Fawaz Adebisi
The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba (Dr.) Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Okukenu IV, has thrown his full weight behind PLATFORM TIMES as the publication prepares to host its own celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Ogun State.
The endorsement came during a visit by the PLATFORM TIMES Board of Trustees to the Ake Palace, where the revered monarch expressed enthusiasm for the publication’s plans to host a dedicated celebration of the milestone, joining the Ogun State Government’s series of activities marking the historic occasion throughout February 2026.
The team, headed by former President of the Freelancers and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria, Desmond Nwachukwu, was led to the palace by veteran broadcaster Dele Ayodo and supported by erudite broadcaster and Assistant General Manager of Fresh FM, Abeokuta, Adeyinka Adegbite, popularly called Omo Baba Tisa.
Others in the entourage included: immediate past Chairman of the Ogun State Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Razaq Ayinla; tech expert Taju Nafiu; former Head of Marketing at Rockcity FM, Abeokuta, Mrs. Modinat Adenekan Yusuf; Head of Programmes at Splash FM, Abeokuta, Mariam Ogunremi; administrator Ibrahim Awwal; award-winning young journalist with PLATFORM TIMES, Fawaz Adebisi; and PLATFORM TIMES Editor, Daud Olatunji.
Speaking with the team, Oba Gbadebo was unequivocal in his backing for PLATFORM TIMES’ initiative, offering words that carried both regal authority and personal conviction. “You have my endorsement,” the Alake declared. “What you want to do will be accomplished. You won’t do it in vain.”
In a particularly significant dimension of his endorsement, the Alake anchored his support in Abeokuta’s unparalleled place in Nigerian history, invoking the city’s twin legacy as the birthplace of formal education and modern healthcare in the country.
“Education started here in Nigeria; the first hospital was also here,” he said. “So if you start here, it’s good.”
The remarks carry deep historical weight. Abeokuta is home to the CMS Grammar School, founded in 1854 and widely recognised as Nigeria’s oldest secondary school, as well as the Egba United Government Hospital, one of the earliest formal medical institutions in the country.
For the Alake, these legacies make Abeokuta not just a fitting, but a symbolically powerful location for any celebration of Ogun State’s golden milestone.
Ogun State was created on February 3, 1976, carved out of the old Western State under the Murtala Muhammed administration.
Fifty years on, it has grown into Nigeria’s foremost industrial state, with a thriving manufacturing economy, an expanding road network, and a rich tradition of producing some of the country’s most distinguished figures in law, academia, politics, and the arts.
The state government marked the jubilee with events including a State Banquet at Oke-Mosan, a cultural carnival led by Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and the commissioning of infrastructure projects across all three senatorial districts.
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