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Those behind Gbenga Daniel�sgovernment
By Segun Adeleye
Reporter, Abeokuta
Steve
Olufela Oliyide
Leading the pack of Ogun State Governor Otunba
GbengaDaniel�s team are men and women across professional discipline
andsenatorial bias, with little known Mr Steve Olufela Oliyide, a
personalassistant on Information and Strategy, carving a niche for himself
asDaniel�s media man.
Diminutive and unassuming, the former
studentsactivist at the Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, wields invaluable
influenceamong his private sector media colleagues based on his suaveness and
robustpublic relations.
His strength, however, remains his greatest
albatrossas senior media aide to the governor. He is a stickler for public
relationsethics and norms and he is not a propagandist. He was the brain behind
thegovernor�s City People award.
FolaAdeola
The former Chief Executive of Guaranty Trust
Bank(GTB) and founder of FATE Foundation has the ears of the governor. He is
alongtime flat mate of His Excellency somewhere in Lagos before he mooted
theidea of floating a bank.
This recluse of sort is hardly seen at theGovernor�s
Lodge or his Oke-Mosan office despite their closeness. Henonetheless commands
respect from members of the executive, more because of hisintellectual prowess
and modesty.
Adeola belongs to the crop of elite who do not
likemedia attention so much, evening in his days at the GTB.
MsYosola
Akinbi
An accounting egghead, she used to be with the WorldBank
as a consultant. Akinbi combines embarrassing humility with brain andbrawn in
perfect blend.
As a special adviser to the governor on
EconomicPlanning and Development, she oversaw the hosting of the first ever
EconomicSummit in the Gateway state, securing 80 per cent private sector
participation(cash and kind) while government picked the remaining 20 per cent.
Daily Independent had it on good authority that
shevoluntarily picked the bills of Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
fordelivering a lead paper at the summit.
Rev.Jide
Awosedo
One reverend gentleman that contributes to
governancein camera is Reverend Awosedo, a wealthy businessman from Remo
division of thestate. His influence on the governor does not stem from just
being a staunchPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, but rather his
investment wizardryand projective ability. He is one of the few heavy spenders
who need noclearance to place congratulatory messages.
ObasSikiru
Adetona and Michael Sonariwo
These two royal fathers are ungazetted advisers tothe
governor.
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Sikiru Kayode
Adetona,brings his reputation of frankness, which marked him out in the Abacha
years,to bear on the governor, who pointedly told workers of some Federal
Governmentagencies, the NTA 12 to be specific, that the needs of state-owned
mediaorganisation is paramount to him.
PrinceWemmy
Osude
He is the managing director of Gateway Oil and
GasLimited. The governor believes that having criss-crossed a couple
ofmultinational oil companies, Osude is best suited for the job. It may
bedifficult to determine whether His Excellency�s wife, Yeye Olufunke,
hasaccess to his husband than Osude. Their relationship spans almost two
decades.
NiranMalaolu
Perhaps his baptism of horror after being chargedwith
�accessory after the fact of treason� by the late Head ofState, General Sani
Abacha, endeared him to His Excellency.
The commissioner for Information and Strategy
isreputed for speaking from both sides of the mouth. He sets the record as
theonly commissioner in the federation who had strategised well by taking
hisgovernor on a thank-you tour of media headquarters in Lagos and Ibadan.
It has been argued in some quarters that
thegovernor�s success as the best performing governor in Nigeria is
largelyhelped by the amount of positive media attention on him.
OtunbaSubomi
Balogun
The coming of Daniel to the state made some people
tobelieve truly that the lawyer-banker, Otunba Subomi Balogun, has a root in
thestate. He made his first acknowledged public appearances at series
ofactivities to usher in Daniel as governor. He has a representative on
thestate�s Investment Trust Fund with a branch of his first Monument Bank
inAbeokuta
KolaOnadipe
Daniel�s commissioner for Special Duties is achartered builder with over two decades experience in the mortgage sector. Hewill go down in the history of the state as a builder whose ministry supervisedthe construction of the Valley View with an �unknown figure ofmoney�.
This governor�s Man Friday told a newsconference that
he couldn�t say how much was spent on the eight-weekproject. �All I know is
that if Julius Berger was asked to construct theValley View for us, it would
have cost probably N1000 million and we spentabout one third of the amount,� he
said when asked the specific amountspent on the construction.
MrsFolake
Marcus-Bello
The lawyer, Folake Marcus-Bello, is a
fierceadministrator in charge of Gateway Hotels at Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and
Otta. Shewas in the eye of the storm when 33 managers of the hotel were
allegedlyredeployed a couple of months ago.
She had expressed disappointment with the panel
ofenquiry set up to probe the crisis that trailed the saga, preferring to
beallowed to deal with the situation as contained in her terms of appointment.
AsiwajuFemi
Somolu
Governor Daniel�s business associate andchairman of
Bond Bank is Asiwaju Femi Somolu. Cool as they come, theindustrialist sits on
the board of many blue chip companies.
KehindeSogunle
A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
(ICAN),Sogunle was formerly with Phillip Consulting, Marina, while he ran a
separatemanagement outfit at Inner Rotunda, Elephant House, Alausa, before
becomingdirector-general of Budget.
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