\u2019S CAMPAIGN","author":"City People","date":"April 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The rumour mill is agog with the gist that former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has been under pressure to accept the offer to anchor the Atiku for President campaign which kicked off about 3 weeks ago in Port Harcourt. We can authoritatively reveal that Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Gbenga-Daniel.jpg?fit=400%2C231&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4964,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/photos-ogd-annual-thankgiving-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":3},"title":"PHOTOS FROM OGD ANNUAL THANKGIVING SERVICE","author":"Reporter","date":"January 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Event and Party"","block_context":{"text":"Event and Party","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/entertainment\/event-and-party\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/DSC_0439_1204x800.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/DSC_0439_1204x800.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/DSC_0439_1204x800.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/DSC_0439_1204x800.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/DSC_0439_1204x800.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51110,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/real-reasons-atiku-made-ogd-his-campaign-dg-details-of-their-19-year-relationship\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":4},"title":"Real Reasons ATIKU Made OGD His Campaign DG – Details Of Their 19 Year Relationship","author":"City People","date":"June 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Since Otunba Gbenga Daniel was appointed Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation last month, many people have been wondering why the former Vice President,\u00a0 Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had so much faith in OGD to have entrusted him with his campaign. City People gathered that, it is because of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Atiku-and-OGD-e1527495308415.jpg?fit=620%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Atiku-and-OGD-e1527495308415.jpg?fit=620%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Atiku-and-OGD-e1527495308415.jpg?fit=620%2C363&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35210,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/ogd-visits-abdulsalam-abubakar\/","url_meta":{"origin":64592,"position":5},"title":"OGD visits Abdulsalam Abubakar","author":"Reporter","date":"October 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, with former Military President, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, and others when he visited the former Head of State recently in furtherance of his aspiration to become the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/salam1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/salam1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/salam1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/salam1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/salam1.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64592"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64597,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64592\/revisions\/64597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}